With all of our personal belongings in storage we began our journey to Louisiana, the crawfish capital, leaving our family and friends behind was very hard but we had an excitement within us as well. Matt, can’t emphasize enough how scary this was because we had spent all of our savings to take this adventure and just prayed it would work out. In this first contract we only took one vehicle, Matt’s truck, which we use to pull the fifth wheel camper. This was the first long haul we had taken in the fifth wheel camper and there was a slight learning curve. The gas stations that were previously accessible were no longer at our fingertips because of this huge rig we were in. I remember almost running out of fuel and having to pull into this gas station that was not designed for big rigs but we made it in, but the hard part was getting out. I remember Matt pulling the camper over at least 2 curbs and almost taking out a fire hydrant, the trip itself was stressful but we made it without a scratch. We quickly learned that truck stops were the way to go! Taking one vehicle did make things challenging at times but we had the same schedule working nights and on our last night of work that morning we would usually make our grocery stop for the week because we lived about 30 minutes from town in Boyce, LA on Lake Cotile. It was rare that I drove Matt’s truck especially without him because of its monstrosity, it was intimidating to me!
Our first contract melted us into the camper life. Moving out of an approximately 1600 square foot house into a 38 foot camper made things pretty real for us. We had to learn to make the most of our space especially when it came time to get ready for work. We quickly learned how long the hot water would last in a shower and that it would never get hot enough for Matt to take a shower after me ;). All in all we adapted pretty well but we can both tell you that you don’t know your spouse until you live in a camper!
When we arrived in Louisiana, we honestly had no idea how different the culture was and by all means it’s all positive, but for those who have never been to Louisiana what do you think of… crawfish, jazz, and of course MARDI GRAS! Lucky for us we had arrived just in time for Mardi Gras and learning all about the king cake. Who knew that there was a baby Jesus in the king cake?? Did you… because we didn’t! I remember everyday we worked during that season there was always king cake to eat!
Now let me tell you about the sweet people of Louisiana, for those of us from the south, born and raised pure bred southerners, we were raised to be respectful and courteous to others, and to say no mame and yes mame, but let me tell y’all something, you will never meet such sweet people than those Louisiana folk! Willing to do anything for you at the drop of a hat. Needless to say we made some of our best friends from Louisiana even worked with a few a second time in a different state! We honestly could not had asked for a better first contract because they welcomed us with open arms like we had worked there forever!
Mamou – The Original Mardi Gras
Every where we work we are always told of some of the best things to see or do in that particular state and while in Louisiana, Mamou on Mardi Gras was not to be missed. This was one of the first adventures we had went on while in Louisiana. On Mardi Gras every year the town of Mamou , LA holds a very special tradition. Early that morning (the morning of mardi gras) we headed down to Mamou. We found parking and ventured out into the town of one stop light. People crowded the streets and a band jamming on the main intersection of the town that was blocked off from through traffic. We were in awe at the southern hospitality that flowed like water through the streets after a large Louisiana rain. The first stop we made was Freds lounge, now this place might not look like much but as soon as we walked through the doors we were hit with what sounded like original Mardi Gras music from a live band! After we both grabbed a cocktail we hit the streets to check out the other festivities. As we walked by we saw venders with signs “3 lbs of crawfish (aka mud bugs) for $10” “Boudin for $3” ect.. All of the foods that we had never seen served in GA were now at our fingertips… so we did what any other person in their right mind would have done, we got a little bit of it all!
The food was delicious but now everyone should know the story of Mardi Gras of Mamou, well you might just have to google it if you want to know the original story just in case we aren’t entirely correct on the history, but in the backwoods of Mamou, LA a group of citizens set forth on a horse back journey around town stopping at different houses to gather ingredients for a gumbo and then after they have gathered all of the gumbo ingredients they go down town with these ingredients to celebrate in a parade! These foods were live chickens, spices, vegetables etc. It was an all out celebration that we will never forget. Also we were hanging out next to the owners of “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning in this small downtown celebration, what could get better than that! Now we are not sure but only told this was the best replicated Mardi Gras celebration. We are not into big festivities such as the one that is put on in New Orleans but this was a good small town celebration, one you must do if you are in the area during this time.
