Our First Visitor

Over a month ago my Mom blessed us with her presence and was officially crowned our very first visitor. She has taken a "vacation" of sorts in almost every place that we have lived so we knew it was only a matter of time before she came knocking on our door here in the dirty south.

She flew into New Orleans, on the 4th of July, and Chris and I couldn't have been more excited to play tour guide in one of our favorite cities. So off we went to explore the city that we love oh so much...

You can't start your day off without breakfast, so we took her to the famous Cafe Du Monde for some authentic beignets.

From the horse drawn carriages lining the streets, to the jazz duo on the corner playing some upbeat patriotic music on their tuba and trumpet, the atmosphere couldn't have been more perfect while we ate our little french donuts. While we were sitting there we started to experience some sporadic rain showers and figured that our best bet was to head over to the aquarium to escape the rain and the impending heat. So off we set for a nice little walk along the Mississippi River when out of no where buckets of rain starting pouring out of the sky. So we had no choice but to sprint in a desperate search to find shelter. When we finally came to a covered awning we were all laughing so hard... I love moments like that. So there we stayed until the rain slowly let up and we decided to continue our journey on the banks of the Mississippi towards our destination.

Next stop...

Captivating.

I cannot remember what was so intriguing about this small exhibit. It must have been good to draw in this crowd.

The aquarium doesn't necessarily have the cultural aspects that you would expect to find in New Orleans, but when the weather isn't being so friendly it's a great retreat.

So once we left the aquarium we all grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch, and then decided to split up. My Aunt Robin was in New Orleans at the same time we were for a work conference, and sadly she was tied up in meetings the majority of the day we were there but she kindly gave us a key to her hotel room, and while my brother and Ashley went back to put their daughter down for a nap, Chris, my Mom, and myself decided to explore the streets of the Big Easy.

We walked the beautiful grounds of the St. Louis Cathedral,

strolled through the French Market,

and this is where we talked my Mom into trying alligator. It was in sausage form so it hid a lot of the texture and flavor of the meat, but I was still proud of her.

And then we wandered through the streets of the French Quarter.

A short time later after the rain clouds had moved on and the heat of the day started taking its toll on us, we too decided to head back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner.

That night my Mom treated us to a spectacular dinner at a restaurant, that was recommended by my Aunt, in the French Quarter. It was so authentic and good, that it has had Chris and I dreaming of it ever since. After dinner, we were finally able to meet up with my Aunt and her friend Sherry and get ready for the firework show over the Mississippi. Her hotel opened up its top floor and allowed people to watch the show from there.

Now just imagine that darkness has descended and the lights of the French Quarter below are all aglow, and that two barges slowly make there way down the Mighty Mississippi and stop, and suddenly your eyes are feasting upon two spectacular and simultaneous firework shows. That is the way we celebrated our Country's Birthday. It was incredible.

A little while later we had to say goodbye to my Aunt and head back home so that we could be refreshed for the activities that awaited us the next day.

The next day we decided to take my Mom to see the ocean. The key word there being "see." With the oil having washed up on the shores about a month back the water wasn't safe to swim in. That was the first time that Chris and I had been back in a while and we were amazed to see that the cleaning crews had cleaned the oil off the sand, but there were still chemicals in the water that could be very harmful to your health, so "No Swimming!" It's always a relaxing experience to just sit on the beach or play in the sand so we still enjoyed ourselves.

Over the course of the next few days I had to return to work, so my brother and his wife took over as tour guide and showed her some of our favorite spots. But when night fell and after dinner all our game faces came on. We had many laughs over our games of Uno, Skipbo, and Life.

There are two things I have to comment on about this picture. (1) Ashley has a scary game face. And (2) I think I caught Chris cheating.

The last night that my Mom was going to be in Alabama we treated her to our favorite local BBQ joint down by the bay. Moe's.

And after dinner we went down the street and caught a beautiful sunset over the Bay. It was a perfect sunset on her last night there.

The next night we had to say our goodbyes to her, but since she was flying out of New Orleans we had one more dinner and enjoyed dessert at Cafe Du Monde.

