There, and Back Again.

We went to Louisiana for the weekend since the St. Patrick's Day parade was coming up and we hadn't seen our friends in a while. I woke up early Friday morning to bring Zac to work. The car needed new brakes, so I dropped it off at the Car Care Clinic for a few hours. Meanwhile, Mom came and picked me and the kids up, so I managed to get our suitcases packed. I let the kids have the day off school since I was so busy (which they thought was a fun surprise). I borrowed Mom's car to bring some clothes to the consignment shop down the street (and found a pair of 50¢ jeans for Elias!) and we hung out at the park for about an hour.

I stopped at Bop's on the way home for some frozen treats, then finished getting last-minute things together. Zac got off work at 4 instead of 5, so I picked him up and we went together to the Car Care Clinic to get our car. He dropped Mom's car off in the garage and I loaded up our trunk and we headed out. Emily agreed to babysit the pets for us, though next time, I'm most likely going to board them. That litter box just can't stay dirty more than a day.

We made it to Sean's near midnight and got the kids to bed, though none of the three were asleep until after midnight at least. I made plans with Jena for Saturday. I haven't seen her in a long time and our friendship has been a bit strained. We met at Italian Pie in Slidell for lunch and spent a good few hours catching up. It felt like when we were in high school and could just sit and talk and be silly. I've missed it.

On Sunday morning, Zac and I managed to forget setting alarms to wake up on time. Add Daylight Savings Time to the mix and it was a jolly-good adventure trying to get dressed, caffeinated, and wake three monsters within an hour. Luckily, Jessie called to tell me the parade was going to be a bit late and not to rush. We met up with Jessie and Joey at their place and followed them to her mom's house as usual, since her mom lives right by the parade route. The big kids were so into it this year! Leah was dancing and Jac was enthusiastically trying to get cabbages and beads. It was so much fun and so, so cold!

We hung out with Jessie for a little while after the parade. Joey brought the big kids and Orrin outside to teach them how to play soccer (which both absolutely loved). Jessie was going to bleach the blue out of my hair, but all of us were so exhausted, we just sat around instead. Elias took a nap upstairs, which was good for all of us. He was so good at the parade, but grew fussy in the car.

Zac had an interview in Pensacola on Monday morning. We went to bed late (because of course), but hung out with Kyle for a bit before heading to bed. Zac set his alarm and we were up around 6:30am. I packed our things and loaded up the car, then woke the big kids. The drive to Florida was rainy and cold. I waited in the car with the kids while Zac had his interview. It seems promising, though the pay isn't what we will be able to live on, unfortunately. The beach calls to us hardcore, but when it's meant to happen it will. Tennessee isn't off the list, though. So we're going to throw things at the map of America and aim for a place. I told Zac I'm going to start packing like we're moving next week. I know something will open up. We ate at Peg Leg Pete's, per the tradition, and walked along the pier to see the ocean. We were freezing to death, but it was worth it.