Can't believe it's been this long since we've chatted!

Gosh, time flies. Seems like I just posted yesterday! So much has happened. We just published our 61st issue of LRT with the Nov issue; Sunny Meriwether has joined us as a sales rep; and we even received fan mail from Nova Scotia! How's that for a brief update?

Each year I keep thinking we should combine the Dec and Jan issue but as we get closer to that time, I decide against it. However, we (especially "I") could use a break from the hard deadline of a monthly publication. We'll see what happens....

Hope you're surviving all this rain! My yard has a pond in the lower section behind the barn. Wondering if this will increase my property value? ha As with most things in Louisiana, we do nothing in moderation.

Happy Halloween! I've got an idea - let's try to ignore Congress this year and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas as well! That'll tick 'em off for sure!! LOL

It's been a while since I've been here but I'm baaaack!! lol First of all, has this been the most miserable summer we've had in a long time with the heat? I haven't been able to grill out, lay in my hammock, or do much else outdoors other than mow and water. But on the flip side, I think even more people are staying indoors and reading LRT because we're getting more emails and calls praising our efforts than I can keep up with!! And that's definitely a good thing.

I was fortunate enough to spend a couple weeks in Montana recently and spoke with several tourism officials in that state. Their income is primarily generated through agriculture and tourism so I picked some great ideas for LRT. I'm always looking for ways to improve our publication.

So how did you like that August cover with the hot air balloons? It's one of my favorites. Perfect summertime fun. Well, time to get back to work on the September issue. Be back soon!!

July 4th Weekend

I never get tired of hot dogs and fireworks! How 'bout you?

While spending time with good friends celebrating the 4th, several mentions were made about LRT and the useful information it contains. I beam like a proud mom when someone goes out of their way to compliment me on our most entertaining publication.

Although we've endured some interesting times in our 5+ years in business, I do realize we're very fortunate to have survived the latest shakeout. Seems every month I pick up another publication (regional or national) only to read about how they're ceasing publication, consolidating issues, or merging with another magazine. My heart aches for them because I know how much work and energy goes into print but I also understand how these tough economic times are taking a toll on this industry. No one ever said it would be easy but for the most part, it sure is fun!!

Oh, we got fan mail from an online reader in England this week!!! Watch for it in the Backtalk segment in the August issue.

Ok, summer is most definitely here! It was 94 degrees yesterday with a heat index of 97. And this was at 6:45pm!! YUK. That's all I have to say about that.

Been thinking a lot lately about Louisiana and the talent cultivated here. From what I've seen firsthand, we produce some of the most genuinely gifted artists, craftsmen, musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs in the south, and possibly the country! It's really unbelievable what our residents can create, as featured in previous LRT articles focused on some of these individuals. Louisiana may not be as economically astute as some other states but what it lacks in the corporate environment, it more than makes up for in creativeness. Maybe necessity is the mother of invention (as it was with me and the creation of LRT) and if so, we should salute her. It's time to take care of our homegrown talent with encouragement and support. Buy local and help promote small businesses, like ours! The payback will be well worth the effort.

Hired a new sales rep!

YIPPEE!!!  We finally found her! 

I ended up going through a writers website based in New York City to hire someone living in Houston, Texas to sell ads for Louisiana Road Trips Magazine! LOL  Go figure...  Even though so many people are out of work in these tough economic times, it's been a struggle to find a qualified and motivated individual that actually wants to work in a sales position. But it was worth the wait. Visit our website at www.la-road-trips.com after June 1st to meet Renee and see for yourself!

In the meantime, we've received so many compliments about those precious little girls that graced our May cover. They were photographed holding hands and crossing the street in downtown Lake Providence on LA Delta 65, a lead story.  I get so excited about our cover photos. Heck, I get excited about every article inside those covers each month.  I just can't say enough about our contributing writers except I love 'em all! Together, I think we put together a top quality publication. And best of all, our readers agree.

It's been a long time....

Hey again! I had no idea so much time has passed since my last blog post. I did spend 10 days on vacation in Montana during this time then came home to all this springtime pollen and got a nasty sinus infection. That kept me down for several days and I really got behind in my work but we did indeed meet our deadline and the April issue is out now.

We pushed the envelope with this issue and included a POLITICALLY FUN-CORRECT segment that included several great articles. Under the guise of April's Fools and IRS Tax Day, we figured this was the ideal time to try this out. And guess what? Our readers LOVED it!!!!! I'm getting e-mails every day and even phone calls about how they really enjoyed our spin on the current political/economic situation. Whew...I was worried about offending some people but it seems we slid through with rave reviews. If you haven't seen this issue, check it out at www.la-road-trips.com and let me know what you think.

We're currently working on the May issue and am also putting together a few surprises for our loyal readers. As tempted as I am to blab right now, I'll try to keep it secret a little longer. I need to get back to work so enjoy the weekend and I'll make myself a note to blog more often than I have been doing.

March issues goes to print

It's been a whirlwind month, this February! And with only 28 days, I'm feeling pressured to overbook each one on my calendar.

One of our contributors, Dennis Stewart, recently had a book published. Called A Life of Trial and Error, it's a compilation of numerous articles you may have read in LRT. Dennis is just sooo funny and doesn't mind laughing at himself, as he does quite often in this book. Look for details in the March issue. It's a great gift and a must for your reading pleasure. Dennis reminds me of the late Lewis Grizzard, one of my all-time favorites, so of course I jumped to get the first one. Well, after his mother of course, who's his biggest fan and promoter.

Festival season will kick off in Louisiana in a major way in March. Pick up that issue of LRT and you'll know what I'm talking about. Did you realize we have over 400 festivals each year? That's more than any other state/country in the entire world! Now that's a claim to fame I'm proud to report.

Let me get this issue to the printer today and I'll be back soon.