2013 Wrap Up

Wow, 2013 is almost over.  The last part of the year has flown by.  There were things I wanted to share about our experiences here including crazy Alabama football fans and their heartache over losing to Auburn, our Thanksgiving weekend in Atlanta (photo below), and other random Southern things I find entertaining, but the end of this year got away from me and I didn't make the time to write about any of it.

Anyway, 2013 has been good to us.  We've had our ups and our downs, our laughs and our cries (well, my cries), and we've now had a year and a half living in Alabama.  We've been able to go to different places and see family and friends, and we are one year older and I think wiser.  I'm grateful for all our experiences and for our Savior, for His birth and His perfect example of how to live, love, and serve.  I'm grateful for what He did for each of us and that we'll be able to be with Him again.

We look forward to what 2014 has in store.  We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mystery Flyer

At work a few weeks ago, I was making some copies and while I was waiting for the copier to finish printing, I noticed this quote pinned to the bulletin board behind the copier.

"Wow", I said to myself.  I knew who David O. McKay was.  Did whoever put up this quote know who he was?  He was the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was the prophet when my parents were born.

Isn't it a great quote?  It's a good one for me to remember because sometimes I do not like work.

I took a picture of it on my phone and sent it to my family right away because I thought they'd think it was cool.  I promised I wasn't the one who pinned it on the board.  And that made me wonder which of my coworkers put it on the board? Is he/she a Mormon too?  Oh, the mystery!!!

An Invitation

I've been looking forward to General Conference this whole week!  I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is better known as the Mormon Church.  I love this Church and its teachings with all my heart.  Twice each year, church leaders speak to all members and nonmembers worldwide on a variety of spiritual topics which primarily focus on following Jesus Christ.  I have never watched a session of conference where I have not felt inspired, uplifted and more fully devoted to being a better person and disciple of our Savior and Redeemer.  I hope y'all are going to watch it.  You can watch it tomorrow and Sunday if you go here.

Heap Fam Comes to Bham

I might need to break up this post a bit, but I guess we'll just see.  Actually, I'm gonna do a quick rundown of the visit and then go into fun details when I have more time (I'm so tired).  Last weekend, my mom and dad and youngest brother came from San Diego to stay with us in Birmingham.  It was SO MUCH FUN.  They were our first official visitors to come stay with us and see where we live.  It was their first time in Alabama and I'm pretty sure they weren't disappointed.  We got to do things I had already done as well as some new things, and we ate lots of good food, of course.  Here's what we did:

Vulcan Park

Antebellum Home & Gardens

Sloss Furnaces

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Game Day

There was also lots of food, games, talking, and hanging out all in between.  We also did a really interesting walking tour of Kelly Ingram Park which was definitely a highlight, but I have no pictures.

After I took my family back to the airport Monday morning, went to work, and then came home, our apartment felt empty and lonely.  I thought I was just a little crazy, but then Newel said it seemed quiet without my family there.  We both missed them!  I guess we could have lived in a less fun place and it still would have been great to have them, but I'm glad we moved to Birmingham so they could visit us here and see a new part of the country.  It was fun for me to see all the fun attractions here too because I can now better appreciate all the history and culture that makes Birmingham the great city it is.

Some old drafts

When I started this blog, I started making lots of drafts of posts I thought I wanted to write and then I never finished/posted them (usually because I didn't have photos to go with them and aren't blogs more fun when there are photos?!).  I just came across these drafts and thought I would share.  Here are some of the first things I felt or noticed when we were very new to Alabama:

Thursday, August 2, 2012 - Red Delicious
I love apples.  I usually eat an apple every single day.  My favorite kinds are Gala and Fuji, and I like Granny Smith if I'm feeling the tart taste.  I've never liked Red Delicious.  The primary factor for me in liking an apple is the crispiness.  If I get a mushy apple, I can't eat it, and I hate wasting food so it's a big deal when I can't eat something.  Almost every time I've had a Red Delicious, it's been mushy.  So I gave up on them.  But here in the South, the Red Delicious apples are crispy, and I'm really liking them.  And it's not just Birmingham, it's Atlanta too because I've had Red Delicious apples there and they were good.  Maybe it takes longer to ship them out west, and they get mushy by the time their sold in the grocery store.  I don't know.  If you don't like Red Delicious, try them when you come south. 
Today's response to this draft - I've had mushy Red Delicious since writing this post...  Maybe Red Delicious are just hit or miss.

Thursday, August 9, 2012 - Rain
It rains like crazy here!  It doesn’t rain all the time, but when it rains, it really does pour.  I first night here, Newel and I woke up to thunder and lightning and a downpour.  I’ve never seen it rain so much.  It doesn’t rain out West like it does here.  Growing up in San Diego, it didn’t rain much, and in Utah, when it did rain, it was usually snow.  The rain here kind of comes out of nowhere too.  It might be kind of cloudy, but then all of the sudden really big gray clouds come, it gets pretty dark and it just starts pouring.  It’s cool to experience if you’re inside, but yesterday I was running errands, and it started, and I had no umbrella and was wearing flip flops because it was hot.  That was a little adventure just getting to my car.
Today's response to this draft - Yeah, it still rains like crazy here sometimes.  It rained a lot this last summer.  That's why the heat was so mild this year.  I've also learned to always carry an umbrella with me because you never know when you might be stuck in a rainstorm in flip flops.

Thursday, September 27, 2012 - Beautiful Feet
After 8 years of dry, cold weather experienced in Utah, and 2 months of recovery in humid, hot Birmingham, I finally have my San Diegan feet back (i.e., feet with no extra layer of calloused skin and no need to slather them with thick foot cream every single day)!  But I still have my broken-looking pinky toe, which I love because I love every bit of myself. :)
Today's response to this draft - Yep, my skin is not as dried out, especially my feet.  I do have to lotion up every few days though.  And yep, my pinky toe is still broken-looking; always has been and always will be.

Well those were my drafts.  Kind of fun for me just to read them.  And I'm glad I remembered to finally post them.

Uhhh...

I remember a year or so ago, my sister-in-law wrote about having a blog block, meaning she was having a hard time coming up with what to write about.  I know what she felt like now because I'm having major blog block.  I haven't forgotten about my blog, and I haven't been procrastinating putting something up on the blog, but I just can't think of what to write about.  We haven't taken any pictures lately either.  Maybe I can tell y'all about Lloyd's Restaurant sometime.  It's where all the local old people dine and we've had some pleasant/funny experiences there.  I guess for now I'll just end this meaningless post with a Southern saying I heard today:

"He'll be on you like a rat on a cheeto."

I can't even remember the context now, but I don't think explaining it would make a difference. :)  Happy Wednesday.

Preferable Roadkill

Last month, I wrote about the never-ending roadkill in Birmingham.  That hasn't changed.  But I noticed something else that I think is rather interesting.  Two times in the last week, I've come across armadillo roadkill and it's a much better sight compared to other animals because the armadillos stay in one piece.  They kind of look like they're stuffed, and they're just lying on their backs with their feet up; not broken up with flesh & blood all over the place.  They're the kind of roadkill I don't mind seeing. :)  I hadn't noticed any armadillos since this last week; maybe armadillos come out at the end of July...