Right now I'm sitting in my chair listening to Gram Parsons on Beats Music and watching my dog Nola sleep, and reflecting. Although it would have likely made more sense to do this in December or January at the latest, I wanted to reflect back on some of the things I experienced this past year that make me smile.
If you've read any of my past comments on my job and the traveling I do because of it, you know it is an emotional pendulum. At times I absolutely love the traveling I get to do, and at times I just wish I could spend two uninterrupted weeks at home, sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my kitchen and being physically present with my family. In the past two years I've learned some valuable lessons about how to manage a life spent on the road and I've also reconnected with some old, good, friends who coincidentally, travel for a living too. We serve as one another's therapists at times when "the road goes on forever." (google Robert Earl Keen if you didn't catch the reference).
One of the positives that comes with traveling is that you get to see and experience some pretty amazing people, places and things in the process. I wanted to share with you a few from 2013.
In the music category, as part of Kase's belated birthday present, we got to visit one of his favorite places, the New Orleans Mint, and hear one of his favorite (and mine too) musicians, John Boutte. It was in a super small venue, he even called Kase out during the performance and asked him what song he'd like for him to sing (he said "Treme Song"). Afterwards we got to meet him, and get a photo op. We actually got to talk with him for about ten minutes and he was so nice and carried on the conversation and told us stories from his youth and time in the military.
That same weekend I got to meet one of my heroes and catch a performance in a record store. If you have ever heard of him I will be more than impressed and we need to be best friends. His name is Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. He is the chief of the Creole Indian tribe The Golden Eagles. You will never hear him played on the radio but he is a music legend in New Orleans. He is pretty much royalty in that town, but he was the nicest guy. He talked to us for a good ten minutes between sets and told us stories about how he got started masking with the indians, how he got started performing and even invited us to his house for Mardi Gras (he literally gave us his address and directions to his house). Seeing him perform was awesome, getting to hang out and talk was one of those moments. Having a few Mardi Gras Indians perform with him was icing on the cake.
After he performed we got to listen to The Stooges Brass Band perform. They are a defending Street Kings Champions (look it up on youtube). 75% of the music on ESPN is performed by the Stooges Brass Band (if you've heard the Sportscenter "duh-nuh-nuh, duh-nuh-nuh" theme you've heard the SBB). Not to mention, my favorite, and recent Grammy winner, Trombone Shorty, got his start with SBB. They played in The Louisiana Music Factory, which is just an awesome local record store and it was all free!
In the sports category it was a pretty cool year too. In October and November I had to preach in Tuscaloosa twice. Once was during the weekend of the Alabama/Tennessee game and the other time was the weekend of the Alabama/LSU game. My ticket for the UT game was the best seat I've ever had at a game (7th row, pictured below). The LSU game was not a great seat, but two things made it wonderful: the atmosphere was the most electric I have ever experienced at any sporting event. It was truly crazy and so much fun, even if there hadn't been a football game to follow. The other thing that made it so great was getting to spend some time with one of my oldest and best friends, who just happens to be one of the best dads/husbands I know. We talk and text frequently but we've only actually been together in person twice in the last 17 years. Also, while preaching in New Orleans a friend decided to give my family his season tickets to watch the Saints/49ers game at the Superdome. The seats were great, the game was great and the atmosphere was, well, just what you'd expect from 70,000+ New Orleanians, a celebration. The cherry on top was the fact that their concessions serve jambalaya, gumbo, etoufee, po boys and red beans and rice! Win.
In the travel category, I enjoyed getting to visit my 10th country (finally made it to double digits, thank you El Salvador). The trip was made all the better because my youngest went with me, along with tons of friends from back home. I'm excited for this year because I'm scheduled to visit another new country, Honduras (I love getting new stamps on my passport). There is so much more that happened in the 8 month hiatus, but this is all that I feel like talking about right now. Hope to see you soon, and by soon, I mean sooner than 8 months.
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