Wrapping up

Just wanted to let y'all know this is our last day in Alabama in 2012.  Crazy!  Early tomorrow morning, and I mean EARLY, we're headed out to my hometown - San Diego, California.  It's possibly one of the most amazing places you could ever live and where we get to be with the some of the best people in the whole world - the Heap family.  And then, since we're already gonna be out there, we're headed to Utah to be with some of the other best people in the world - the Mecham family.  I still need to finish cleaning and packing and who knows what else, but I'm so excited and I just can't hide it and I wanted to write about it. :)

We have absolutely loved Alabama so far and we think Alabama loves us.  We've been good to each other so far.  We'll miss it for a little bit, but we're excited for our trip! 

And don't worry.  We'll be back in 2013.  And if I get around to it, I'll write some quick posts about our adventures out West while we're away. 

We wish y'all a Merry Christmas!  This is truly one of the best times of the year.  I think each of our spirits remembers how special the birth of our Savior was and still is to us, and so we're all filled with joy and the love of the Savior this time of year.  May His love always be in our hearts.

Time FLIES

Yesterday, we went to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute with some friends and it was pretty cool.  I took some pictures, but they were all taken on the wrong setting so most of them turned out weird.

 

 

Before we left the museum, I saw a sign about the institute explaining its opening in November of 1992.  I said to Newel, "Wow, it's only been open for barely 10 years." 

Newel corrected me saying, "You mean 20?"

"Oh, yes 20." (But secretly, I didn't mean 20.  I really did think that 1992 was only 10 years ago.  Where have I been the last 10 years?!)

P.S. My favorite exhibit was "Black from the Heart of Dixie: Famous African American Alabamians".  The exhibit featured portraits of some of the most influential African Americans to come out of the State of Alabama including: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Jesse Owens & Lionel Ritchie.  I had no idea they were from Alabama.  Pretty cool, huh?

Still Newlys

Newel's sister took this picture of us over Thanksgiving weekend.  Newel fixed their tree swing so she wanted to get a picture of him next to it.  I joined in and we decided to do cheesy engagement poses because we were too cool to take cheesy poses when we were really engaged.

Newel is my best friend and I'm so happy we're having these adventures together here in the South.  We've been married 2 1/2 years now, but we're still claiming to be newlyweds or newlys (the non-word I like to use for newlyweds). :)

Not sure about a title, but...

I had to share.  Here in the South (or at least Alabama):

• Martin Luther King, Jr. shares his holiday with Robert E. Lee
• We celebrate Confederate Memorial Day (4th Monday in April) and Jefferson Davis' birthday (1st Monday in June)
• The Civil War really is referred to as "the War of Northern Aggression"
• The people living up North really are referred to as "Yankees"
• Also...

 

This is a picture I took at Stone Mountain last week of the Confederate Memorial Carving which is the largest high relief sculpture in the world, depicting Confederate heroes Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.  Basically the Mount Rushmore of the South.

 

There's always something new/different to experience in the South.  If you think this is a joke, just come visit.  We'll make a believer out of you. :)

Come On

 

People, it's 70 degrees outside!  You don't need to play in the snow.  Maybe they don't know how good they have it.  70 degrees vs. 30 degrees the last week of November?  I know what I prefer.  How about you? :)

Stone Mountain

On Thanksgiving Day, we went to Stone Mountain Park with Newel's brother-in-law and his kids.  It was really fun.  We rode the skyride to the top of the mountain and then took lots of pictures because you can see a lot of stuff from the top (mostly trees and dowtown Atlanta).

 

The skyride we took to the top.

 

 

The top of the mountain is 1,686 feet above sea level which is the highest elevation we've experienced since leaving Utah.

 

Looking south? (I'm very directionally-challenged with no big ocean or mountains.)

 

 

I thought this was the prettiest view of the day.

 

 

 

It was great to spend the day with family and enjoy the outdoors before it really cools down here in the South.  We hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving!

Real quick...

We're going to Atlanta for our first Thanksgiving in the South to be with Newel's sister and her family.  It should be swell.  I will definitely post something about our adventures out there (fingers-crossed that our sweet, little Jetta behaves this trip). 

