Paris Takes Nola! Many of you may or may not know but I was born and raised in New Orleans so it’s only right that Paris Takes NOLA. One of the many great things about living here is the endless amount of great restaurants we have to offer. New Orleans is one of the best places to visit for a girls or guys trip (hence the movie Girl’s Trip) there’s a lot of activities and things to do when visiting but one of the main things is to eat good food!!!
On this video, I am capturing the “6 Places To Eat At While
In NOLA.” These are the hidden gems where
the locals enjoy spending time, eating good food, and supporting small
businesses. So the next time you’re in town, be sure to stop at either one or
all of these locations and be sure to let them know that Paris sent you!
Locations In Order: Who Dat Chicken & Shrimp-Wuzzam Wings with Ranch Fries. Cafe Du Monde– Beignets. Genes Po-Boys– Roast Beef Po’ Boy. Pra Lees– Crawfish Nachos. Red Rooster– Snowballs + Yakamein. Tasty Treat– Blackened Pasta.
I went to Bali!!!!! No! I’ll say it again because I don’t think you understand my excitement!!
I…WENT…TO…BALI!!!!!!!!!!
Ok! Now that I got that out the way, let me tell you all about my trip to Bali from the beginning.
On Dec 6th, I traveled to Los Angeles to meet with my boyfriend so he and I could fly out to Bali together but let’s fast forward to my mental state prior to going there. Initially, I couldn’t get excited about going to Bali to celebrate my birthday because I was thinking about my dad so much. I was in a very sad space for about a week, crying every day just thinking about celebrating a birthday without him being here physically, something I haven’t had to do in 31 years. I was doing my best to “push through” sorta speak and to be honest, I didn’t get excited about the trip until the night before I flew out to Los Angeles. I sat on the floor and cried so hard on Facetime with my boyfriend while I shared everything that laid heavy on my heart. He reminded me of how loved I am by my father, him, and everyone else. He helped me to see that I am actually going to be traveling soon, something I love to do and something my dad always enjoyed watching me do along with living life and being happy. Afterward, I watched one of my favorite movies: Eat, Pray, Love while eating pizza and it made me feel so much better. I had to get my mind right about my blessings. I embraced the fact that I had and still do have a loving father. I embraced that at this moment, I am watching one of my favorite movies and within the next two days, I’ll be in the exact place where the love portion of this movie was filmed. I embraced the fact that I now have a special person in my life who would do anything to make my heart smile like surprising me by booking a birthday celebration to one of my dream places and a place that’s on my vision board, Bali!!! I embraced all of it, traveled to Bali, and had the time of my life!!!!!!
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”
It was a mental process accepting the fact that I am celebrating a birthday without my dad here for the first time in my life but being in Bali and with my lover made my birthday so special. Bali was BEAUTIFUL! I have never been on a more perfect vacation, seriously!! From the smallest things like flying with my boyfriend for the first time on a 15 hour flight to China then 5 hours to Bali. To the largest things such as: riding an elephant, sea walking, parasailing, and bike riding to the beach to have lunch. I was just so happy the entire time while we were there. I knew I needed this getaway. I knew my dad wouldn’t want me to be home crying on my birthday. I knew that weeping may endure for a night but JOY will always come in the morning!!!! I knew it and it did!!!!!!
This past summer my mom and I took a road trip to Loranger, Louisiana for a women’s retreat. She and I are apart of the Women’s Ministry at church and this is our annual retreat. We stayed on a campsite designed just for spiritual organizations. The campsite was located in the woods so we were surrounded around beautiful nature and not so great wifi service. During this time, I was on a social media break so it didn’t bother me at all. This was the perfect getaway for us both. Have you ever noticed that vacations don’t have to be this extravagant world tour out the country for you to enjoy yourself? Sometimes, a weekend in the woods fellowshipping with your sisters in Christ could be the perfect getaway.
Enjoy the video below and remember to book a road trip somewhere soon if you’re not able to book a flight right now. It’s all about getting away so you can recharge and refocus. It doesn’t matter how you get there, just go!!!
Earlier this year I booked a trip for me and my parents to visit the African American Museum in D.C. for my dad’s birthday. But, after he passed away, I canceled the flights. On their anniversary June 19th, I decided to rebook the tickets and make it a girl’s trip! We had a blast!!! I didn’t know my mom was that much fun. God knew what he was doing when he made her my mom because we would stay in trouble if she was one of my girlfriends. Here’s to more trips around the world! We’re keeping his memory alive by enjoying life and thanking God for an amazing husband and father.
Let the girl’s trip begin!!
We went to the Temptations play and had an amazing time.
