Hello + happy Monday! I am lucky enough to have the day off work today, and while we aren’t too far removed from that nice holiday break, I was really grateful for a three day-weekend! I worked 12 days straight because of the College Football National Championship (more on that below!), and while it was really fun work, it’s nice to have a few days just to relax and catch up on my personal life.
This weekend has been a fun one—on Saturday, my friend Diana was in town, so her, Monica, and me went to Le Diplomate for brunch. Diana used to report on the royal family at People and is an expert on the Windsor family, so it was perfect timing that Queen Elizabeth dropped her most recent statement on Meghan and Harry right before we went to brunch. After brunch, it was so rainy and cold, I settled in on my couch for a marathon of classics on Disney+, including Jungle 2 Jungle, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and Remember the Titans. Then on Sunday, I went to my oldest friend’s baby shower and out to BBQ with the family to celebrate my day’s birthday!
Today I am just hanging out and heading to Soul Cycle a little bit later—so I thought it’d be fun to check-in and share a little bit about what’s going on in my life lately.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP /
At my day job, I do PR across some really fun sports, dining, and entertainment events, and was lucky enough to staff the College Football National Championship this year. The game was played on Monday, January 13 in New Orleans, and I headed down the Saturday before to do some prep work on the ground and settle in before game day. This was my third trip to New Orleans—you can read about my past trips here and here!—and I was really glad it was not my first time in the Big Easy. Unsurprisingly, big sporting events like National Championship Games bring a lot of people into town, and had it been my first time to New Orleans, I think I would have been overwhelmed/turned off by the crowds and extreme partying. I’d wager a bet Mardi Gras is way crazier, but I am glad I had gotten to experience New Orleans on a “normal” weekend before walking into what was essentially a three-day tailgate.
On Saturday and Sunday, I had a work obligations, but was still able to enjoy Bourbon Street with my coworkers, enjoy my favorite gumbo at Kingfish, and try one of the hottest new restaurants in town, Sofia. I also caught the most amazing golden hour over the mighty Mississippi and Jackson Square, which is anchored by the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral. And, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without beignets. This time, I tried Cafe Beignet instead of my usual Cafe du Monde, and was really impressed! Cake for breakfast? Sign me up!
Monday was truly a work day for me, but it was fun work—and one of my assignments was going to the Championship Tailgate concert, which was a free concert for anyone in New Orleans ahead of the game. Judah & the Lion opened, and then Tim McGraw played an incredible hour-long set riddled with all his hits. Being a Louisiana native, he had on this wild LSU bomber jacket. This was my second time seeing Tim McGraw live (the first time was when he was on tour with Faith Hill!), and he is an incredible performer—I would highly recommend hitting one of his concerts this summer! After Championship Tailgate wrapped up, we headed to the game, which was held in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. An iconic stadium, I was excited to attend a game there—but something that weighed heavily on me when I was there was how many people suffered in the building during Hurricane Katrina. I am definitely praying for their peace.
The game itself was really fun—and the stadium was so, so loud! I could barely hear my coworkers next to me, so I have no idea how the teams communicate on the field. My sister Lindsey goes to Clemson so I was #AllIn on Dabo’s Tigers, but since Baton Rouge is about an hour away from NOLA, there were definitely way more LSU Tigers in the city and at the game. The atmosphere was really lively, and everyone was really cordial—”go Tigers!” was a popular phrase since it applied to both teams, and a lot of storefronts and restaurants made really cute signs with this battle cry. I, of course, was bummed Clemson didn’t win—but it was really LSU’s year. They played an incredible game with a legendary QB and had the home team advantage—one of their team hype songs is Calling Baton Rouge, and I don’t hate that, either!
I am really lucky that my career has brought me some incredible opportunities—things that I would have never imagined when I graduated college or even just a couple of years ago. My life is nothing like I imagined it would be ten years ago, but it is a lot better than anything I could have dreamed up. I work really hard and push my comfort zone when I can, and it’s nice when those things pay off.
