Don’t worry, Texas. I will never love Louisiana the way I love you.
When we lived in small town East Texas, I decided not to blog about it — the town, that is. Not by name and exact details, anyway. The thing is, it’s teeny tiny. It’s the kind of town where you can’t go anywhere, not even a quick trip to the grocery store, without seeing at least one (or ten) person(s) you know. And despite the fact that I put most of my life on the Internet, I couldn’t get over how easy it would be for the wrong person to find me. Call it paranoia, call it one too many true crime shows, but that was my decision and I stuck to it for two years. There were so many times I would think “I should blog about this!” and then realize it would give away my location. It was an ongoing thing which I always hated, but not enough to disclose my whereabouts.
When I first found out we were moving to this town — city, rather — in Louisiana, I asked myself a very important question: Would I blog my location? After much deliberation and getting advice from several wise people, I decided that yes, I am going to reveal my location and be open about the city in which I live. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my new city:
Look, even my mom said it would be okay. And she’s one of the most paranoid cautious people I know. Besides, I want to immerse myself into this city. The culture, the restaurants, the events, all of it. I want to blog about it. So if you’re trying to find me to kill me, just look for a dive serving boiled crawfish and follow me home, I guess.
The best part? The airport code for Lafayette is LFT. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am now LfT in LFT. (See also: I went a little crazy making graphics for this post. And got a little GIF-obsessed. Look away.) I’m super excited to start blogging about this city. So far, I’ve found an amazing gelato place, a tapas bar that serves duck fat fries (be still my heart), and the best fried shrimp po’ boys any of you have ever had. Which is also why I bought a new pair of running shoes and have been sweating it out in the Louisiana humidity for the last 2 weeks. So I can EAT.
Now that the Cajun cat is out of the bag, I have to ask: Are there any Louisiana bloggers nearby who want to meetup? And then blog about it? And then carefully take an alternate way home so no stalkers can find us?
Graphics* in this post created by me. Don’t be jealous of my sweet skillz.
*Image of Tony Chachere’s, THE BEST SEASONING IN THE WORLD, came from here. Image of crawfish came from here.
Molly says:
Ok. I’m planning our trip now. I need to eat all of that.
Heahther says:
I love your graphics! Enjoy your new city. Fun fun fun!!!
skye @ neathering our fest says:
I’ve already volunteered to meet up (i think?) i’d be cool with a day trip to LFT to meet the one and only LfT! :) It’s about a 4 hour drive… Or we could meet up in Alexandria. It’s about halfway for both of us!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says:
Umm, I’m LOVING your graphics on this post. And loving that you are officially LfT in LFT. I love that town and cannot wait to get together to hang out! Aaaaand I can’t wait to show you my favorite crawfish place, assuming it’s still open for the season!
Lindsey says:
I grew up in Lafayette and I think you’re going to love it! It’s a very hospitable city with something always going on. :)
Caitlin says:
Hey Lauren! Started following you on Twitter thanks to Kora Bruce! Wanted to send a big WELCOME to Lafayette to you. I do hope you enjoy it here, and I’m in full support of a meetup with all of us. :)
Julie H. says:
Okay so this is an embarrassing question (and I have perfectly good excuses for asking it) but what does the acronym GIF stand for?
I’m not really in the twitter blogging world. I basically just read a few blogs and the news websites and then I pinterest every so often.
So…anyone want to tell me what GIF is???
P.S. Most people in the midwest do not know what Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning is!!! It is my quick meal go to spice. I throw it on chicken breast before sauteing and it comes out awesome! Also I worked at a camp where the niece of Tony Cachere also worked for a summer. And yes Chachere was her real last name! I was so close to someone famous, everybody is jealous, I know. Except Kayleigh, Cio, and Nicole were also there that same summer so I guess they were close to a famous person too. Dang it. I’m not special anymore. ;)
Suburban Sweetheart says:
Love the graphics, crazy lady. I always wondered if you didn’t disclose because the town was so small; I wondered when I moved to Portsmouth if I should say where I was but ultimately couldn’t help myself. I’m excited to hear about LfT’s LFT adventures!
Reen says:
Okay, you are ADORABLE.
Laura says:
wait wait wait. Julie, are you joking, or was Carolyn actually related to Tony Chachere??? I always thought it was just a coincidence. How did I not know this??
Also, Lauren, I LOVE that you’re now Lft in LFT! That worked out wonderfully!
Sara says:
You had me at duck fat fries. Have fun exploring your new city!
Nora says:
So jealous! Eat at the Blue Dog Cafe, my favorite restaurant in the world!
Holly says:
I live about 30 mins from Lafayette. I’d love to meet up!
Julia says:
Gifs are super cute! Good for you! Will you ever go back and talk about where you were and the people? Just curious (not stalking. I swear)
Megan says:
I am from Lafayette! I can give you a long list of places to eat, shop, etc! If you havent been to Caroline and CO- GO NOW! Vertigo is fun too for clothes!