Category: Acadiana Life
-
Moving away from Louisiana changed me
There are days when I think about how my life would be different had I never left “home” (Louisiana). Then, I sit back and realize how much my life has changed because I left Louisiana. I made the decision to move away from Baton Rouge during my last semester at LSU. I’d accepted a job…
-
Cajun Cultural history: A story of sadness
I’ve been re-reading a favorite book of mine – “Bayou Farewell” by Mike Tidwell in preparation for our Bayou Book Club call this Sunday evening. The book focuses on the erosion of the coastal wetlands of South Louisiana and the culture of the people who live in that region. Mr. Tidwell weaves an interesting tale…
-
A Cajun documentary nearly 30 years in the making….
Through a wacky series of events, I had an experience a few weeks ago that left me speechless. Let me tell you the story of 30 years of activities that culminated into a single experience that confirmed that the path that I’m on is where I’m meant to be. Grab some popcorn and settle in…
-
How Can I Help?
It’s been a while since I last posted to this blog and for that, I apologize. Let me just say that my personal life has been crazy and I’d rather not say much more than that at this time. Maybe someday I’ll share some of the lessons learned in the past year on this blog,…
-
Lafayette Strong: Proud to be Cajun
I’ve always been proud to be born & raised in Acadiana. This last week has illustrated just why I love my hometown. When I heard about the shooting in Lafayette last Thursday, my heart sank. At first I was in denial, convinced that the breaking news I was reading on Twitter was a mistake. I…
-
When tragedy strikes your hometown
Last night, tragedy struck the place where my heart lives – Lafayette, LA. When something like this happens in a place that you don’t know well, it’s easy to send prayers, support and keep moving on with your life. When it happens in a place where the majority of your family lives, where you have…
-
What being Cajun means to me: Friendliness
As I outlined in a previous post, I’m writing a series of blog posts about what being Cajun means to me – the traits typically found people who identify with the Cajun culture. In previous posts, I blogged about resourcefulness and our joie de vivre, the importance we place on family and our resilience. This…
-
12 Tips on what to expect at a Cajun wedding
Since moving away from Lafayette so many years ago, I’ve attended a number of weddings and it quickly became obvious to me that Cajun weddings are not “typical” – we have some traditions that other cultures don’t necessarily follow. To inform those not in the “know”, I thought I’d put together this handy guide about…
-
Bubba: An unexpected encounter with a gator
Last fall, when I was camping with my husband in Destin – we had the opportunity to pet an alligator. Now, don’t run off just yet – I was a total skeptic as well. Who in the HELL has a pet alligator? Let me give you the backstory, first. We were camping in Destin at…
-
Ruby Red
As I’ve covered in a previous blog post, my father collected and restored antique cars. Yellow Bird (1922 Chevrolet) was always the constant in our family, but we also had various other cars that he owned throughout our youth. Another family tradition was that we gave the cars names. My mom’s brown station wagon was…