Getting back to basics
Yesterday we made plans to attend the Stone Energy Gumbo cook-off because in my opinion it's the best $5 I'll spend all year on a meal - and it supports the works of United Way of Acadiana. Last year, the temps were a little cooler and while it really wasn't "gumbo weather," I took Miss Stella anyway. She loved it and slurped up some tasty roux delights.
We moved back to the heart of Lafayette earlier this year from Youngsville and I get excited to break out the bikes any chance we get. They've been tucked away most of the summer since I just wanted to lay around in air conditioning for the past three months, but I conned a reluctant husband into filling the tires with air and hitting the road. And I'm glad we did. There is something so much more enjoyable about hopping on a bike to get to your destination versus a car - I think we get numb to our surroundings and it's more of a "get me to my destination" experience.
Stella and our neighbor, Chelsey, as Stella gets ready to dig in.
Sadly, she only wanted crackers this year.
I notice so many other parts of the area when we bike and you get to take routes off the beaten path. We tend to do things we don't normally do when we are cruising too. We might have been on a mission for gumbo, but it was so much more - we looked at houses, we listened to Stella play a game of "I Spy" in her bike trailer and after the cook-off, we headed downtown for gelato. The weather wasn't cool but it was a good night to remind us there is still a reason as adults to get out and explore the blocks around us and teach our child there is more than one way from point A to point B.
She's in love with this kitty helmet. Would wear it to bed if allowed.
When we headed home it was dark, but the street lights flooded the roads and we made it home unscathed despite my lack of bike illumination (working on it people, don't judge). It wasn't quite the fall weather I was hoping for, but it didn't really matter because it was a simple, stress free time with my family I didn't expect - despite the sweat.