Adventurous Moms and Midwestern Cajun Cuisine

The days at the hostel have been slow lately, but this weekend the pace has picked up quite a bit!

One of our recent guests came in from Michigan for a conference.  She was a mother of 4 who had stayed in hostels all across Europe in college.  She told me that she used to be a thrill seeker, but now that she has 4 children her idea of "fun" has changed.  Now she does things that are fun for her AND her kids, like digging holes in the backyard in the summertime and filling them with water to play in.  She also told me that she loved her family very much, and there is nothing that she would rather be doing more than staying at home with her kids, making home-made pizza on Friday nights, and enjoying her husband.  Of course, there are moments that her children would drive her crazy, but for the most part, being a full-time wife and mom was her favorite thing in the world.  As she was telling me this, we were putting her sopping wet clothes in the washer that became soaked from the puddle she stepped in downtown as she was chasing her bus to come back to the hostel.  I loved that these two sides of her could exist at once- this adventurous, daring woman who has traveled the world and loves her family very much, and also appreciates the fun and adventure that they have to offer her in the present.  She told me that the fun just looks different now, but it's still just as good.

That is the best part about managing the hostel- the guests.  They offer so many perspectives and stories, and each time I talk to a new guest I feel that I have been enlightened in a new way.  People have so much to offer one another, and I'm learning that if you are open to looking for those offerings, it can enrich your life immensly.

Along with guests enriching our perspective, a couple who recently stayed here left Kevin and I a gift card to Panera Bread with a thank you note on it, reading "thank you for the warm hospitality--use this for a date night!"  How NICE!  That was today and we have already used it :)

We have great guests here.  Right now Kevin and I are eating Cajun Cuisine with a guest from Portland and watching football.  We are eating drunken chicken over rice, which I have never had in Louisiana, but it tastes good in Indiana!

The weather is pretty chilly here.  We bought coats today and we have been wearing them around town.  Meanwhile, locals are sporting sleeveless and short-sleeved shirts.  I don't understand how they are not cold, seriously.

Before I conclude this blog, I will add that many many people here enjoy commenting on my southern accent.  They tell me that Kevin does not have one, but mine is very strong. Hm....