We still have to pack and get up early to drive out there, but I wanted to tell a story real quick about an experience Newel had at work.  On Monday, Newel's work had a Thanksgiving potluck.  There were all kinds of amazing Southern Thanksgiving dishes like smoked turkey, cornbread dressing (stuffing), and sweet potato casserole.  To bad it wasn't take-your-wife-to-work day.  I would've been all over that food.  Anyway, this story isn't about the food.  It's about Newel and his coworkers.  Newel said before they started, they blessed the food.  Newel said it was awesome because there wasn't any hesitation on praying to Heavenly Father in thanks for their blessings, which included being together and having food.  No one was worried about offending anyone because everyone acknowledged that all blessings come from Him.  I thought it was a neat story.  I hope I told it well enough.

I know we're grateful for all our blessings.  If I name them one by one, I'll never get to packing.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Isn't this cute?

 

I found these when I unpacked a few months ago, and I didn't know what to do with them so I just took a picture of them.  The one on the left is Newel's handprint in 1985 and the one on the right is my handprint in 1989.  It amazes me when I think that Newel and I were once just little kids (with little hands) that had no idea one another existed.  We had no idea that one day we would marry and embark on a whole new adventure together in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

This life is an amazing gift, and we are so grateful to be living in Alabama at this time in our lives.  When we first found out we'd be moving to Birmingham, I said, "Birmingham?!  Who thinks about Birmingham?!"  The only time I had ever thought of Birmingham was when I learned about civil rights history in grade school.  But now that we're here, I know one thing for sure - our Heavenly Father thinks about Birmingham.  He is very mindful of everyone that lives here, including me and Newel.  He loves all of us so much and thinks about each of us all the time, no matter where we are in the world. 

A Valuable Friendship

I'm a friend worth having right now.  Well, I'm a friend worth having all the time, but especially now because I'm almost finished with my two weeks of new-hire training!  I am now certified in CPR and First Aid.  I've also completed a 2-day training in MCS (Managing Crisis Safely) where I learned some great skills including but not limited to: blocking punches/kicks, getting out of choke holds and removing potential weapons from a person's grasp.  Basically, I can kick butt right now...and/or rescue you if necessary.  And may I add that I learned to drive/successfully drove a mini school bus yesterday.  Having a friendship with me is a very wise investment. :)

So Beautiful

 

 

John 1:3 

 

Football Fever

We are embarrassed to admit to football fans around here that we don't have cable because that means we probably don't watch the games.  And really?  Who in Alabama doesn't watch the games?!  Sorry folks, we don't.  Not because we don't want to; it's because we usually just don't. 

But sometimes, we don't have to watch the games to know what's going on.  We can just listen to what's going on outside.  This last weekend, Alabama played LSU and it was pretty intense.  We were watching Smallville, and every once in a while, we would hear people shout and say, "Yeah, baby!" or "Whoo!" or other loud cheers.  Newel would then check his smartphone and tell me the score and whatever else was happening in the game.  After we finished watching Smallville, got ready for bed, said our prayers, and started falling asleep, all of the sudden we heard a bunch of people cheering, cars honking, and one dude scream "ROOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDE ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!"  Newel and I started laughing.  We love the football fanaticism.

Newel checked his smartphone again to see how the game ended.  Alabama was down 14-17, but then scored a touchdown with a minute left in the game.  Final score 21-17.  Nice win, Crimson Tide.  That really is something to cheer about, especially if you live in Alabama.  One day, we will fully partake of this football fever. 

If you want to partake now, go here.

Backyard Adventures by the 280

Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL, and it was warm too.  Newel said, "I never thought I'd say it's a nice, warm November day."  I loved it.  This Birmingham fall weather reminds me of how things were growing up in San Diego.  Being here feels a lot more normal to me than when I lived in Utah.  I still love Utah though.  Just not the cold weather so much.

Major props if you find Newel in this picture.

 

After we cleaned and exercised and did all our other Saturday errands we went to walk along the Cahaba River which is right behind our apartment complex (basically our backyard) and flows under the 280 (the majorily congested highway Newel and lots of other people take to work).  Walking through the trees and by the river was really pretty.  Here are some pictures:

You can see the Cahaba River right through the trees. 

 

Me smiling in exasperation after trying to get Newel to take a decent picture of me. 

This was the best one he took. :)

And this, in my humble opinion, is the best one I took.

 

More Cahaba River.

 

Underneath our busy, bustling 280.

 

Newel walking back to our car while I scramble to get one last picture.