Belize was a much, much-needed girls trip. I realized how much I need that trip the night before as I was packing. We went in May 2017 to celebrate my friend’s B-day. During that time, my aunt was in the hospital on life support and I was doing my best to balance work and personal life. I spoke with my dad during my layover when I made it to Miami’s airport and he gave me some great advice that I’d never forget. Afterward, I hopped on the flight but before I did, I Facetime my cousin to check on my aunt. She was responsive and was able to recognize me. I immediately started crying my eyes out and at that moment, I started questioning why I was sad and the power I was giving up over my life by being sad. I thought about how much time I was wasting on something negative and started to think positive. I started to be grateful at that moment for the little things and how life isn’t promised to us. There’s no guarantee that I’ll see this day ever again. I started to put a smile on my face as I thought about my life. I thought about how blessed I am to be able to have the money and time to go on a girl’s trip. Sometimes, we take things for granted and I had to realize that I am blessed to have all the small and big things covered. I had to tell myself that in all actuality, I didn’t have stress or a worry in the world except the things that I emphasis on I allowed to get to me. As soon as the plane took off, so did my sadness. I let it go on the runway and embraced the next 5 days feeling very blessed and excited about life. See what I meant when I said, Belize was much, much-needed trip!
Although my dad (2018) and aunt (2017) are no longer on earth, they both taught me two great lessons that day. No matter what you’re going through, there’s always a reason to smile.
Belize was so much fun. The first few days we stayed in San Pedro near the ocean in a villa and then after 3 days there, we booked rooms in the city to experience more of the culture. We went cave tubing, club hopping, went to an art museum, climbed the Mayan Ruins and of course, we shopped.
Enjoy our pics!
Belize was lots of fun! The best part about the trip was climbing the Mayan Ruins and of course being able to relax near the ocean. I have plans to visit again, really soon!
I am definitely going back to visit for at least two weeks or more. We went on an excursion to see the must-see places in Dubai such as Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa & The Dubai Mall. Check out the pictures and video below.
Here’s a raw video of me the Standing in front of the world’s tallest building, Burji Khalifa which is a 160 story-skyscraper.
Look how beautiful the Jumeirah Mosque.
Next, we took a camel ride which was the main highlight for me. Riding a camel was something I’ve always wanted to do! If you ever get the opportunity to visit Dubai, YOU MUST RIDE A CAMEL! LIKE MUST!!!!
But the highlight for me was going to the desert! When we first arrived there our tour guide took us on a desert safari drive where the car speeds up and goes really fast on the dunes that are really high. The wind was blowing hard over the sand tops and it’s so much fun.
Afterward, I sat down to get a henna tattoo and have dinner while enjoying a fire show and belly dancing show. This was exactly how I wanted to spend my 30th birthday, out of the country doing new and different things and what better place to end my world tour than Dubai!!!!
Originally, Dubai was our last stop, but before we hopped on the 13-hour flight back home, we decided to take a ride to Abu Dhabi and to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and I am so happy we did!!
Salalah, Oman. I must admit, at first I wasn’t thrilled about getting off the ship and going where there’s not much to do. I decided that morning, that I would go on land and make the best of it and I’m glad I did.
Salalah was a cool place. Women had to be fully covered there and I didn’t mind, as long as I could add my own style to it.
We did some shopping in a tourist area much more like a flea market where they sold lots of scarves you can wear as head wraps, perfumes, women’s dress, and incense sticks.
Here are some raw videos while touring Salalah.
We also took a walk on Mughsail Beach which was very beautiful.
Although there wasn’t much to do in Salalah, I was happy to experience a new place therefore, I’m glad I decided to get off the ship.
Our tour guide.
After we left Salalah, we sailed for 2 days from sun up until sun down and finally, we arrived in Dubai!!
Next place on the Paris Hatcher World Tour was the Suez Canal which is a passage in Egypt that connects The Meditteranean Sea to the Red Sea.
During this cruise time, just about everyone hung out on the dock to capture the beautiful passage.
I have lots of videos and spent that entire day in a swimsuit eating ice cream and soaking up the sun while reading a good book by Matthew Kelly called The Rhythm of Life.
Here’s how I spent my time cruising through the Suez Canal.
The very next day we went on a tour of Jerusalem. This was a short tour filled with lots of beautiful places. This is what I was able to experience.
The very next day we went on a tour of Jerusalem. This was a short tour filled with lots of beautiful places. This is what I was able to experience:
Standing outside Church of the Nativity.
Excursion detail: Embark on a half-day tour of Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus, and tour its beloved Church of the Nativity, where he was born. Roam Bethlehem’s ancient pathways, where Christian pilgrims continue to gather after several millennia. Visit the sacred Church of the Nativity and its underground grotto, which is believed to be where Mary gave birth to Jesus of Nazareth. Enjoy panoramic views of Jerusalem’s Old City while traveling via coach back to port.
Here’s a video overlooking Jerusalem while on the tour bus headed to the next destination on the excursion.
Overlooking Jerusalem.
Here’s a raw video from the cruise ship overlooking Jerusalem.
While in Jerusalem it rained for a little while and it was really windy (hence my sweater blowing) but overall it was very beautiful. Just being able to walk around where Jesus was born and where he performed miracles was really a mindset shift for me. After the tour that night I read my bible and was actually able to visualize the exact locations.
Next place on the Paris Hatcher World Tour was the Suez Canal which is a passage in Egypt that connects The Meditteranean Sea to the Red Sea.