We had so much fun with her here and enjoyed showing her the new place we get to call home. If I know her I'm sure she's already planning her next visit, and we already have some new things to show her.

Thanks for the visit and come back anytime. Love you Mom!

White Sand and Blue Water

The white sandy beaches and clear blue water gently lured Chris and I to a little beach town on Alabama's coast line called Gulf Shores.  Every Saturday, through the months of April and May, you could find us at this beach, laying in the sun, frolicking in the water, or combing the beaches for seashells.  It was our perfect little weekend getaway that was just a short 45 minute drive from our house.     

Gulf Shores, AL

Me and my handsome hubbs at Gulf Shores State Park.

The sand felt like powdered sugar under your feet and the water was so clear that you could see the wildlife that swam with you.  It became a regular occurence that as you played in the waves you were joined by a few stingray that wanted to play with you.  At one point when Chris and I were swimming we looked around us and there were at least 8 stingrays swimming with us.  It honestly made me a little uneasy and occasionally I would scream really loud when one would swim right up to me, but I stayed strong and never ran out of the water.  Chris on the other hand was in love.  He is fascinated by the ocean and all that dwells in it, and while I was nervously giggling and shrieking, I would find him chasing after these things trying to catch one and holding his hands out trying to pet one.  The funny thing was I think they enjoyed playing with him because he would swim after it, the stingray would swim away, but then come right back up to him like it wanted to be chased again.  It was amazing.  He was totally in his element and I loved seeing him so happy.  He had the biggest smile on his face and spent quite a bit of time swimming with his aquatic friends.  

At one point though Chris won the chase game.

Chris and his new friend.

 Ooh La La!  Sorry ladies... This boy is all mine ;)

This is at the next beach over called Orange Beach.  As you can see I was a little obsessed with this board walk there.  It was the longest one I have ever seen and I love how it glided over the sand dunes.

Us two love birds at Orange Beach.

Aww... Sand love letters.  Now that's cute.

Are You Feeling Hot Hot Hot?

Well... we are.

Sweet Home Alabama

Hi Everybody!  Miss me?... Well I have sure missed all of you.  Sorry it has taken so long, but I am finally here and ready to give you that sweet little taste of the place that Chris and I now get to call home.  Chris and I have lived in so many amazing places, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Jose, New York (both the City and Long Island), Kansas City (Missouri), Louisiana (him), Texas (me), and of course Idaho.  Besides from Idaho none has truly felt like home to us (New York was the closest), mostly this is due to the simple fact that the majority of these places were never meant to be long term and the lives that we led there were always cut short when the summer selling season came to a close.  But now for the last 2 1/2 months we have been living our life together in Alabama and I can truly say that it feels so much like home to us.  Maybe it's knowing that we will be here for more than a few months, but I think it goes even beyond that.  Most places that we have lived we always had a period of adjustment, where we had to get used to our new surroundings.  There was none of that here.  We immediately felt in our hearts that this was home and we love it here.  Not many people can say that they love where they live, especially when all your family and friends are in another part of the country, but Chris and I do love it here and we say it quite often to each other and to anybody else that will listen.

Here are just a few things that we love about Alabama:

You always hear about Southern hospitality and the people of Lower Alabama (or LA like the locals like to call it) have taken that phrase to heart.  From strangers on the street, to the people of our ward, to my coworkers, they all have embraced Chris and I into their little tight-knit community and we have never felt so welcomed in like this before.  They are a huge part of what makes this place feel like home and for that we will forever be grateful.

Most questions here are answered with a simple response of either Yes/ No Ma'am or Yes/ No Sir in a strong Southern tongue.  Chris and I have quickly adapted to this (minus the Southern accent) and even in conversations just between us, have found ourselves responding with Yes Ma'am and No Sir.  So don't be surprised when I talk to you and that is my answer, it has already become a habit and I love it.  It's really only a matter of time before we pick up on the Southern drawl.  It's just too strong here and I had it once when I was little and I have caught myself already on the verge of letting it almost slip off my tongue before I reeled it back in.  