 

Yesterday was one of my favorite days we had in Birmingham.  A nice, warm November day.

 

 

 

 



Working Woman

Hey y'all.  I'm a working woman again.  On Monday, I started my new SLP job at Glenwood, Inc.  It's a nonprofit organization that works with children on the Autism Spectrum and with other mental health disorders.  First week was good, but I am TIRED.  I got used to being a stay-at-home wife.  I appreciated my break from real life, and although I miss having the time to do whatever I want whenever I want, I'm glad to be working again.  I think I'm really going to like my job.  It also doesn't hurt that I get free lunch. :)

Home Away from Home

One of the things that made it easier to move to a place we'd never been to before was knowing there was a temple in Birmingham.  I grew up with a temple in San Diego, and there was always a temple close by no matter where I lived in Utah, and it's a place I've always tried to visit often.  Knowing there'd be a temple to go to in our new city made it so much easier to move because I knew I would have a holy place to worship God and feel close to Him.

 

After a few weeks of getting settled, I went to the temple and I can't fully describe how good it felt to be there.  It always feels good to be in the temple, but it was especially good that first time in the Birmingham, Alabama temple because I felt like I was home.  It was familiar, and it was something I knew.  My temple dress was the same, the kind temple workers were the same, the covenants made and promises given were the same, the closeness I felt to the Lord was the same.  I felt at home.  For those who want to know more about temples, go here.

First of Fall

The leaves are just barely starting to change here, but word-on-the-street in B'ham is that fall happens quickly.  I was advised to take pictures before it all goes away, so that's what I'm trying to do.  The trees are still pretty green, but as I drive around the city, I can see some are changing now.  As I was driving to drop off some paperwork at my new job, I was blown away by the beauty of the drive, and I had to pull over to take some pictures.  Here's one of my best shots:

Newel and I plan on going back to Oak Mountain to get some really good pictures of the autumn leaves, so look for another fall post in the near future!

Oh yeah! We went to the Zoo.

On Friday, I went to the Birmingham Zoo with my friend and her kids, and it was pretty cool. It wasn't the World Famous San Diego Zoo, but it gives a good effort. Here's some stuff we saw:

roosters cock-a-doodle-doing,

 

eagles having staredowns,



 

elephants crossing their hind legs,

 



 

a don't-mess-with-me gorilla, 

 

zebras and giraffes,

 



stinky warthogs,

 



 

napping lions,

 

slimy alligators,

 

 

and a beautiful, blue macaw!

 



It was fun, and I'm glad I got to see it with good friends.  Sometimes, I forget how amazing it is that God created all of these different animals that are all beautiful and unique in their own way.  Isn't this world awesome?!

A Day of Science

I went with my friend and her two boys to the McWane Science Center in downtown Birmingham.  This place was/is awesome!  It's fun for kids and adults which makes it great for families.  It's great for field trips too.  A class of students was visiting when we were and they were loving it.  Personally, I think science is so much more fun when it's hands-on, and McWane Science Center offers just that.  It contains more than 9,000 square feet of interactive exhibits including: bubbles and digging for pretend dinosaur bones.  There's a bunch of physics stuff too, but you can guess what the most popular exhibits were for the boys. :)  McWane also has an aquarium and an IMAX theater.  We didn't check out the IMAX, but the aquarium was really cool.  The aquarium tanks were grouped by different geographic locations (e.g., all the fish you'd see in the Gulf of Mexico were in the same tank), and they had a tank for fish you'd find in Alabama waters.  By the way, did you know bonnethead sharks are always moving and that they lay eggs every few hours, and if the egg isn't fertilized, it becomes a female shark?  Lots of cool information to be learned at McWane!  It was a lot of fun and I totally recommend it.  I forgot to take pictures until we were about to leave, so I was only able to capture this:

It's cooler than it looks.  I promise.

Are you SERIOUS?!

"You've got to be kidding me." "I'm so mad at this car right now."  These are the words spilling out of our mouths as our car breaks down again!  Aaaaahhhh! 

We went back to Atlanta on Friday to fix the alternator on the Jetta.  We spent the night at Newel's sister's house where our car had been staying this past week.  Then we got up in the morning to get to work.  Actually, Newel and his brother-in-law got to work and I went to Zumba with my sister-in-law, after which we went to a consignment sale and got a car trunk's full of clothes for her kids.  I'll need to post about consignment sales because they're the cat's pajamas around here.

