GP: A Weekend in the Life of LyLa

So this guest post is coming a little late today, but trust me! It's well worth the wait. Today's guest post comes from the one and only LyLa. I don't even know if I could describe the bond between LyLa and I...I've known her since 5th grade and shes been there for every happening worth mentioning in my life. She's: the girl I formed the "Karen Kipplewhite Club" with in 6th grade as we mixed Jelly Bellies to make "strawberry daiquiris," the girl who made me think English riding was the coolest thing ever, my college roommate, the person I text from 1000 miles away for dating advice, the most amazing cook, an inspiration in my faith, the executive consultant on my love interests or lack thereof, my hair dresser, my co-worker, my daily dose of the giggles, my creative bouncing board, a low maintenance travel buddy, the originator of pockets o' sunshine, a motivation in my work ethic, a Friday lunch food critic, the girl who makes fun of my terrible music indulgences, the person who laughs the loudest when I dance, the person who's always bluntly honest when I need the truth, and my biggest cheerleader. In short, shes a best friend. She's in every aspect of my life, and so it's with great pleasure and pride that I let her into my blogging world.

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So, hello again! I'm Lyla... Kora's friend, co-worker, hairdresser, and the list goes on... I was so honored to be able to choose the winning photo in her last contest, and here I am again... my first guest post. I'll be honest, I'm no blogger. My first actual blogging experiences have come from Ms. Kora herself. But, all of yall are GREAT! I'm so inspired by what so many of you write and actually take the time for. Really... my hat's off to you ladies. Yall are like a whole little community that support each other and encourage each other, and I just think yall are the best.

So... onto my first posting experience. For a little background, I'm 24, married, proud mumsie of 3 dogs (Jolie', Brian, and Coors) and 1 kitty cat (that would be... Mama Cat, so original, I know). I live out in the middle of nowhere on about 5 and a half acres in a little red house my husband and I moved there, gutted and renovated. When I'm not working, I spend most of my time hanging out at home, cooking, cutting grass, working hard to make time for being crafty, and trying out new restaurants and places with my hubby.

Alright, that's out of the way... let's get down to it... my Louisiana weekend. Recently, we tried a new restaurant in little old Maurice, LA, called the Villager's Cafe' . So, this was our Friday night outing. Now, here's our first lesson... if you're in Louisiana and try something that pretty much knocks your socks off in the oh-so-good department, I need you to put on your best Cajun accent and say, "C'est Bon!!!" with as much gusto as possible. Ready? Ready??? "C'EST BON!!!" Alright, thanks. I feel the love. So... back to the task at hand... the Villager, aka a big serving of C'est Bon goodness. This is a teeny tiny little place that actually used to be a house, but they just knocked down walls and made it on big room. You eat off of old electrical wire spools and drink Cokes out of the bottles. There's maybe 6 tables, tops. The menu is short and sweet, but mmm, mmm, mmm. I ordered the Philly po-boy and sweet potato fries, and my Mr. ordered the "Villager" po-boy (Ham & roast beef with pepper cheese and au jus gravy on Langlinais french bread) and a half order of chili cheese fries. My sweet tea came in an old time goblet and the Mr. had a Coca-Cola, which he, of course, swears tastes better in the bottle. If, for some crazy reason, you venture far enough South to my end of the earth... please try this place!!! I'm hungry just thinking of it now...

So, on to Saturday. The weather in Louisiana is about as unpredictable as it gets... for example... my wedding. The day before, we had gale force winds. The crew of guys putting up tents for my reception literally had to call for reinforcements so that the tents wouldn't end parlaying a duck in my parents' pond. Day of... cloudy. As soon as the trolley arrives to pick up me and my lovely ladies... the skies unleash and it's pouring down rain. 15 minutes later at the church.. blue skies, sunny, the sky staring down as if to say, "Who, Me?? I was raining??? You're making this up..." Yeah.. it's like that.

