Reunited...And It Feels So GOOD!

Abby and I drove home from Mobile yesterday (her 14th birthday). Chris had to stay behind to work in Louisiana. We had such a great reunion with Brittany. Abby and I hadn't seen her since Aug. 21st when we moved her into her dorm room. It had been a LONG time coming!

As soon as we got to her college campus, we called her and told her we were there. We waited at the front doors of her dorm for her to come down...my heart was pounding with anticipation! As soon as I saw her face, I burst into tears. Of course, it was magnified when I hugged her. Had it really been 7 weeks? We went up to her room for just a bit so she could grab a few things, then we walked out to the car. Chris was walking Maddie and Bella. I figured as soon as they saw Brittany, they would run over to her, but that wasn't exactly the case. They'd gotten distracted by a squirrel, so their attention was somewhere else.

Here's Brittany not long after we picked her up. We're back at our hotel and she's laughing because Bella isn't giving her the time of day.

Bella...surely you remember your ol' buddy, Britt!

Oh, but Maddie remembered! Brittany's the one who always gave the BEST belly rubs!
On our 2nd day together, we drove over to Foley, AL. for lunch and to do some shopping. Then, on our way back, we stopped at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL. for one of our favorite activities there. We had some hot tea and freshly baked cookies. YUM!

Here we are standing out on the pier just outside of the Grand Hotel.
Abby and Chris just taking in the pretty sights on a HOT autumn day!

Brittany glancing out into Mobile Bay.

All three of us doing the same. I never tire of looking out at the ocean.

My two beautiful daughters on the last day of our visit. We spent it doing more shopping and we took Abby out for her birthday dinner at Olive Garden. We shared so many laughs! I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have us all together, again! It was exactly what my heart needed!

I baked Abby a birthday cake a few days before we left for our trip so that she'd have time to enjoy it. She requested a Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I always decorate her cake with things having to do with Fall or Halloween. I think it turned out pretty good and it was so tasty! Here's the birthday girl, whom I grow to love more and more with each passing year!

We had a fun birthday celebration for her with Brittany and she got a lot of things she's been wanting. Happy 14th, Abby...I love you to pieces! Always have...ALWAYS WILL!

I realize I still have to finish sharing with you about our trip to Hawaii. Hopefully, by week's end, we can finally close that chapter and move on to the next one! 'Til then!

Where I've Been...

We packed up the car on Friday morning and headed out for the Mobile, AL. area a little after lunchtime. We've been needing to get to that area to look at some places we might consider moving to next summer, namely Fairhope and Spanish Fort, AL. We, also, wanted to check out a few colleges for Brittany. It was about a 5 1/2 hour trip from here.

On Friday night after we checked in, we drove around for a little while, then went for dinner at The Oyster House in Fairhope, AL. The food was out of this world! I had a plate of grilled shrimp, steamed red potatoes, and red beans and rice. I haven't been that stuffed in a long time, but it was worth every bite!

Here's the girls outside of the restaurant.

On Saturday morning, Chris and Brittany drove over to Pensacola, FL. to watch one of her former teammates compete in a collegiate cross country meet. She was so surprised when she turned around and saw Brittany standing there! Brittany was able to meet the cross country coaches from Southern Miss and the Univ. of South Alabama, both of whom have expressed interest in her.

When they got back to the hotel, we grabbed a quick lunch and drove through quite a few neighborhoods. However, we soon decided that we really needed a realtor to show us around, but we'll take care of that on another trip. We drove over to Mobile, which was only about 30 miles away...that's where the Univ. of South Alabama is located! Momma sure likes the sound of that! :)

As we were getting closer to Mobile, we spotted a blimp above the skyline. They were having some sort of Bay Festival. Mobile is a far cry from Atlanta. No major traffic issues to deal with...it was so refreshing!

On our way back across the bridge, we saw the USS Alabama. We've toured it before and it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend it! We, also, went to The Grand Hotel in Fairhope/Point Clear, AL. We stayed there several years ago when the girls were younger, so we wanted to take them back. The hotel used to be a Confederate Army hospital and more than 300 soldiers died there during the Civil War. Of course, it's been refurbished since that time, but it's such a gorgeous place to visit, if you've never been there. We made it just in time for "tea time". They served hot tea and fresh homemade cookies, which were heavenly!

Here's some of the gorgeous oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from them that are all over the property.

There were lots of ducks swimming about, too!

Brittany is standing underneath one of the oak trees...see how huge they were? What I'd give to have a yard with a bunch of them in it!

Around 4 PM, we heard a snare drum being played and went around to the back of the hotel to see what was going on. These two guys were marching to the beat of the drum with the American flag being carried. The man with the flag gave a brief history lesson about Mobile Bay and the Civil War, which was very interesting. Then, he shot off a cannon into Mobile Bay. Though we all had our ears covered, it still startled us! It was so loud!

After the presentation ended, we drove across the street to visit the Confederate Rest Cemetery. It was such a peaceful place!

One of the many Confederate soldiers' graves...dating back to 1863!

So, we had a fun trip, but I think we tried to accomplish too much for only a couple of days. We got home late Sunday night and I spent most of yesterday getting caught up with my laundry. I'm sure we'll makes plans to head back that direction probably after cross country season ends. So much to do...so little time!



P.S. I've been so busy lately that I've forgotten to announce the winner of my follower's giveaway for the month of September. Congratulations, Stephanie, from Life is a Miracle! I'll be contacting you soon!