Alabama (Vacation Day Two)
So, we honestly had the best time getting here to Alabama. My girls were wonderful in the car, we had a minimum of fighting, they were flexible and even tried new food! It was so much better than I expected that I am still a little stunned.
My husband and I had both done some Trip Shopping so we had a bunch of little surprises up our sleeves.
I gave the girls new journals to use as Trip Journals and they started in right away, detailing EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of the trip. Ana signed each of her entries with her full name --like she was filing dispatches with the Associated Press.
And then Jane refused to be outdone so she did the same thing.
The really hilarious thing was that she would add one item and then she would insist on reading the entire thing out loud from the beginning. It was a scream --in a "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" kind of way.
We took a shortcut from Corsicana to I20 which was a really scenic route. My favorite thing was seeing a sign for the "Living By the Brand Cowboy Church." I didn't have my camera out to take a picture but I'll try to remember on the way home.
We broke the trip up by staying in a hotel in Monroe, LA. It turned out to be a great hotel with an indoor pool. My husband has been traveling a lot lately, so he
traded in some points and got us two adjoining rooms. Look at the little angel.
We got up the next morning, gave the kids a small snack, let them go swimming, packed up and headed out of town. But first we stopped at a Waffle House. And there, my friends, Ana met her People. I wish I'd had my camera THEN, too, because her face when she was eating was so funny-- she kept saying, "This bacon is the best bacon I've ever eaten. This waffle is the best waffle I've ever tasted." Jane said nothing because she was busy eating FOUR, count 'em, FOUR scrambled eggs.
Then we wended our way to Alabama. On the way to my Father-in-Law's house, we passed through Carollton, Alabama and stopped by the Pickens County Courthouse. I took a picture of the so-called Face in the Window,
but the girls were unimpressed. "That looks like it was DRAWN," scoffed Jane. (I love the arrow, though. Makes me laugh.)
And then we got to Granddaddy's house.
There is something about my FIL that is just... perfect. He's so laid back and yet really positive about things. I can't really explain it--maybe it's because he is very thoughtful yet he never makes a big fuss over ANYTHING. When I saw him, I had that feeling of having arrived home, you know? Like I could stop sucking in my stomach.
And he'd just quietly done all these things in anticipation of our coming but he would never in the world want an acknowledgement of that. For example, miraculously as if by chance, he had bought the same brand of organic milk that the girls drink. Because I'm sure that's easily found in Reform, Alabama. Right.
So, it's just great to be here. And I may actually never leave. Because my FIL has two things that fall on my recently revised Best Things In Life list. He has a bumper crop of home grown tomatoes
and he has this fellow.
More about him tomorrow, right now I'm going to eat my lunch:
My husband and I had both done some Trip Shopping so we had a bunch of little surprises up our sleeves.
I gave the girls new journals to use as Trip Journals and they started in right away, detailing EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of the trip. Ana signed each of her entries with her full name --like she was filing dispatches with the Associated Press.And then Jane refused to be outdone so she did the same thing.
The really hilarious thing was that she would add one item and then she would insist on reading the entire thing out loud from the beginning. It was a scream --in a "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" kind of way.We took a shortcut from Corsicana to I20 which was a really scenic route. My favorite thing was seeing a sign for the "Living By the Brand Cowboy Church." I didn't have my camera out to take a picture but I'll try to remember on the way home.
We broke the trip up by staying in a hotel in Monroe, LA. It turned out to be a great hotel with an indoor pool. My husband has been traveling a lot lately, so he
traded in some points and got us two adjoining rooms. Look at the little angel. We got up the next morning, gave the kids a small snack, let them go swimming, packed up and headed out of town. But first we stopped at a Waffle House. And there, my friends, Ana met her People. I wish I'd had my camera THEN, too, because her face when she was eating was so funny-- she kept saying, "This bacon is the best bacon I've ever eaten. This waffle is the best waffle I've ever tasted." Jane said nothing because she was busy eating FOUR, count 'em, FOUR scrambled eggs.
Then we wended our way to Alabama. On the way to my Father-in-Law's house, we passed through Carollton, Alabama and stopped by the Pickens County Courthouse. I took a picture of the so-called Face in the Window,
but the girls were unimpressed. "That looks like it was DRAWN," scoffed Jane. (I love the arrow, though. Makes me laugh.)And then we got to Granddaddy's house.
There is something about my FIL that is just... perfect. He's so laid back and yet really positive about things. I can't really explain it--maybe it's because he is very thoughtful yet he never makes a big fuss over ANYTHING. When I saw him, I had that feeling of having arrived home, you know? Like I could stop sucking in my stomach.
And he'd just quietly done all these things in anticipation of our coming but he would never in the world want an acknowledgement of that. For example, miraculously as if by chance, he had bought the same brand of organic milk that the girls drink. Because I'm sure that's easily found in Reform, Alabama. Right.
So, it's just great to be here. And I may actually never leave. Because my FIL has two things that fall on my recently revised Best Things In Life list. He has a bumper crop of home grown tomatoes
and he has this fellow.
More about him tomorrow, right now I'm going to eat my lunch:
Comments
Do you go to a farmers' market in Austin? I'd love to find a bigger one.
So glad ya'll are having such a great trip!