It’s true–we’re taking a VACATION! To New Orleans. Only the #1 city on my travel bucket list. So I’m not insanely excited, at all. (Can you hear my annoyingly high-pitched squealing yet?)

It’s been so long since we’ve taken a long vacation just the two of us, and the thought of completely unplugging  when work has been so busy is a bit terrifying. (So much to do!) But if there’s any time in our lives that we need to pause and savor it’s right now, post-engagement, before we jump into full-on wedding planning, moving apartments, a new job for Jarrett, more travel for work for me, and one million other things.

So, in the interest of keeping our priorities in line during our trip…

Things we will be doing in New Orleans:

• Eating beignets every single morning at Cafe Du Monde. (Our hotel is two blocks away! We will never make it out alive.)
• Strolling the streets with hurricanes (um, I mean something classier?) in hand.
• Eating our way through the list of 20+ must-try restaurants we’ve been collecting for months. Please send prayers for elastic waist pants and rapid digestion.
• Visiting the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, and most especially The Museum of the American Cocktail. Because, you know, we need some culture in between the eating and drinking.
• Reading down our book stacks. (I’m working on Rising Strong by Brené Brown and Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver; Jarrett’s reading Endzone by John Bacon and His Excellency by Joseph Ellis.)
• Visiting The National World War II Museum (actual real culture!).
• Putting my months of Zydeco listening to the dance-test in real life. (I mean this song…how could you not love Zydeco?)
• Brunching with my lovely author Juley Le of Upperlyne, who was so gracious to invite us over to her home. (What do you wear to brunch with a fashion/lifestyle blogger? Help!)
• Road-tripping through the Bayou, Lafayette, and maybe even Baton Rouge?
• Enjoying the fact that the road trip part of our vacation is gloriously unplanned and completely unscheduled.
• Hoping we don’t get eaten by gators when we get lost in the Bayou.
• Doing a lot of nothing with my favorite guy, who is ridiculously fun whether we’re road-tripping in swampland or reading together on the sofa. (And embracing the fact that we are unbearably sappy together.)

Things we will NOT be doing in New Orleans:

• Constantly checking work email, website email, personal email, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Digital detox, here we come! (Although I know I’ll want to share a few snapshots here and there, so you can follow our adventures on Instagram!)
• Scheduling every minute of the day, making lists, checking boxes, or any other type of overplanning.
• Feeling guilt/anxiety about taking time off and not being on email/social media. (Still working on this…)
• Worrying about whether it will rain on our wedding weekend. (Yes, I am already worrying about this, and we’re still one year away. Someone smack some sense into me, please.)

As they say in New Orleans, Laissez les bon beignets roulez! See you all on the other side of our adventure.