We love that we are surrounded by water.  We live right on the Mobile Bay, have areas in our town that have swamp and marsh land, and are just a short 45 minute drive to the ocean.  And when your not by water you are then usually in the presence of huge old oak trees.  On my way to and from work I have to drive through downtown Mobile and they have oak trees lining the streets for miles that are so big that they have overtime created a canopy of sorts over the road and it is so beautiful to pass through.  It is almost dreamlike.   

And lets not forget the food.  Oh my goodness, the food here is a little bit of heaven it is so good.  Between the seafood, that is always local and fresh, to the BBQ, that is beyond words to describe, lets just say that Chris and I are always torn between where to go on our weekly date night.  There is so much that we haven't even tried yet, but just give us time.  We are so spoiled when it comes to the local cuisine.

I can't even begin to describe the enormous Southern style mansions that line the streets of downtown Mobile or the way french culture has influenced not only the food, but also the spelling of words like go to geaux.  And honestly this list could go on and on, but I think you have gotten the point.  Alabama is fantastic, and Chris and I couldn't be happier.  But if you find that you would like to experience all that Alabama has to offer,  just know that our doors are always open (you know... that whole Southern Hospitality thing ;).   

Mmm

Crawfish Boil

and a Shrimp Po' Boy...

Yes Please.

Our Journey

After all the goodbyes were said, Chris and I finally left Pocatello around 6:00 that evening.  A big difference from our goal time of 10:00 that morning.  My brother and his family had left on time so our intentions were to drive through the night in order to meet up with them and travel the duration of our trip together.  We figured it wouldn't be a problem since Chris and I are such night people so off we went.  Chris and Twinkee drove the Jeep and pulled the U-Haul while I followed behind with our cat Marlo in our Honda.  Not even 10 minutes into the trip, I see Chris passing a truck and a gust of wind causes the trailer to start swerving behind him thus forcing the Jeep to start swerving uncontrollably.  To be in the car behind his and see all this happening and knowing that there was nothing that I could do was truly terrifying.  In my head I was thinking this cannot be a good omen, but after Chris regained control of everything and a quick conversation over the phone of him ensuring me that everything was fine we pushed on.  About 6 hours into our trip the chaos and emotional tolls from earlier in the day just hit me and it became near impossible for me to keep my eyes open.  So I gave Chris a quick call and told him I needed to pull over and take a quick nap.  So at the next truck stop that is exactly what we did, Chris laid the back seats down in our Jeep and got out some blankets and pillows and despite the fact that neither of us could totally stretch out our legs we slept like babies.  We slept so good that by the time we woke back up it was already 7:00 the next morning and we were still about 4 hours from where my brother had stopped for the night.  And to top it all off we woke up to our car windows completely covered with snow.  Anybody that has driven through Wyoming knows that it is a horribly windy stretch of road.  Add that into icy, snow covered roads while following behind a husband pulling a trailer that you just witnessed lose control the day before, and you can only imagine that I was an extreme nervous wreck.  But 3 hours later we thankfully made it out of the worst of the situation and were able to make it to the hotel my brother was at to take a quick shower before checkout and continue on with the rest of our journey.  

It is a totally different experience driving by yourself for long periods of time, but it was nice.   It was just me and my thoughts and it was nice having that alone time to ponder on my hopes, dreams, and aspirations for this move.  I got to sing songs at the top of my tuneless lungs and I had control of the song selection so naturally it wasn't half bad and I know that Chris enjoyed his alone time too.  And when we would get lonely we enjoyed a nice game or two of the highway alphabet game via text.  Was it safe... no.  Would I condone it again... probably not.  But we had fun.  

That day we made it through Wyoming, Colorado, and a portion of Kansas where we enjoyed an Easter dinner at a Denny's on the side of a highway that was served to us by a grumpy waitress (who could blame her though, it was Easter, she should have been with her family).   

Chris and I goofing around at a rest stop in Kansas.  

The next day we made it all the way through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and finally stopped in a town in Louisiana.  Chris and I both have such soft spots in our hearts for the south.  Mine being brought about by the most incredible memories of being a little girl with a southern twang growing up in Texas and Chris' being the deep love that came about from the two years he spent there on his mission in Louisiana.  For both of us it felt so good to be there.

