cooked a homemade vegan dinner with my friend & coworker Eleanor. she's housesitting at this gorgeous home in uptown, with original art and the most perfect screened-in porch. it's owned by two architects, naturally :)

jackson stayed for an extra week. here he is being extra exhausted after a long hot walk.

i went to a great event last Friday that was put on by the ReThinkers, a group of exceptional middle schoolers from across New Orleans that meet throughout the school year and summer to talk about problems that affect their lives and brainstorm solutions. last year they focussed on healthy school lunches, this year they focused on violence / discipline in schools. they talked about restorative justice and how parents, kids, teachers, community members, and the school board can implement changes and incorporate RJ into classrooms and school policy. they also did an incredible tribute to Trayvon Martin, which obviously had me in tears.

i went to get ideas about how to encourage youth leadership among Youth Run students, and i hope to stay involved with the ReThinkers as they pick their next topic this fall. this was truly a valuable experience for me personally, and i hope to do a lot more with them.

went on a quick overnight with my friend David to visit Sarah in Thibideaux. i'm sure gonna miss that girl when she leaves for Uganda in September!

i went paddleboarding yesterday with some friends! i'm so happy to have been able to do this twice this summer. here are some photos of us out on the Bayou!

all lined up & ready to push out! we started at 9 AM, which was great, because it was HOT. that's the front entrance to City Park in the background.

getting my sea legs... acting normal.

 that's better. really don't want to fall into that dirty Bayou water.

looking at real estate. i really want to live in the Bayou St. John neighborhood next.

tracy & i going under a bridge! i really love her face in this one.

best group shot of the day! such a fun time. 

we had a rather large houseguest this week: Action Jackson, 1/2 pit bull & 1/2 boxer. sweetest, most docile, greatest dog. taking him out on walks was a great way to break up my work week. my practicum is really coming to a head, and the next few weeks are going to be a big push. i met with the new program director a few days ago, which was a really exciting opportunity for me to be able to share my insights into the program and the work i'm doing. i'm hoping i'll be mostly done before i get home!

let's see, what else is new... i got a gnarly flat tire this week, which is a rite of passage for anyone driving these crazy NOLA streets. i finally was able to take advantage of my AAA membership, thanks to Aunt A!

i've also been spending lots of time with my lulu coworkers, mostly workouts and coffee dates. that's been really great. i tried out something called "Dirty South yoga" this week, it was yoga with a little bounce / hip-hop mixed in. super fun, different, and definitely out of my comfort zone! i'm also starting to plan the store's run club, which is my baby and will be launching the week after Labor Day. i've got lots of ideas for it, and i'm excited to own it!

Running of the Bulls

Went to a great event on Saturday morning! Running of the Bulls, New Orleans-style.

I joined thousands of people wearing white outfits & red bandanas gathered near the convention center. We lined up & at 8 AM, the bulls started running.

Did I mention that the bulls were roller derby girls? Oh yeah. Derby girls armed with baseball bats.

The course was just under a mile, which was plenty, because it was 90+ degrees, so sweaty & hot!

great people watching, great morning. (this guy had had quite enough... at 8:30 AM).

July 4th weekend

I got dressed up for work on the 4th. I mean, why not? (Also, looking extra Tweety Bird here). Sarah came into town for the holiday weekend, and we watched the fireworks downtown. It's Essence Fest this weekend too so there were eleventy million people in the French Quarter.

Working out with friends! Very happy, very sweaty. 

One more of those, just for bonus sweaty cuteness.

Also spent some time this weekend at the Farmer's Market & eating the best pho I've had in a long time, in a weird strip mall on the West Bank.

Counting down the days till I come home!

time for a mid-week update!

first meeting of the lululemon book club. that's Ele in the front, her boyfriend was just named the #1 cheesemonger in America. that's a very good connection to have for a bookclub.

class photo from last week's session of one of my favorite things right now, my Make it Reyn weekly dance class. can you spot me?

and this is what i've been doing. all day, every day. my practicum! it's really been keeping me busy, and i've been hanging around coffee shops all over town to give me a change of scenery and help keep me focused. i've gotten a lot done, and i have a lot more to do over the next few weeks-- most of the work will be wrapped up before i come home in mid-august.

other than that stuff, i've mostly been keeping busy with work, yoga & spin classes (which i really love). it's been unseasonably cool here: 88 the last few days. it's glorious! i'm taking advantage of the very cool weather by wearing long pants, keeping my hair down and trying to spend as much time outside as possible. even if that just means carting my computer outdoors.