Evacuation Nation in Full Effect

Yesterday afternoon there was an explosion in the Gulf chemical explosion less than a mile from my house. Multi Chem, a company that makes chemicals for oilfield use, had a little clusterfreak that resulted in this:

So in the meantime, I'm under evacuation.

With road closures and evacuation notices, the rest of the family and my puppy are in New Iberia while I've been somewhat stuck in Lafayette.

I'm cranky. I'm tired. And I'm not sure if my makeshift Target outfit is a dress or a beach cover-up.

That being said,
I have amazing friends.

BIG BIG BIG
Thanks
to MTher & SKing
for giving me a place to stay and taking care of me.


xo xo


Go here if you want to find out more about the explosion.

Beer Candles Are the ONLY Candles Worth Having

That's right folks, this weekend marked the two year anniversary of my first post.

Taking a little time off from blogging recently hasn't made this two year mark any less special - because we've been keeping Dixie Lust going strong in spirit over here.

I started this blog as a way to show not only y'all but myself as well all that the South has to offer. No more "I'm bored", "There's nothing to do around here....", or "I wish I lived in a cooler city." The possibilities are endless - some of them just need to be re-discovered.

And we're here to do just that.




In the spirit of renewed dedication to blogging, MTher, LyLa and I got together Saturday to work on a few new video features for Dixie Lust. Before we called it a night, we made a little wish and had some cake.


"Let's Mess With Texas" Tee via Storyville
Countless people and places have made these past few years phenomenal, including:
You the readers, LyLa, MTher, SKing, Ninja, My Parents, My Brother & Sister in Law, Gentleman Caller, Katie from Offswitch Designs, J from the Bees Knees Baby, Summer from Bon Temps Athena, Benny-fits, KS from While We're Waiting, My Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins, the Folks at Best Buy, Stephanie, Fine Thread Art, Hotel Derek, JCor, ALin, Storvyville, Dirty Coast Press, the Twitter Following, Wine Loft, Tap Room, Marc Broussard, The TA Truckstop, the Cities Lafayette, Houston, Boca Raton, New Orleans, Birmingham, Baton Rouge and so so so many more.

Thanks to all of you.

A Week of Thanks

I know that I bombard you kids with an ongoing list of little things that make me smile, but this week I want to put that on hold and try out something a teensie bit different.

With Thanksgiving coming along this week, I could easily write a post about how I'm thankful for the majors - Family, Food, Shelter, etc etc etc. But those will get covered at Thursday's grace.

Here on the bloggity blog this week I'm going list all the little things that I'm thankful for.

As many as I can....

I am thankful for:

• The fact that Katie Mae and I can e-mail rando stories about anything and we've only known each other a few months. Some days I just need to blab about boys or the mundane insanity that is life.
• The fact that there arrrrre books on CSS coding. annnd that I actually understand what they're saying. This new layout wouldn't be here with out em'.
• Having a car, and being able to go for long drives to absolutley nowhere.
• Summer Bailey Brown. Need I say more?
• This Blog. It's my little place to be exactly who I am and have amazing people respond to my thoughts and photography.
• The Fact that those same amazing people are patient with me as I take forever to post about my New Orleans Trip :)

A Little Social Indulgence...

Hiya Pretty People...

I want to first off thank everyone for all the kind and beautiful words that have been sent my way. I have been reading each and every one that hits my inbox. I'm still an emo-cheese-ball so they're mainly making me tear-up but I'm taking them to heart and smiling knowing that I have so many kind and loving people who are here to support me no matter how crazy things get.

This weekend despite a few breakdowns over Big Macs and cheese fries, I've decided to get off my bum and make myself happy in other aspects of my life. While I'm feeling deprived in the health aspect, I figured there was no need to deprive myself in the social & small indulgences aspects.

I put on a cheery new fall sweater and took Ollie-Monster for a walk on Main Street. I took about 30 bubble baths complete with candles. I napped for 3 hours on Saturday. I got all dolled up - complete with red lips and a flouncy skirt - for a girls night out. I met up with my college friend Jake (seriously how can you not adore a boy who hugs you and cheesily whispers for you to "melt into him like fondue" - or swears that he would make clay pots just so he could cook for you?) I watched my LSU Tigers dominate. I followed along for my first ever UFC fight. I had a beer...or two. I laughed at iPhone typos with SKing. I talked to the boy that I had my eye on. I went to the dog park. I made friends with strangers. I planned a small get away trip

The things that I talked about in my last post are still in the back of my mind, but right now I'm focusing on the little things that I can control and finding the small things that make me feel amazing and full of life.

I'm not sure how posting will go this week - I have loads of posts I'm behind on, including an awesome guest post from my gorgeous friend Ashley, but this week looks to be a little bit crowded and I'm still trying to sneak in some me time.

I promise I'll be around soon to catch up on everyone's blogs and to spread some love.

Again, thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart.

You're amazing.

Huzzzzzzah!

WE DID IT!!!

Dixie Lust has OVER 25 followers!

So that means, tomorrow evening I will announce this ultra fabulous giveaway that I'm so excited about!

I just want to take a little time to thank each and every one of you guys who have decided to follow me. And give even more thanks to all those who've left such kind, sweet comments. You guys have no idea how much this all means to me and how encouraging it is. While I blog for me, it's so wonderful to know that I have lovely followers to share in my adventures.

Really, thank you all.

You've made this a great weekend.

((image via WeHeartIt.com))