As soon as we entered Texas I got a little text message from Chris that simply said "Welcome Back", it made the biggest smile spread across my face.

As we stood outside of our hotel in Louisiana I would catch Chris taking in gulps of air and he commented on how sweet the air was in the south.  And it may sound funny, but it is totally true.  The Southern air has a definite sweetness to it that just fills your lungs and lets you know that you are somewhere special.  And then there are the sounds that come alive when night falls in the south, sounds that the insects and animals harmonize to perfection and create such unbelievable music that once you hear it you will never forget it.  That was the good omen that I was in search of that just set my heart at ease and let me know that we were exactly where we should be at this time in our lives.

Our last day of our travels took us through the rest of Louisiana.  A landscape that was hidden from me the night before was bright and sunny that morning.  No matter how great Chris' descriptions were they could not do justice to the true majestic beauty of it.  We drove by fields of yellow and purple flowers where in the middle sat the most perfectly placed white house.  Then the landscape would change into the marsh lands and its beauty though completely different was so inviting.  All I wanted to do was take a swamp tour.  Then we crossed the border into Mississippi and smelt the salt from the ocean in the air.  And then finally... 4 days, 30 plus hours, and 9 states later we made it to Alabama... our new home.  The sign welcoming you to the state said "Welcome to Alabama the Beautiful".  And it couldn't be more right, it is so beautiful here.  But I will go more into detail on that later.  As soon as we saw our new house and the area in which we live we immediately agreed that it felt like home.  And it does.  We are so happy to be here.  Don't get me wrong... we miss our family and friends so much, but loving where we live makes missing all those things just a little bit more bearable and makes the missing part hurt a lot less.  

Goodbyes

Well we have been in Alabama now for a little over 2 weeks.  We had quite the adventure on our road trip getting here and just tried to make the best of the opportunity that we had.  But for this story lets start at the beginning...

Chris' and my intentions were to leave Saturday morning on 4/3/2010 but it took a little longer than we anticipated to pack up our whole house and prepare it for our real estate agent and a possible renter.  That day was hectic and stressful and my emotions were all over the place.  I had mentally prepared myself that this day would eventually come and it would be hard but it shouldn't be sad.  Yeah Chris and I were packing our lives up and moving to a completely different part of the country away from all our family members and friends but we have dreams, big dreams, and we were taking the steps that we thought were necessary in order to reach those goals and fulfill our dreams so we would never have to look back and say "what if."  You just can't be sad about something like that.  But the day that I thought I had prepared for snuck up on me faster than I ever could have expected and I suddenly found myself unprepared.  We had to say goodbye to family members and friends, and I found that with each goodbye I had to say it just kept getting harder and harder to hold back my tears.  Eventually the dam broke and it was near impossible to stop them.  Anybody that knows me knows that I grow extremely attached to worldly things.  I can place a memory with almost everything that I have and because of this it is hard for me let go of things, I always do if I have to but I still feel a pinch of sadness when I let it out of my grasp.  The last goodbye that we had to say was to our house.  It wasn't just any house but our first house.  Our house was nothing but bones when we first walked into it, but in that instant we fell head over heels in love with it.  I remember as we walked through that first time we were all by ourselves and we were planning the layout of our furniture and what Twinkee would think of the house.  We couldn't wait for it to be ours.  All of this came rushing back to me as I stood in the middle of our kitchen crying in Chris' arms.  I mean shoulders shaking and can't catch your breath kind of crying.  The reality had hit me that that could be the last time that I ever stood in that kitchen and that any day it could possibly become somebody elses home.  I know Chris felt the same way.  So we just held each other and took comfort in the fact that it would always be ours first.  After all the lights where turned off and we checked that all the doors were locked, we walked out the garage door and as Chris took my hand and asked if I was "ready for our next adventure" I knew that everything was going to be okay.  I know that it is true no matter how corny it may sound, but as long as we have each other we can make it through anything.