Every year New Orleans holds a charity fund raiser called the Red Dress Run where thousands of men and women get together and dress up in red dresses (yes, the men TOO!) and walk/jog through the streets of the French Quarter from bar to bar drinking beer and having a great time. All of the proceeds are divided between several charities so everything is for a good cause. I think I heard someone mention that last year they raised 94k! Go them! You spend between $40-$60 to get in which includes 2 meal tickets to the food bar, endless beer, and a back pack for the first several hundred people to sign up. As if beer, food, and live music weren’t enough, you also get a map to the many participating bars that also give you access to endless beer included in the ticket charge. WONDERFUL, eh?! Yea, I thought so. This will be the second year in a row that I’ve gone and it seems to be catching on as an annual birthday tradition for me as it always falls on the Saturday after my birthday each year. How perfect!? My birthday seems to stretch out each year, turning into more of a birth-month celebration! Yea, I’m not complaining.  

I went with Daniel and before we made it to the even we stopped and grubbed down on the only thing we could find at the gas station close to some sort of meal… Nachos!! Lol! Blah, not the best way to start the morning, but it was better than nothing! When we arrived in the Square where every thing was going on we checked in, got pinned on out numbers, and went straight for the beer! We know how to party!   We learned from last years experience to keep stacking the cups to keep track of how many beers in we had already had, as last year… um, yea, we had no clue!!

We ran into a few interesting characters while at the park. But honestly that’s not uncommon in New Orleans on a regular day. People love the culture and to show off and party! Gotta Love the City!

We bumped into a few buddies along the way. We had so much fun! We went from rockin’ out to the band on stage, to doing line dances in the middle of the square with hundreds of other Red Dress Runners, to watching 2 really cute and incredible fit guys booty dance it up on stage like, um, strippers… lol!, to bar hopping with buddies down random French Quarter streets, and then ending back in the square to grub down, all while drinking many many glasses of endless Abita Beer! Whoop Whoop! Great time!

(I know, I know, it doesn’t look all that appetizing, but was amazing after 5 beers and having to make do with what cha got as a veggie girl! I scarfed it down!) I piled on coleslaw and beans on a hamburger bun and had a salad on the side! Hahahaha! It tasted like $50 when you’re drunk and hungry!

Somewhere along the way, very far into my drunken stupor, I got the idea in my head that I NEEDED to find a hula hoop ASAP and I wasn’t going to stop until I found one. LIKE IT WAS A MUST, and I wasn’t going to stop walking in drunken laps around the park until I HAD one! When we first arrived there were many many kiddy hoops all over the place but they got scooped up pretty quickly. Well, when I‘ve had a few drinks in me I’m always in the groove to hoop it up! That first hilarious photo is if my drunken, frustrated face as after much searching I still hadn’t found one… UNTIL BAM!! Out of nowhere, I catch a glimpse and ITS ON! Lol! I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t do all the cool tricks I’ve learned because this was a cheap little tiny hoop, but I was super happy and enjoying myself immensely!

I think we finally hit the road around 4pm. BUT we had been there since like, 10am I want to say. Yea, that’s plenty plenty hours or drinking, walking, dancing, and goofing off. Not to mention we had a plane to catch the very next day at 7:30am! Yea, I know, we tried to keep the drinking to a minimum, as being hung over on a plane to Colorado didn’t sound very fun to either of us. We were good though!

Best birthday ever, and I still had a week trip to Colorado to look forward too!!!

I had a really great time with some really great people! The only thing that could have made it better was having my Remie-Girl there with like she was last time! Next Year!! (Heard that Remie?! You better be there! )