Here and Back Again

I haven’t posted in a while for many reasons. One of the main ones is the fact that it is summer and my parents have a limited amount of internet access. Another is the fact that I just spent the last week in New Orleans going on a Youth conference with my church. It was a lot of fun and I swear it was cooler down there that it was up here. This is my second time in New Orleans, the first was a year after Katrina and I went down with a group to help rebuild. Now I didn’t get to see much past the French Quarter, mainly because when you with a group of 5,500 teenagers you do not let them wander too much. It was a little disappointing to travel for two days and not get to see more of the wonderful historical city. However, I did enjoy wandering around the downtown district and check out some of the traditional sights of a classic Southern city.

My personal favourite was looking at some of the candy shops and buying some pralines. Of course I really shouldn’t be eating so much sugar on a regular basis, but I had to treat myself.

These are some beauties from a shop in New Orleans and I’m still salivating over the taste. However, the cost of these treats are too much for my budget (with some of the better prices beings $10 a dozen) So I’m going to start looking for some easy recipes for this candies. Hopefully they won’t be too fussy like other candies.

While I would never go down during Mardi Gras season, because like 0ther college-age hallmarks such as the migration during spring break, I find it slightly distasteful and slightly dangerous (since I don’t trust a combination of strange new city, tons of drinking to excess and the sexual drive of the events). However, if I was going on a trip with friends I wouldn’t mind revisiting New Orleans while taking safety precautions. It is a beautiful place with a great deal of history and is worth visiting. That being said trying to find a souvenir for my twelve-year-old sister was close to impossible.

End of an Era

As Eli mentioned her college I suppose that I will have to talk about my own. Although I am transferring to Eau Clair at the end of this year, it is not because I dislike this campus outright. I attend Dordt, a small Christan College in Iowa. Personally it is a wonderful place to be, but I need to be closer to my family and cannot afford the cost of a private education. Also if I plan on having a smooth transition from undergrad to graduate school I would like to do so within the state university system. Anyway I have some beautiful pictures of Dordt’s campus ( It is named after the cannons of Dordt which came out of the synod of Dord. It has something to do with reformed theology which I have never bothered to research in depth.) All of these pictures are credited to unknown Dordt students and faculty that have decent camera’s. (and yes I will complain for a while until I gain access to something that doesn’t take facebook only quality pic’s)

Sunsets, the only reason I accept the treelessness of Iowa.

Like most college's there is heavy landscaping, however; it sticks to the natural grasses and plants that grow in the area.

This is the campus in late November. Note the amazing lack of snow, now understand that snow has not remained on the ground for more than a couple days and it is February. This is very odd when dealing with the Midwest.

This is literally what it looked like Yesterday, and then the sun came out and melted everything.

The Greenhouse, I wish I could live there. I need greenery to keep sane in the horrible winters that seem to always last forever.

Dordt's Prairie.