I was about 19 when I flew down to New Orleans to visit Jac at Tulane, sometime in early 2001. Thanks to her dad working for United, I flew first class on a buddy pass—my first time ever experiencing that particular luxury—and then spent the trip crashing in the dorms with Jac and her roommates. Both times I visited her happened to fall somewhere around Mardi Gras, which, in retrospect, feels like a fairly perfect way to have experienced New Orleans at 19.
Before I even arrived, Jac had stocked up on all my favorite snacks and drinks. She happily indulged my need to see everything, recruited her friends into the adventure, and made sure I got the full New Orleans experience.
This photo came from one of those days. We were walking down Bourbon Street while Jac was showing me around when a man working in one of the little shops spotted us—or, more accurately, spotted Jac—and pulled us inside. Before we knew it, he was dressing us up and posing us for photos.
I remember being amused by how immediately enamored he was with her. But that happened a lot with Jac.
Yes, she was a gorgeous redhead and impossible not to notice, but it was more than that. Jac had an air about her that made people want to know her. There was something magnetic about her—a confidence, warmth and spark that drew people in. Complete strangers noticed it. Her friends certainly did.
More than 25 years later, I don’t remember every detail of those trips. But I remember how Jac made me feel while I was there. She wanted me to have fun. She wanted me to experience her city. She thought ahead about the things I liked and made room for me in her life there.
And I remember laughing. A lot.
When I look at this picture now, I see two ridiculously young girls wandering around New Orleans with absolutely no idea how much the world—or our own lives—would change in the years ahead.
I’m so grateful that, for a little while, we got to be those girls together.
– Submitted by: Sara R.