Sweet Home, Alabama

I know, I know. The title's a bit cliche but what can I say? It fits!

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!

One of my favorite pics of the day

Since we were making the long haul back down South anyway, we decided to stay the week after the wedding for vacation. I'm pretty sure I drank my weight in sweet tea while there, and had BBQ four times in seven days. Yep, it was awesome, and worth every pound I'm now trying to take back off :)

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 :)

Joyful and Joy-filled: Part One

We have experienced so much joy during the Advent and Christmas seasons this year, it’s almost too much to relate, but I’ll give it a try J

We travelled to Louisiana two weeks before Christmas for the wedding of one of my two best friends, Ashli. Maggie did so well on the road trip! It took us 3 days but she could not have been a better traveller. The only issue we had was that she would not go to bed at night in the condo timeshare we were staying in. Many tearful nights, including one with my mom driving Maggie around until she fell asleep at midnight, made it a little hard, but other than that, it was a great time.

(It was awful that Maggie so disliked the condo we were in. So many tears at bedtime, which is not like her at all. She would just cling to me when I tried to lay her down. Maggie is usually the easiest child to put to bed ever, but not at that condo. The only thing we can figure is that she watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that first night and saw the sleepover episode where Goofy tells a ‘scary’ story about the Silly Gilly Gumble, and it freaked her out once bedtime rolled around. Maggie mentioned SGG a couple of times during the week, so that’s what we think happened. Needless to say, the sleepover episode will not be replayed at our home any time soon.)

Every moment in LA was joyful – seeing friends I had not seen in years, spending time with my two best friends who are more like sisters, hugging my godsons and their grandmother (my second mama), hanging out with my mom, spending so much time with Maggie.

Most of all, watching my beautiful friend as she and her love were bound together in the Sacrament of Marriage. Ashli made a stunning bride, and I am beyond thrilled for her and Lee.

picture credit: Mary Mechler

We all worked a lot while we were there, helping Ashli with whatever she needed, driving her around as she checked things off of an every-growing to-do list, but just being there with her and Mary made it joyful.

We did have some family fun while in Louisiana. Joy! Jorde flew in Wednesday morning, and we spent that day in the French Quarter. I had not been there since I left the South in 1998, and Jorde never, so we were all excited. Maggie’s grandfather, Pop, drove over from Alabama to meet her and spend time with her, and he walked the Quarter with us.

We ate an early dinner at Pere Antoine’s, and I was so disappointed that their Monte Cristo was no longer on the menu (not so much joy). Don’t get me wrong, I had a great meal, but y’all, their Monte Cristo was to-die-for good and I was so looking forward to it. Apparently I should visit more often than every 13 years.

On our way back to the parking garage, we passed back by the St. Louis Cathedral and heard music, so we went inside and listened to the last few songs of a free Christmas jazz concert. Joy! It was so fun, and Maggie really enjoyed herself – the girl loves music! It would have been nice to attend the entire concert, but I am thankful for what we did hear.

We stopped by Café du Monde before leaving. Joy! Joy! Joy! I cannot visit the French Quarter without indulging in beignets and café au lait, no matter the time of day or night. I miss those beignets – fresh and hot with powdered sugar sticking to them. Mmmmm. So messy and good. Jorde and Maggie ate beignets for the first time and enjoyed them quite as much as I did!. I may have to try making them at home, though I doubt they will turn out the same. Atmosphere contributes so much to the experience of a meal, and Café du Monde has elevated beignet-making to an art, and I just think our Arizona kitchen is an unqualified substitute J

I miss the South, y’all. I didn’t realize how much until I was there, but it just felt so good to be there. However, I will admit that, as it was unseasonably warm up until the day of the wedding and my Arizona-acclimated body is no longer used to Southern humidity, I may or may not have been vocal about all the sweating J I invested in an $8 deodorant because I was so worried about being icky in a taffeta-ish bridesmaid dress (Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof WORKS – I’m saving it for the Mary’s wedding in May!). Of course, then the weather got cold. Figures!

I am so thankful to have been blessed with a mom who loves my friend's enough to drive across country with me and my child, a Hubby who understands how important it was for me to be in Louisiana a week before Christmas even though it meant a quite a few days apart, sister-friends who I love so much and who know me so well, family and friends who make it feel like I never left the South when we're together, travelling mercies and beautiful weather on the road (thank you, Jesus! We couldn't have asked for better!), In-Laws who generously care for our furry kiddos when our family is out of town ... our lives are truly joyful, and joy-filled!

Coming soon: the conclusion of our Christmas festivies in Joyful and Joy-filled: Part Deux