1 Year in Alabama

A year ago we loaded up a big ole truck and made our way South to Alabama. This year has gone by fast but we have had lots of fun exploring, making new friends, and making the new house our home.

Some things I've learned in the past year:

• Everyone asks: Alabama or Auburn? We we first moved I got Colin an Auburn shirt, because I liked the navy blue. But that is the only Auburn thing I have purchased. When he picks a football cookie at Edgar's, he always picks the Alabama one. We all have our own Alabama shirts and I think I ended up being drawn to the fact that is has the state on it, just like I enjoy having some Tennessee Titans shirts.
• The best times to go grocery shopping or out to eat? During a college football game. No joke. We ate at a Mexican restaurant when we first moved to Helena. I heard it was really good, but it was completely empty when we got there. Like a ghost town. We thought we made a bad decision and picked somewhere bad. Then we noticed the game on the TV and realized everyone was either at a bar or at home watching.
• People cannot drive here. At first I noticed people go either really fast and put you in danger on the interstate or drive unbelievably slow, which sometimes be equally dangerous! Then I starting seeing people U-turn everywhere. It drives me crazy - do you people pass where you intend to go that much?? And on top of that, I have witnessed people driving down the wrong side of a (divided) street/road on at least two separate occasions.
• Extreme weather. OK, maybe this isn't a norm, but since we've been here we have had an ice storm, flooding, and some extremely hot days. I am looking forward to some cooler fall days (when the bees and wasps go away!!)

1 year down, hopefully many more to go!

Weekly Wrap Up (late)

Not much to say. We've been playing, frying fish like Jim, and most of the time working on the bathroom remodel. We torn out everything but the bathtub and started over. Last weekend we (as in Andrew and I) laid a new tile floor. I am so happy with it and learned a lot about tiling and plan to do more!

Bathroom before (and during demo):

New tile floor!

Weekly Wrap Up

I'm skipping a week since I got busy and jumping straight to a wrap up of our lake trip.

We left Friday afternoon and stayed the night in Hendersonville with Granny and Papa, which was a blessing because that trip is LONG. Then Saturday morning my mom and brother met us and we headed up north to Lake Wawasee to stay with my Aunt Pat and Aunt Mary for the week. Colin rode with Memaw so it was just Andrew and Charlie in the Jeep with me. Charlie was a great rider. We only stopped once the 7.5 hour drive and I would climb to the back and wedge myself between the two car seats to give Charlie his bottles so we didn't have to stop.

It was colder this year but we still had fun and got to go on the water. Colin surprised me a lot this year. First, he tubed! This kid is afraid of getting water in his face, but agreed to be pulled behind the boat (at a slow speed of course) multiple times. I even went with him once. He also swam in the channel. I don't because I don't like lake water,but he jumped right in, with his life vest, and swam around. Third, he is he a fisherman. Jim and Nick were both so patient and helped him fish during the week. He caught a good amount and even had a keeper that Jim cleaned and I cooked for him. =)

Since it was cold we did the bowling ally one day where Colin showed off his granny bowling skills.

Aunt Mary and Jim put up a baby swing for Charlie. He enjoyed swinging in that and just playing in the nice soft grass. Oh my, she has nice grass. Ours is terrible and I an so envious of her lawn.

Here are pictures, in no particular order.