After this, we all went to dinner as a group. Kristen, Andrew, and I went in and decided to have a drink with our dinner. The bartender was so friendly, and given that I am also a bartender, it was interesting to talk with him. I asked him what drinks NOLA was famous for, and educated him on the different drinks I make all the time in Illinois. While some were similar, he said they were known for their hurricanes, which I never make back home. I told him that we were known for our mules and vegas bombs. He said he had heard of them but would have no idea how to make one. So I sat there and coached him through it. It was a nice learning experience for the both of us. After this, we all sat down as a group to dinner. My table, all friends, decided to try a bunch of different NOLA cuisine to get a better experience. We tried fried alligator, crab cakes, jambalaya, and craw fish, all things I have never tried before. Kristen, Steven, and I finished our dinner early, so we decided to go for a walk in Jackson Square and look for a psychic. It was something we all wanted to do so we found one that we all agreed on. We sat down, each for about 15 minutes and had a reading performed. Kristen and I had palm readings done, while Steven did a tarot card reading. After this, we went back to the space where we would meet as a group for our ghost tour. We were early, so we decided to go into the bar in Pirate Alley, where we were able to see the process of brewing absinthe. Though I had no desire to taste it, I took a sip and watched as she brewed the drink. We all just tried it, and went on to our ghost tour. For the ghost tour, our tour guide Brittany walked us all around NOLA and shared different stories about people, the culture, and the buildings. We had a great time with this, but were ready to get home after a long, exhausting day. A few of us stayed up late to blog, and visited about our experiences.
In all honesty, I could go on and on about my experiences today. I am still mind boggled by the experience Steve, Kristen, and I had with the palm reader. A little background, I am a born again Christian, therefore I believe in God, as well as ghosts and spirits. I do not take the other dimension lightly, which is why I find it so fascinating. After dinner, the three of us walked down to Jackson Square in the dark. It was somewhat creeping, but alluring in a way. The streets were barely lit, but you could see candles at all these various tables in the distance. We walked around for a bit, just waiting to all have a feeling that we found the right palm reader/psychic. After a little while, we encountered this woman, who was very sweet but seemed like an ideal medium. She was closed off, made little eye contact, but in the same sense was friendly. A sat down and told her I wanted a palm reader, nothing more. She did not know my name, know that I was here on a trip, or anything about me. She began by just holding my dominant hand for a moment, looking at the lines upon the surface. After this, she began to spew information that had me so shocked, that I continued to look back at Kristen and Steve, viewing their expression. They knew a lot of the information she was saying was correct about me, so they couldn't hold back their shocked expression either. I tried to hold back my expressions however, given that I wanted this to be as authentic as possible. I didn't want the medium to have any source of knowledge coming from my expression, simply my palm.
She began by describing my personality to a t. This I was skeptical about, until she was getting very personal. She described me as stubborn, detail oriented, and the leader of the pack, to which Steve obnoxiously chimed in that she couldn't be more accurate. She chuckled and warned him that it would only get worse as I got older. She discussed my career, stating that she can tell I work an active career helping others, and though this is not my permanent career, I will work in a very intellectually challenging field where decision making is a must. I am currently a personal trainer at a gym, going to school to become a nurse. As if I couldn't have been more shocked, she began discussing my relationships. She said though I have no children now (I did not tell her this) that I have the potential to have three. Asking if this number has significance in my life, I told her that it was my lucky number and always had been. She then told me that it made sense. She also stated that my relationships would come in threes. I would have three serious relationships in my lifetime, the first being a long term relationship that teaches me a lot of lessons about myself. My first fiance and I were together almost 4 years. This was the first time I had lived alone, began nursing school, and found a full time job. I learned a lot from this relationship about myself as well as my goals in life. She said that the second would be shorter, yet more emotionally involved. I would love and be hurt. My second fiance and I were together only for 1.5 years, but we fell in love quickly. We didnt last, given his infidelity, so she completely hit the nail on the head. She said that my third relationship was going to be very long term, and would be the one I needed to devout my time and heart to. Though I am still young, she said I have an immense capability to love, as she can see by my soul. She said various other things, but I was still in shock. Finally Steven and Kristen went. Everything she said about them was completely different than my reading, which is was ruined my skepticism. Kristen was in tears, as she described her life and where she would be. It was so accurate, that my shock continued. She described things about Steve, including health issues and his love life, that only I thought I knew. Throughout this entire process, we had no idea what we were experience. We entered this, with the mere belief that is was fake, a way to make money. However, this kind woman only accepted donations, and would only accept up to a certain amount. We left in shock, and silence for what seemed to be hours. This was an experience of a lifetime.
