ky, tn, ga, fl, ga, tn, ky, tn, al, ms, la, ms, al, tn, ky

If you fly over a state are you technically in it? Do states own air space like countries do? If they do I've been in and out of a small handful lately. It was regular life back when I was traveling and singing full time, but I'm not the move-about I used to be.

I know folks who are just in for a visit when they get "home." They're always in an airport or on a cruise ship or a train or a bus. I love seeing new places and visiting familiar favs myself. I enjoy experiencing other cultures. And since I'm a beach lover living in a beachless state, it takes going somewhere else to indulge. I do enjoy a trip away from time to time, but I like my couch and my kitchen and my shower and my bed better than any I've visited. The people I love the most are handy when I'm home too.

One of my BFFs is THE travel diva. Amy was in N'awlins with me for a couple of days last week. That's a baby trip for her. She travels around the world, literally - all the way around it. She doesn't even bother to take her passport out of her purse. Name a continent, she's probably walked on it. Need travel advice, she can fill you in - from personal experience. Don't believe me? Click on her blog, "Tales from a Travel Diva" and you'll see.

Before New Orleans, Florida was a nice get away for me. BTW, this trip was courtesy of Amy the Diva and ZAC. It wouldn't have happened otherwise, and I am very, very grateful to these two very special people. On the way down we were joking about vacationing on the gulf during hurricane season. When we got to the island we heard about a "disturbance" just off shore. When it hit, the rain was torrential for a couple of days. So now I can proudly say that I endured a disturbance. Not as impressive as surviving a hurricane, not even a tropical storm really. Heck, it didn't even rank a name. I don't think it would make a very impressive t-shirt either. "I ENDURED AN UNNAMED DISTURBANCE." When I was a kid my mom could've said that a lot.

The rain finally stopped, and when it did it got gorgeous really fast. The beach was beautiful. The water was warm. The breeze was cool. The sun was hot! And I got lazy. Besides a day-trip to Fort Lauderdale, my favorite Florida city, we spent the week without a plan or the initiative to do much more than just chill out by the water. I came home rested, which is the point of a vacation I think. But I often miss the point.

One day at home to unpack, do some laundry, repack and head to southern Louisiana.

This was a work trip. But I'll tell you, the folks in the Big Easy are ready for the moment business is finished. I found the French Quarter, Bourbon Street in particular, to be a beautiful, interesting, repulsive and intriguing place. Personally, I'd keep the kids down by the river at the aquarium or the children's museum. I'm sure it's my conservative upbringing, but watching families with young'ns in tow walking down a street lined with the stars of the strip clubs standing in the doorway and huge pictures of them posing in "uniform" doing their business... It just seemed inappropriate to me. Call me a stick-in-the-mud, but some of those little boy tourists were skinning their chins on the pavement. They weren't seeing Minnie Mouse.

The first couple of nights I was there I stayed about a block off Bourbon Street at a beautiful and classy old place called the Hotel Monteleone. It's supposed to be haunted. The scariest thing I saw though was the guy who couldn't find his floor button when he got on the elevator. He said his room was on the 24th. I think the hotel only had like sixteen maybe. He had an intoxicated aroma, and I'm really not sure he was even at the right hotel. Come to think of it, that really was more funny than scary.

There is a lot of a lot of history in NOLA. The cemeteries were creepy but they were supposed to be. The architecture of the old churches and homes and storefronts is inspiring. I've never seen so many interesting shops that sold absolutely EVERYTHING you could imagine. I mean everything. The local food was rich and delicious. The people were right friendly, and it wasn't nearly as hot and humid as I'd expected in mid July. This Mississippi River has stories of its own. One thing you really must do if you're ever in New Orleans is visit the National World War II Museum. It's the only one there is, and it will require several hours and all of your emotions.

The city is rebuilding from Katrina's wrath. Mayor Nagin spoke to us about the spunk and gumption of the southern Louisiana people. From what I saw, I think they'll do well, but there's still a lot of need and reasons for us to help. Some homes have not been touched since the day of the storm.

This trip also had some adventure. On day one I saw a man get hit by a car. He wasn't seriously injured, but it shook us up. The next day a big barge carrying tens of thousands of gallons of fuel crashed and sank in the Mississippi River right in front of our hotel. It smelled like a truck stop there for a couple of days. Later in the week, Renee and I were coming out of Molly's on Toulouse and had to help a guy who'd been beat up. He was bleeding a lot, so we wanted to help.

A friend of mine who is a flight attendant told me once that it is a rare thing to be on a plane with more than a few people and not have a doctor or nurse on board. He was right, and it's a good thing. We needed one and had one. On my flight home a young lady on the plane developed a medical condition that required serious attention. The passenger/nurse tended to her during the flight and the paramedics met them at the airport as soon as we landed. People all around me for a week were being hurt. I was beginning feel like Angela Lansbury.

Both of my trips were a lot of fun. I feel fortunate to have seen so much. Now, I'm really, really glad to be home. If living in a routine means I get to stay here for a while I'm ready to get started.