When we got back to the house, they had finished fixing the car so we ate lunch, said goodbyes and got back on the road so I could make it back to go to the Relief Society Broadcast.  Turned out, the Jetta had a different plan for how things we're gonna go down.  After being on the freeway for just a few minutes, the car started making weird noises and then the belt went flying off somewhere on the road.  Fortunately, we were able to pull off at the next exit and stop at a gas station where we checked the car to confirm what we thought happened.  Turned out the pulley on the alternator was bad, so Newel's brother-in-law came to take us back to the store to get a new alternator/pulley/serpentine belt and then helped Newel replace it again while I sat in the car and gave some solid moral support.

After replacing the alternator for the second time in one day, Newel said, "This car is officially not allowed to break down anymore."  Ditto.  We then made it back to Birmingham safe and sound.

Old Story

After our very first full day in Birmingham, we went to the movies to see Batman and tickets were only $6 per adult!  It wasn’t a matinee so I said to Newel, “Wow, everything is cheaper in the South too!”  The cashier smiled and said it was just because it was a Tuesday, and they drop ticket prices every Tuesday.   Then I looked up at the actual adult ticket prices and they were $8 - just a little cheaper than what I’m used to.  Oh well.

Downtown

Last Friday I went downtown to meet Newel and a couple of his coworkers for lunch. It was the first time I went there.  I've driven past it several times on the way to and from the temple, but never actually got off an exit and drove through it until Friday. It was pretty cool, my visit was quick because I didn't really know where I was going, and parking was a little crazy so all my pictures are from my car.  And, yes, I know driving and taking pictures is not smart driving, but I was stopped everytime.  Here's a little bit of downtown Birmingham!


Leaving the restaurant - this area was my favorite part of the what I saw in the city.

 

Looking north? Maybe west? I still get mixed up with directions since there are no mountains/oceans.

 

Research and medicine is pretty big in Birmingham.  Most people we meet are here for work or school in something to do with the medical field.

I really like this church building.  I forget what it was called now, but I don't think it's a historic landmark.  Just really cool looking.

 

 

So.... ....is anyone tempted to come visit us in Birmingham yet? :)

 

Taste of Home

I'm a foodie and I come from a long line of foodies, or maybe it just started with my dad, but he is a major foodie and it's been passed on (in a significant degree) to me.  You're probably asking, "Why is she writing about being a foodie?"  Don't worry, I'm getting there.  I think that because I love food and the experience of eating it, I attach certain memories to food.  I remember who I'm with or what I'm wearing when I eat food that tastes really good to me.  When I plan a trip home or really anywhere, I think about the food I get to eat, or I do google searches for the best places to eat wherever I'm going.  I know, I need help.

The other night, I made my mom's chili.  I LOVE my mom's chili.  Newel really likes it too, and he's not a foodie or a chili fan.  It love it because it's tastes so good, and because of the memories it brings to mind.  My mom has made this chili along with her delicious corn bread since before I can remember.

 

This chili reminds me of her and it reminds me of my brother because chili & cornbread is his favorite meal.  It reminds me of evenings at home with my family, eating dinner, and talking about what we did that day.  It reminds me specifically of one late summer night, sitting down at the table and talking with my mom about my long day at work eating her chili and cornbread that she made earlier, and I ate it so slowly because it was so good and I didn't want it to go away.

When we're eating her chili, I think of home and my mom and everything I miss (in a good way).  I had a really good childhood, filled with lots of joy, laughter, love, and food. :)

Another Car "Adventure" Part 2

Once our car was in the lot, we called AAA to have them send out their battery service.  They were able to do some testing and figure out it was a problem with the alternator.  By that time of night, we decided to use AAA's towing service to take us back to Newel's sister's and deal with it the next day.  While the tow truck driver was hooking up our car, another man approached us offering to pay for the towing service.  We explained that it was covered by AAA but thanked him.  We were amazed someone would be so kind to pay for something like that.

