Our Trip to L.A.

Not L.A., CA.

We're talkin' Lower Alabama :-)

It's been a while since I've blogged, so this is a little longer.

So, please continue reading if you have a little time on your hands, or feel free to just skip my ramblings and just scroll down to the bottom to stalk my pictures...haha.

It won't hurt my feelings.

We just returned from a mini vacay in Alabama late Saturday night.

Nick had a conference in Pensacola this week, and since his mum lives in south Alabama, we decided to fly down there after the conference and join Nick and visit his mum.

The last time Nick and I went to Alabama was July of 2008, just a few short months after we got married, and the last time his mum saw Dannika was in November of 2009, so it was a long overdue trip.

Nick's mum can't fly on airplanes because of her health, so it's hard to see each other.

 Being in the military makes it tough for us to fly all over the place to see family, and it gets expensive, so it's always been easier for family to come to us (which is why my parents get to see Dannika and us more often than Nick's mum).

Our little trip to Alabama was pleasant. 

Nick is from an EXTREMELY podunk little town called Andalusia, and he grew up just outside of it in an even smaller town called Gantt.

If you watch any movies or tv shoes about small town living in the south, Andalusia would be the setting. 

Think of "Honey Boo Boo".

That is Andalusia.

I consider myself a "southern girl" being from Texas myself, but not quite as southern as where Nick claims as his home.

I could never see myself living or retiring where Nick is from.

It is just too far away from civilization for my tastes, BUT....BUUUUT....I really loved going down there to visit.

I love how simple life is.

I love all the old fashioned churches.

I love REAL sweet tea (southern sweet tea is not just plain ole tea with sugar or splenda in it).

I love fried okra.

I love southern accents (which I found mine to start coming back when I was down there).

I love dirt roads.

I love dirty, muddy trucks.

I love the cotton fields that are literally walking distance from my mother in law's house.

I love the horses just roaming around behind her house.

I love her HUMONGOUS yard.

I love how polite everyone is.

Why wouldn't I live where Nick grew up?

It's small.

The nearest shopping mall is an hour away.

The nearest Whole Foods is an hour and a half away.

Everyone knows everyone, and that means everyone knows everyone's business.

There's a lot of small town drama.

I heard more gossip about EVERYONE and ANYTHING than I have in military housing!!!!!!

I guess in the end, a medium sized town in Texas (like the one I grew up in is where I want to end up).

I really do love the south, and it really made me even more disgruntled to come to our house here in New England.

I just keep telling myself that this is temporary, and one day, we'll have our dream of living in Texas again.

Cousins

Mamaw's got a pretty impressive freshwater fish tank.

Lexie (far left) being poopy cause Nick made her eat broccoli.

Dannika and Maggie helping Mamaw with the dishes.

Nick and Aubryn (Jeremy's daughter...friend of Nick's from hs)

Uncle Nick and all the kids

Helpin mamaw dry dishes

Andalusia water tower

Dannika and Aubryn

homemade deer jerk....mmmm (courtesy of Jeremy)

Jeremy, Nick, and the kids

Nick's mom's neighbor's house (whoa, I don't even know if the use of all those possessive pronouns is grammatically correct!...Anyway, I love this photo. The old truck, wooden fence, endless grass, and trees just gives you a glimpse into good ole' country livin'.

Nick and D in Mamaw's backyard lookin at the horses.

 

I strongly suggest for those who have never visited the true south to do so. 

It really is relaxing and gets you back down to reality and good ole' southern values.