"Dreams do come true in New Orleans!"

Tiana knew what was up in The Princess and the Frog. Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful city of New Orleans, Louisiana to volunteer for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Youth Gathering. The ELCA Youth Gathering has occurred every three years since 1988, taking place in large cities around the nation such as Detroit, San Antonio, Denver, and more. I went to the gathering in 2006 in San Antonio, Texas as a participant. That will be a blast from the past blog post for another time, though.

These gatherings bring together thousands of youth from around the nation to come together and make a difference. The past two gatherings, 2009 and 2012, have been hosted in New Orleans due to the tragic occurrence of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. High school students, ages 15-18, come to these gathering to volunteer their time to help the community while indulging in a new culture, meeting amazing new people, and finding spiritual guidance.

Powdered-sugar perfection.

As a hotel life volunteer, I got to send the groups off in the mornings and welcome them back in the evenings, having most of my days free to enjoy the New Orleans culture for myself.

The beauty of NOLA (how the locals pronounce it) is almost too breathtaking to be able to describe. There is a constant hum of music, whether playing on the radio from a shop or from the very talented street performers like the jazz musicians that often jam in front of the Cafe Du Monde. This famous cafe is located in the French Quarter and it is almost a requirement to stop for coffee and beignets during your visit to NOLA. If you're not a morning person, don't worry because they are open 24/7.

I also highly suggest walking down the Riverwalk, which provides beautiful scenery along the Mississippi Riverfront, which lines up perfectly with the French Market. In the morning you can take a stroll down Decatur Street, the main street that runs through the French Quarter, and come back on the Riverwalk in the afternoon. 

Also located on the riverfront is the Riverwalk mall, which also has a small Cafe Du Monde, and is great for all of your tourist needs; I bought my parents a back scratcher made with alligator teeth, and myself an alligator tooth necklace. 

Parrots at The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is also located on the Riverwalk. The aquarium is beautiful and abundant with not only sea life, but some reptiles and birds as well. Any aquatic lover would enjoy the sharks, stingrays, and the feeling like you're on a rain-forest adventure.

Since I was there for a church event, and was not twenty-one at the time, I will have to go back to experience Bourbon Street. I hear it gets a bit crazy during Mardi Gras season, but when we walked down the street it just seemed like a party all day, every day if you're around, "forget about all your cares in the world" sort of deal. Next time I am there, I will be sure to go back to Bourbon Street.

There is always more to be said when speaking about a city full of beautiful scenery and the friendliest people in the world. I've never felt more welcome anywhere in my twenty-one years of living than I felt when I went to New Orleans. I actually never had an overwhelming pull to visit this city in the first place, but I am glad that I did and it will forever be in my top cities.

The St. Louis Cathedral overlooking Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.

"“Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method."

Only the best writers receive those moments where we feel virtually insane listening to the voices in our head like Stranger Than Fiction. Well, I guess you don't really have to be the best to feel those moments, just being a writer can drive you insane sometimes.

Last night we had our SLAB (Sound and Literary Art Book) Release Party. SLAB is my university's literary magazine where we have work from famous and not so famous authors published. Last year (2012) we won the AWP Award for best undergraduate literary magazines. This year I served on the Poetry submission committee.

The release party was a lot of fun, and I was presented with a book of some my own work (as well as the other graduating senior's work) that I have done since my time at Slippery Rock.

Our speaker this year was actually different from years in the past. Normally we have some sort of literary writer who brings his or her work in and reads it to us. This year instead, our guest speaker was Ed Piskor, a graphic novelist. He is newer the the graphic novel scene and probably goes unknown to many of you, but he was a really awesome guy and I could really connect to how he went about going after his dreams. It was nice to have a speaker share their journey with us and reference his work and what his own work has been inspired by versus just being read to for an hour. Piskor had a fantastic personality, and although I did not have any cash on me last night to have bought his graphic novel, Wizzywig, I plan on purchasing it in the near future.

For more information about Ed Piskor, visit his website!
http://www.edpiskor.com/


"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.

"Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending."

Here's a little background biography so you can get to know who I am and whose adventures you're reading about. I guess the first is that the title of this post is from Jim Henson, creator of Kermit the Frog, and it is my mantra.

My Family
I grew up with three older brothers, all of which I love dearly no matter the amount of times they farted on my face while growing up, popped off my Barbie doll's heads, and blamed me for them flushing Tinker Toys down the toilet (which were the best toys ever). But they have all inspired me to be who I am today and I am very thankful for them.

I grew up with two loving parents, where the only thing we disagreed on a regular basis was when and how clean my room should have been. We still don't agree, but at least now when I go home and blow my room up with the stuff from my suitcases, they just roll their eyes and shut my door.

I also grew up with two grandmas and a grandpa. My grandpa died when I was eleven, but he taught me that even if you are having a bad day, the rest of the world doesn't need to know. My grandmas have also shaped who I have become, my one grandma is all sass and can kick anyone's ass, now she has a cane and I am terrified. My other grandma is the sweetest woman on the planet with a deep love of chocolate. I like to think I'm a combination of the two, sassy but sweet, just like my mom.

My Education
I graduated from high school in 2009 in a suburb of Milwaukee.

I am going to graduate this May 2013 from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Film and Media Studies.

I will go on to start my studies this Fall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I will pursue a Master's of the Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting.

The Here and Now
I have been engaged for a year to my fiance, Chris. He moved out last Fall to be with me while I finish my studies and he plans to move with me to Las Vegas for my schooling. He is a mechanical engineer, he is pretty bright but very much a klutz. I had to drive him to the E.R. for a splinter he got while brushing sawdust off of a deck... he had to be admitted into the hospital for a few days and undergo hand surgery because the splinter was so big. And just a couple days ago he dropped a 45-pound plate from the gym on his toe. He stuck a needle through it today and it's been bleeding/draining since. I think he's going to lose a toenail.

Although he may not be perfect when it comes to life skills, he's my best friend and I love him. We plan to get married in the Fall of 2015.

And this is my life! I cannot wait to move with my fiance to Las Vegas and start a new adventure in our life.


"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.

"To infinity and beyond."

Hey there and welcome to my Blog. As a short introduction, my name is Carly K. I am a screenwriter and a poet, and a self-proclaimed world class traveler. This Blog is for my writing benefit and as well as your entertainment to follow me on my adventures across the city, across the state, across the country, and across the world. "To infinity and beyond," classic Toy Story moment to teach you that there is always more to life outside of the toy chest.

I grew up a dreamer and living life as a constant adventure through my literal physical travels as well as adventure through reading, writing, and watching films and television.

I am starting this after I've already been on several adventures and so will write about those as well as keep you up to date on my current adventures. At the age of twenty-one I have already traveled to two continents (make that three in less than a month), seven countries, and twelve states. Hope you get interested in my new Blog and get inspired to seek excitement.

"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.