in new orleans and loving it!

so, here i am sitting on a hotel bed fee up, tv on election results having just spent the day riding the street car and wondering around. now don't get me wrong i do miss the girls, but having never left them i totally forgot how wonderful it feels to be me and only me....i ate when i wanted, i pee-ed when i wanted, i did not stop for naps, i did not change diapers, i just have wondered around with my own thoughts not really talking to anyone. yeah, yeah, some people can not stand to be alone or not have someone to talk to all day, but me, well, i enjoy alone time, and actually just realized how much good it does for my soul.
anyhoo, things are really different here in new orleans. being a gal from the right side of the tracks i find myself turning my ring around backwards and clinching my purse. (oh, yeah, i said purse not diaper bag) the hotel jeff is contracted with is in uptown which is near the old money area. the houses are amazing....true southern monster mansion with beautiful wrap aound porches and large greenery. the mccain support signs are in abundance....which surprised me but did put a smile on my face. the mix of people is just that a real m&m bag of cultures....though it seems to weigh on the artsy side. the clothing the locales and they stand out is very urban or very retro. i actually saw a girl with acid washed jeans that were tight rolled!
as for transportation i used my two legs to wander around with and the street car. it runs directly out front of the lobby and goes both directions. i even jumped rails and switched to another trolley line to get to the art house movie theater (tried to watch rachel get married...was kinda relieved when i had to leave early to deal with an unexpected work issue). tomorrow i will wonder down to the french quarter and french market....i heard several people asking the trolley drivers if they were headed to the market which makes me think it is probably something i should check out. i popped into harrah's and spun a few slot machines waiting for my movie to start and enjoyed the freedom of being able to hop hop hop around without two kiddos and a monster suv or stroller.
oh, and most importantly i spent an hour in the hotel gym lifting weights, doing crunches and a bit of cardio.....wow, i should vaction more often.
i have only called to check on the girls once today...i have not wanted to bug my mother or upset izzy by hearing my voice. though my mother says she is doing well....no tears only a couple of "mommy" whimpers.
well, i am going to watch the election results come in and sit on the edge of my seat hoping for a small miracle. jeff should be up soon and maybe we will head out and find some good ole cajuin food!