Our little family has returned from our visit to the state of my birth, and I feel refreshed and rejuvenated ... and already a bit homesick. There's something about Alabama that's just in my blood - I feel more like 'me' when I'm there. Mmmm. I do love that state.
I will admit that the humidity nearly killed me! Well, that may be exaggerating a bit, but I was very melty while back home :) Even so, check out the view from the back porch of our timeshare. It just makes me smile, it's so beautiful.
The reason for this road trip was the same as our Louisiana trip - the wedding of one of my best friends. The 3rd Musketeer was getting married, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything!
Isn't Mary beautiful? It was a lovely Mass and fun party after. I especially loved the food served at the reception - fried chicken, pulled pork, cheese grits and sweet tea - heaven on a plate!
Old friends who are family, and new friends who felt like old friends - it was a great time, and like all gatherings, seemed to last forever and end too soon at the same time.
Nina Mary and Uncle Kevin - congratulations! We love you guys so much!
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| One of my favorite pics of the day |
We spent one morning at Auburn, tooling around campus and generally looking like fans/tourists. (Ashli congratulated me on my return to the mother land - lol!) I wanted to be there, of course, but I also wanted to introduce Maggie to one of the universities she's allowed to attend :)
Lemonade at Toomer's was a must, and we got to see personally what the jerk-wad 'Bama fan (I use the term fan loosely) did to those beloved oaks. It made me want to cry to see the damage done by someone's hatred of a football team. So senseless. I admit we Southerners can get emotionally charged about our favorite team, but what that guy did was plain ol' meanness and nothing else. There was no team spirit involved in that act. Ugh. Mean people suck. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for putting up with my little rant :)
Feel free to hum the Auburn Fight Song while scrolling through these next few photos:
A Side Note: When Hubby was taking pictures of Maggie and me at the AU sign, a couple of gentlemen went walking by and, in true Southern style, said good morning and spoke as they passed. At the end of our pleasantries, one of them said 'War Eagle!' I asked Maggie 'what do you say when you hear that?' and she answered him 'Waaw Eagle!' The gentleman, of course, thought that was the cutest thing ever. What can I say, I'm trying to raise my girl right :)
The highlight of our trip were the friends and family I got see and Maggie got to meet. My dad, a favorite aunt and uncle, cousins I grew up with like brothers - we had a wonderful evening together. Maggie met her 2nd cousin, Alyssa, and I didn't see her much after that :) Those two girls had so much fun together, it was a delight to watch.
Maggie saw lightning bugs for the first time that evening, and she and Alyssa ran around the yard catching them and putting them in bug catchers they'd strung around their necks. Maggie needed much more help catching them than Alyssa did but it was a new experience for Maggie while Alyssa was an old pro. (In AZ, we do NOT catch bugs!) I felt bad for those lighting bugs at the end when we opened the lids to let them out - they had been so jarred around and banged up while the girls were running, I don't think they knew which end was up! They just milled around the sides of the jar, and Jorde had to dump them to get them out. Bet they learned to fly faster after that :)
GrandPop also joined us for a trip to ArtWorks, a favorite place for me in Montgomery and a place I really wanted to share with Maggie. It's in the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, and is made for kids, so everything is touchable and fun. Heck, even at my age, I still enjoy it!
It was such a blessing to have Maggie meet my Grandma. She still talks about G.G. (great-grandma) and sleeps with the two little stuffed animal puppy dogs my Grandma gave her. I have so many wonderful childhood memories with this lady, and am so happy she got to see Maggie. A very special moment, indeed.
The one snafu we had was a bit of debit card fraud on our way through Texas. We didn't know until days later, but someone stole Jorde's number and had some fun on us for a couple of days. We got it all sorted out but it sure put a damper in my spirits (and pocketbook) for a few days. Other than that, we couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect road trip, and Maggie did so well, Hubby and I are already semi-planning one for next summer (be on the lookout, Bino!)
So, to recap: Amazing Wedding. Great Party. Wonderful Friends. Family Love. Sweet Tea. Humidity. Lightning Bugs. Fraud Suckiness. BBQ Overload. Travelling Fun. Sweet Home, Alabama :)