Bonnie Gross

Lately I have been getting the same question over and over again: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER GRADUATION?

I DO NOT KNOW!

If you are graduating soon then you understand the very real struggle of the dreaded question. Some lucky individuals have a job lined up, but for some of us we are unsure of what we will be eating for dinner tonight.

Honestly, I will be getting surgery done that will require a 6-week bed rest recovery period, meaning I physically cannot have plans for after graduation right now. If you want to know more details please message me privately.

Having surgery in any capacity sucks, but I could not have asked for a better time to have it done. For the first time in my life, I have no school, no job and no crazy travel plans. (Well I am planning to go on the Birthright Israel trip, but the doctor is willing to wait for my return in June). It is a little crazy that I have never had a 6-week period of free time long enough to get this done.

So now that we answered that dreaded question, I’ll get into the more exciting stuff about my final semester at Alabama.

First of all, I decided to leave my job at that Japanese restaurant, and start a new job as a desk assistant in the Telecommunication and Film department. I could not be happier with this decision, not to mention the money I’m saving getting soy sauce out of my clothes.

Also, if you have read earlier posts of mine about the car accident, then you can be happy to hear I bought a new car. It is a red Toyota corolla named Bonsai. (My past two cars have been named Bonfire and BonVoyage if you cannot pick up on the theme here)

In January, it was officially a year since I left for Study Abroad. It is strange to hit a time where my photos from Ireland are now on my Time Hop app. I still miss everything about that trip dearly.

We had our formal for Delta Gamma called Anchor Ball. Yes, that is my junior prom dress that I am wearing! I am proud to have worn that dress to 5 different events in my life. Anchor Ball was held in Birmingham and it was such an amazing night!

Lastly, I have been crazy busy, but decided that I had time to paint a cooler for Dillon’s formal. It is tradition that if you are invited to a fraternity formal, you supposed to paint them a cooler. For those of you who have never painted a cooler, it is not an easy task!

First you have to spackle the cooler, meaning you have to fill any holes (logos) that would cause an uneven surface. After, you have to sand the entire cooler. This sanding process could take hours, but it is crucial in making sure the paint sticks. I sanded so hard, that my thumb nail sanded off and took 2 weeks to grow back . Next, you prime the cooler then spend countless hours painting the details. The pictures are below so please appreciate them, knowing that a thumb nail was lost in the process.

As you can guess, after painting the cooler, we then headed to New Orleans this weekend. It is only a 4.5 hour bus ride. I had already been to New Orleans before, but it is still one of my favorite cities in the US. We did some of the typical tourist things, such as Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square and Bourbon Street. For lunch on Saturday we went to a restaurant called Pierre Maspero’s, originally known as Pierre Maspero’s Slave Exchange. During the 19th century the building was used as a meeting place for Jean and Pierre Lafitte and their men to plan escape. It was also the site where Andrew Jackson (7th president of the U.S.) met with the Lafitte brothers to plan the defense in the Battle of New Orleans (the battle where the British surrendered to the American troops led by Jackson). Anyways, it was really good jambalaya and atmosphere.

We also decided to go off the beaten path a bit. A lot tourists stay around Bourbon, but a lot of the surrounding neighborhoods are beautiful. The houses are colorful and have amazing architecture. After a little detour, we found The Spotted Cat Music Club, where a live jazz band was playing. To me this is the best part of New Orleans, relaxing with a beer in my hand, swaying along to some local jazz.

Before we got ready for formal, Dillon and I went to the roof top of our hotel. There was supposed to be a heated pool, but of course the pool was drained and the door was locked. We are still not sure how we gained access to the roof…but look how beautiful these views were!

Saturday night was the actual formal (only reason I would dare wear a dress and heels on Bourbon). The fraternity rented out a bar on Bourbon street and we had access to the balcony. On the balcony we threw out beads to strangers. There was a full buffet and an open bar tab.

The DJ in the bar blasted Dixie Land Delight. If you are not familiar with tradition, there are choice words that Alabama fans scream in between the lines in the chorus. The music was so loud that it poured down Bourbon and a myriad of other Alabama college students and fans joined in. For maybe one chorus, we had the entire section of Bourbon screaming “fuck Auburn,” and there was no sound more beautiful.

Then on Sunday it was time to head back to Alabama, because believe it or not they except you to do school in college. Seeing as midterms are in two weeks, it is probably best that we got home on the early side to recover.

Until next time, enjoy this selfie I took with a horse on Bourbon street.