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. :)