We were kind of waiting around to see what Mother Nature had in store for us on Saturday. There was supposed to be a "cool" front moving through. For us, that means the highs may be in the 70s in October. So, it was a bit rainy and cloudy, but I made some biscuits and coffee, we got our dose of calories for the morning, and we were off! I actually wore long sleeves for the first time since the summer and actually needed them!!! We both threw our rubber boots in the back of the truck, just in case, and ventured to Washington, LA for the Old Schoolhouse Antique Fair. This entire town should be considered an antique because it's like stepping back into another time when you go. It's extremely small, basically just one main street with a couple of antique shops. But, there is an old two-story school that they turned into an antique mall. Each of the classrooms is a different vendor, and the gym behind the school is divided up into a bunch of different vendors as well. Twice a year (the second weekend of April and October), the Schoolhouse holds an antique fair. So, in addition to all the of the shops set up in the school and gym, there are probably 50 more set up in tents all around the grounds of the school. People come from the entire state of Louisiana and the surrounding areas to sell and shop. Such a great concept and SO much fun!

The Mr. and I have been going religiously for the past few years, so we couldn't pass it up, despite the gloomy weather. I picked up some really great buttons from the 50's that I want to use on an upcoming hair bow craft venture and 2 cast iron wall hooks with horses and cowboy boots for my sister-in-law's bday. He picked up some frying scoops for his beloved fryer of all things delicious, including, but not limited to, frog legs, shrimp, and fish.

The rain held out for a few hours, and right as it started to sprinkle, we decided to take our loot and mosey on back home. We stopped at the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino for lunch... also "C'est Bon..." I had an overstuffed baked potato with grilled chicken and the Mr. had Potato Nachos... basically all the oooey gooey goodness of nachos, but on top of waffle fries. Heaven on a plate.

Unfortunately, Queen Bee Mother Nature decided to unleash her misty, dewey fury on Saturday night, so we opted out of heading to the Abbeville Cattle Festival ...a girl's hair can only take so much frizziness in one day, you know??

So, we headed to the famous Maurice City Bar to watch LSU and the Florida Gators with a couple of friends. As many people know... LSU has some of the most die-hard fans out there. I, mon frere, am not one of those. I cannot feign undying pride for the Tigers. Sorry, sisters. I love watching the games, it's a great get together, don't get me wrong. But, we were surrounded by super-fans. I believe it broke everyone's heart in the bar that night that LSU lost.

So, to you super-fans out there... I send you a virtual Bloody Mary to sooth your soul.

**Moment of Silence**

Okay, onto Sunday!!! My favorite day of this weekend! GUMBO COOKOFF in New Iberia, LA, my hometown. Here's a nice little description of the cookoff from the Tabasco website. Basically, there are 50 or so tents set up, each with a different group or company, cooking any kind of gumbo imaginable... chicken and sausage, seafood, alligator and duck, and the list goes on. Bands play... yesterday were graced by two giants of Cajun and Zydeco music... Wayne Toups and Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie ... everyone who loves Cajun music loves these guys. I think I've heard at least one Wayne Toups song at every dance and wedding I've ever been to.

If any of you are from small towns, you'll know that at a big event like this, you'll see everyone and their mama... and I mean that literally. As if out-of-this-world, all-you-can-eat gumbo wasn't enough, you get to meet up with everyone from New Iberia. We saw kindergarten teachers, old bosses, friends from elementary school, ex-boyfriend's moms, friends with babies... you name it. This is my faaaavorite part. Ask Kora... I know everyone. We could go anywhere, and I'll probably see someone that I've gone to church with, have done their hair, know who does their hair, am related to, or maybe all of the above. Cue Miranda Lambert's "Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town," please, Mr. DJ. So, catching up with old friends, eating gumbo till you can almost pop, and washing it down with Fremin's bread pudding... do you see why I love this place??? Visiting at my mom and dad's and the in-law's wrapped up the day before it was back home for a relaxing night before the workweek ahead.

So, I know this is kind of a long post... maybe it's good that I don't have my own blog... I'd take up too much of your time, ha. But, I hope you got to gain a little insight on the life of a Louisiana lady. Keep supporting my lovely friend, Kora B. You don't know how much you encourage her everyday. Yall are great and with all this blogging love, I feel like you each have a little Southern hospitality in you. Thanks for reading!!

-Lyla