day three. arrival.

baton rouge is probably my new favorite city on the planet. despite a long day of travel (just how big is texas?!), we just arrived in our hotel room exhausted and malnourished. but let me tell you, this city is incredible. the view from the bridge crossing the mississippi is, in my opinion, breathtaking. the state capitol was to our left, and foliage covered LSU was to our right. ok, its official. i think i have fallen in love with the state of louisiana.

this morning we actually slept in (a late 8:15) and i actually washed my hair. it felt very good, but im still trying to get to know my new haircut. we aren't on good terms yet, especially because i miss my messy second day dirty long hair look. what on earth could i do with my hair to make it look good with flannel now? after we got ready, we said goodbye to our ultra modern springhill suites and left to see the Alamo at my insisting. i felt like it was my patriotic duty to see the landmark. so, drive there we did, but we almost died quite a few times because the state of texas decided somehow that it would be a good idea to not put signs on the freeway warning you of exits or on-ramps, or different levels of the freeway (there was a lower freeway and an upper freeway at some points. dangerous much?) telling you where you should go. if there is an exit, you just see the exit and have to frantically get over. and with a full backseat with no visibility, not so good. we finally made it to downtown san antonio and when we got out of the car, a.) the humidity made you feel like you were imploding because your skin could not breathe and b.) i thought the city was clean and beautiful. there were old buildings, lots of trees, and a lot of history. the alamo itself was a beautiful old mission made of this tan stone. we walked the grounds, saluted our countrymen who love freedom so much, and bought some souvenir t-shirts. the city has so many hints of the old city that used to be there; old architecture is absolutely gorgeous. i wish that i could go back 100 years and just see what all of these old cities looked like before we came in with our sky scrapers and ripley's believe it or nots.

after a little sightseeing, we got back on the road (after getting back to the freeway in a very roundabout way, seeing the real san antonio which was old, worn houses and neighborhood churches) and decided we needed to go to the bathroom. we decided to stop at "Buc-ees" and were SHOCKED because when we got to the parking lot, there were hundreds of cars and even more people milling about. we didn't know if it was a grocery store or what. it turned out to be a glorified convenience store with a giant beaver logo that sold EVERYTHING. so, we picked up some candied jalapenos, a sausage on a stick, some fudge and diet coke. it was an experience. we asked a worker "what is this place? and why is is so popular?" and she looked at us like we were crazy and said, "we sell a lot of stuff." oh, buc-ees.

after bucees we tried to keep driving and we were successful until Katy, Texas. Although Katy was hotter than, well lets just say it was hot, i loved it. it was still green, everything was new, and of course, they had a cracker barrel. we kept driving and driving a little more and we see that the i-10 east in the middle of houston is completely shut down. and we thought it would be wise to follow the detour directions on the Texas DOT website instead of the one sign that said use "610 N". bad move on our part. we made a huge circle and spent an hour navigating Houston. Houston is yet another beautiful city. the skyline of the city is really spectacular, and seems to blend the old and the new very well. from our hours worth of driving, we didn't even see a bad neighborhood (after some extensive googling, however, houston has a pretty high crime rate, so be careful if you are planning to move there). houston sits right on the gulf, so we drove over the gulf for the first time in my entire life. there were big, billowing storm clouds coming in from the gulf and it was a harrowing experience. as i saw all of the hurrican season signs around the city, i imagined how difficult it would be to be sitting in your downtown apartment and watch a hurricane come towards you. so, we were finally back on the 10, i was hungry, and we stopped yet again at the local jack in the box. the land is somewhat empty from houston to louisiana, but green and pretty.

after way more driving than i care to ever do again, we reached the louisiana border, so of course, we pulled over so i could take a picture next to the sign. i was NOT expecting what happened when i stepped out of the door. i was slammed in the face with more humidity than i've ever felt in my entire life, and in the greenery around the freeway, i heard a chorus of bugs, frogs, and other creatures so loud that i thought someone was playing one of those rainforest sounds cds at full blast. my glasses fogged up, and the air smelled of plants and dirt. it was a welcome to louisiana indeed. the rest of the road was GREEN and tree covered. huge, towering, vine-covered trees. water was everywhere, and at one point, the freeway was a literally a bridge for around 30 miles. we crossed rivers, bayous, swamps, and lakes. the land is entirely covered in water and trees. its like the rainforest!! and now one told me how awesome it was! however, after seeing all of the standing water, we googled mosquitoe borne diseases in louisiana, like malaria and west nile virus. they are both alive and well here. i really can't describe how beautiful it is. i've never loved a landscape more, i don't think. it is a place for adventure, and i think it is so fitting that i am starting my new life here. oh, and don't worry, there was a dead alligator on the side of the freeway. (we then googled alligators. did you know that they are fast sometimes?!) what jungle have i gotten myself into?!

as we crossed the bridge over the mississippi, i saw it. baton rouge. it was just as green as everything else. the sky was lavender, the river reflected its color. and i fell in love with the city. i am more than excited to get out and explore, and come to learn what i affectionately call my city. after we got into baton rouge, however, the honeymoon ended. we got to our first hotel, and it was like 1984 called and wanted its hotel back. so we pulled a mariah carey (you know, diva) and checked out. we then went to chilis (our chicken was raw and seriously, i hate chilis.). as we were pulling out of the parking lot to go to our next hotel (its like 10pm by now), we happened to drive over a curb that we didn't see. my poor little car scraped like you wouldn't believe. we didn't know what to do, so we grabbed local police officers and asked them what we should do. they were helpful and said, "uh yeah, call AAA". so call AAA we did. an hour an ten minutes later, our AAA truck came and rescued us. luckily, there was no damage to my car, but to our egos. but we were FINALLY to our new hotel. it took us 30 minutes to even check in, and yes, it was in the middle of the night. it was a sign of things to come. we finally got to our room (down a hall that was absolutely DISGUSTING) and open the door to our room. plaster walls, weird fake wood floors, chipped furniture, a sink that doesn't drain, a dirty bathroom floor (i refused to check my sheets for what was in there and take my chances) and a shower that clogged and i dont think has been cleaned or provided warm water in a long time. needless to say, we are checking out today and going to a hotel downtown. haha. i promise we aren't always divas.

it is the morning after now, and we are about to go see what baton rouge has to offer. im going to be a teacher! im going to live in a new city! its exciting. my mom told me yesterday that she thinks i have a little of my great, great grandpa in me. i have to say that i agree. i have this insatiable urge to go, and to see, and to experience. but i did think to myself how silly this all was, me moving across the country all by myself. it seemed silly to leave my family, because my family is my life, my everything. they mean everything to me, and i am willingly leaving them. i think i have to do this for me, although, i think that this experience is making me more sure of what blessings i have, and more ready to acknowledge them. and, after last night, im even more grateful for my church and my religion. although this last month has been a time of neglect for me, im more than excited and willing to redevote myself. so many, many things to do! off to see the city!