Our tow truck driver was pretty funny.  He's from Jamaica and has been living in the U.S. for almost 20 years.  He kept telling us how crazy Atlanta was, and he shared some funny stories about people he's towed in the past.  When we told him we were from Salt Lake, he said, "Oh ya man, the Mormon religion is very big there."  I said, "Yes, that and skiing."  He said, "Oooooh no.  I'm from jamaica.  I'm not gonna slide down no ice!"  We started laughing.  Cool Runnings anyone?  I asked if he'd seen that movie and he said he had.  The Jamaicans definitely don't like the cold. :)

After 4+ hours, we crashed at Newel's sister's.  We went to church with them the next morning, and then had lunch.  Newel's brother-in-law offered us his car to drive back, so we could fix the Jetta next weekend.  We then drove back to Alabama! 

 

Like I said before, even though I initially thought this car "adventure" was a pain, it ended up being another opportunity to more fully realize the blessings surrounding us every moment of every day, and that there are so many good people in this world, willing to help those in need. 

Another Car "Adventure" Part 1

Really?  REALLY?!  Yes, really, we had another car "adventure".  More like "headache", but everything's okay now.  It was the kind of experience where, at first, I thought, "This is the pits.", but then, by the end, I was thanking Heavenly Father for our safety, kind strangers, supportive family, and the laughs that we experienced through it all.  So here's what happened:

We went to Atlanta for the day to spend time with Newel's sister's family to celebrate his nephew's birthday.  Newel did some laser tagging with the boys and his brother-in-law.  Newel and his brother--in-law were the chaperones, but the little boys wiped the floor with them playing laser tag.  We think it's an intuitive thing for kids.  After laser tag, we went back to their house and had dinner, opened presents, and ate cake and ice cream.  It was fun.  After the party, we said goodbye and got back in the Jetta to head back to Birmingham.

Before we got to the freeway, the battery died.  We were able get the car to a gas station so we could pop the hood and check things out.  A man approached us to see what he could do to help, and gave us some tips to remove the corrosion off the battery, which he thought was probably the problem.  We thanked him before he went on his way.

After removing the corrosion, we realized we needed to jump start the car, and another man offered to help us do that with his truck.  We got it going, thanked the man, and then thought we were on our way.  Guess again.  We got on the freeway and after 5 miles, the battery started to die.  We were able to pull off at the next exit and make it to a McDonalds parking lot, which I helped push the car into.  Newel was stearing the car, so I pushed it by myself.  Yes, BY MYSELF!  I was pretty proud to be able to push the car. :)

#1

I like that when I have to fill in my address for something online (like my job applications), the state of Alabama comes first.  You know that U.S. Names song in alphabetical order that helps you remember all the states’ names?  Alabama is first.  We’re number 1. J

The Snake

Newel likes to tease.  Sometimes I think it's funny, and other times I don't, and he knows it.  When we we're driving out of Oak Mountain State Park, there was a rattlesnake in the middle of the road.  Newel decided to get out of the car to take a picture of it.  I said, "Fine, but I'll stay here in the car.  Be careful."  Newel then gets out and takes this picture of the snake.

 

I'm thinking, okay, you took the picture, time to get back in the car so I wave to him to come back.  But no.  Newel starts stomping around it, and I'm pretty sure the snake's not going to be happy about it.  I'm waving frantically and telling him to get back in the car.  But Newel just smiles and keeps stomping, and I'm thinking I might need to take Newel to a hospital.  Finally, the snake moved a little and Newel took this picture.

"What were you doing?!"  I say as he gets back in the car.  Newel told me hw wanted to try to get the snake to move so he could get a good picture of it because in the other one, the snake was just laying there. Who cares!  Luckily, no one got hurt, especially me because I stayed in the car with the doors locked.  (I really don't like snakes.)

The "Beach"

One of the first places we've gone since moving to B'ham is Oak Mountain State Park.  It's a cool place, not far from where we live and it has a beach!  I've always loved the feeling of being completely submerged in water, and it's something I haven't been able to experience much since my growing-up years in San Diego.  I know we're in the middle of Alabama, and I didn't have high expectations for what the park called a beach, but I when I first saw the beach, I felt like laughing.

 

No waves, very overcast (a lot like Law Street in June), and no ocean breeze because (duh) there's no ocean.  I still liked it though.  I appreciate what I experienced growing up, but I also appreciate what I'm experiencing here.  There are lots of fun things to do to enjoy the outdoors at Oak Mountain.  There are a lot of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, pretty scenic drives, canoeing and kayaking on the lake, and a lot of other things we didn't get to check out because we were only there for a day.  So, in summary, it was fun.  Below is a photo I took looking out towards downtown from Oak Mountain (you can't see it because of all the trees!)

