About New Orleans.......

Sometimes lessons are learned when you least expect them.
One single moment in time can completely change your outlook on life.
Decisions suddenly make sense.
The people you met in the past, somehow reflect who you are now & in the future.
Moments have meaning.
And then suddenly,
clarity.
It just all makes sense.

This past weekend, my friends and I travelled to New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the 2015 Zulu Coronation Ball at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This event is held annually in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and is one of the largest social events in the city during this time. I had never attended the Zulu Ball, but have been wanting to go for years. I casually mentioned it to one of my friends, and he took it upon himself to make this trip reality for all of us...and after a few calls and a little bit of research our table was confirmed and we were on our way.

We arrived in New Orleans Friday night, and after much preparation we made it to Zulu...

And now a moment of transparency....

Despite the accolades, the titles, the clothes and accomplishments...there was once a time when I viewed myself in a very negative light, and that negativity not only took hold of my thoughts...it sometimes guided my actions as well. I went to college in Louisiana, and despite home (Houston) being a mere four hours away, I was light years away from my safe zone. Instead of focusing my energies on self-improvement, I looked towards others to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. I wanted to feel confident and powerful, so I hung out with people who I thought fit that description. I wore as little as I could to attract the attention I thought I desired at the time. I had whomever I wanted and lived life without regrets making decisions while disregarding reputation. I just was not myself. Although I had fun, I wasn't necessarily happy with all and what I was doing...and then I grew up and moved on.

Since I did go to college in Louisiana, it was more than happenstance that I ran into a lot of my old friends/acquaintances from undergrad. Although I didn't see everybody, I did run into two in particular who played a monumental role in my life during those aforementioned dark ages. It was as if the universe ordained the crowds to part for me to walk upon the one I wanted to be the one at that time in my life.....

It had been years since I saw this individual, and in five minutes every single hope and dream of the past became a praise for the present. Retrospect is a motherfucker bitch beast. One thing I have learned in life is you attract what you project. If you aren't happy with yourself it's hard to connect with people who are happy with themselves, and vice versa. The people you thought were meant to be there, more than likely were only meant for the moment to either tread through the darkness with you, or lead you out. In this case, I made it out on my own and for the better.... And there is no need to look back, but I digress.

We partied well into the night while listening to performances by The Isley Brothers, Fantasia and Juvenile, drank our little hearts out and enjoyed snacks to keep us fueled throughout the night. It was well past 6 am, when my head finally touched the pillow in our hotel. It was a good time indeed.

Since we were going to be in town the entire weekend, we decided to enjoy some of the parades being held around town. We parked and walked mile after mile, enjoying the Endymion parade. When we had finally had our fix of bead catching, we headed over to a house party and danced the night away for a few more hours. We attempted to head towards the infamous Bourbon Street and French Quarter, but were not feeling being in the traffic after walking 18k steps during the parade & so we headed back to our hotel.

We had an early flight on Sunday, so after a few more hours of laughter and recalling the numerous happenings over the weekend we called it a night.

Since New Orleans is one of those "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" type towns this is definitely the abridged and Cliff Notes version of our trip, but I can honestly say there were a lot of memories made that I will definitely sit back and smile on for years to come. I enjoy being around positive people, with positive energy radiating all around them. I love meeting new people, and spending time with others who are not so new. New Orleans is like a second home to me, and I can't wait for my next trip....

All Hail, Zulu and Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!! :)