 

 

We All Go to Church

I noticed driving to church that there were a lot of churches we passed by until we finally got to our church.  Last Sunday, I counted and found that we pass 8 church building before we get to ours.  And it's not like Utah, where you may pass a few Mormon church buildings before you get to the one you're supposed to go to, but all the churches were different denominations, except I think we passed by a couple Presbyterian churches.  It's cool.  I like living somewhere where a lot of people believe in God and want to worship Him by going to church.  If you want to know more about the church where I worship, go here.  I love it.

Uncle Noodle

 

We went to Atlanta Sunday evening and spent Labor Day with Newel's sister, Rachel, and her family.  We had a lot of fun with them, playing games, going swimming, and eating really delicious food.  Their youngest, Liberty, really liked her Uncle Newel.  After reading her one book, she would go find another book and bring it to Newel wanting him to read/look through it with her.  It was really sweet.  We're grateful to have family nearby here in the South!

Happy Bird-day to Me!

My birthday was last week, but I wanted to post something about it because it was my first birthday in the South, and we actually took a couple pictures of it!  The best parts of my birthday was my family calling and saying something they liked about me (a Heap Family tradition), and then Newel surprising me with coming home from work early and giving me a bouquet of roses.  The roses were beautiful, but what made me the most happy was that we was home, and we could be together for the rest of my birthday.  Just a little side-note about me: nothing brings me more joy and happiness in life than spending time with Newel and family.  So you can see why it made me so happy to have Newel come home early and spend even more time with him.

Anyway, enough with the sappy stuff.  Newel and I love Indian food and so we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner which was delicious (but no Bombay), and then we went to Target to get a vase for the flowers he got me (I have no idea what happened to the vases I had before moving).  Then we went home and watched The Even Stevens Movie (one my Disney Channel Original favorites), which was a present from my brother and his wife (Thank you again Andrew and Stacy!).  It was a low-key birthday, but exactly what I wanted.  I got to talk to my family, eat delicious food and spend most of the day with my sweetheart.  The only picture that turned out was the one in front of Target so here you go. :)

Funny Thing

We've met a lot of new people, especially at church because that's where we see the same people Sunday after Sunday.  Whenever people ask us where we live, I say we're right off of the 280 in an apartment right by the Super Target.  If I say this to a man, I get a blank stare and need to give a more details of our location.  If I say it to a woman, she says, "Oh yeah, I know right where that is."  Surprise, surprise.  Every woman knows where the nearest Target is. :)

Botanical Gardens

So this last week, I found out the Alabama Board of Examiners only meets once a month to approve new applications for state licensure in speech-language pathology, and my application didn't make the August meeting so I have to wait till September to get my state license.  This also means I can't start working until mid September.  Bummer.  I'm trying to make the best of it though.  I got my library card, and I've found lots of entertainment with two books I checked out.  I've also been to our apartment complex's pool which is nice, but I couldn't help but want to go out and explore Birmingham since I've never been here in my life.

So, I decided to go to the most visited free attraction in Alabama - the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  The Gardens are pretty sweet.  I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time (unless I saw the signs), but everything was beautiful.  I walked through one of the rose gardens.

 



Then I started taking pictures of flowers up close because they reminded me of my mom who does the same thing.  She probably could have told me what these flowers/plants are called.

 

 

And then I walked through what I think was the Fern Glade Garden, or maybe it was the Little One's Memory Garden.  I didn't really look at the map when I was there.  I just followed trails and took pictures of things I thought were pretty.  The only problem was everything was pretty.



 

Then I walked through the herb and vegetable garden which reminded me of my mother-in-law who is a fantastic gardener and one that has cared for the physical needs of her family with all the things she's grown each year. 

 

 

 I then walked through some more gardens and found the big one called the Formal Garden.  And then I ended with the Kayser Lily Pool, which was one of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

I only made it through half of the gardens, but I figured I could go back another day with Newel.  It was so beautiful and peaceful, and my pictures are doing the Botanical Gardens justice, but I enjoyed myself.  I liked how it reminded me of family, particularly the women in my family.  I think women and gardens go together because the women I know and love most can make things grow.  They've helped me grow, especially my mom.  And I love her so much for it.

 

If you live in or come to Birmingham, go to the Botanical Gardens.  You won't regret it.