Sweet Home Alabama

There's no place like home...Dorothy said it, my dad said it, and now I say it! I mean, we've all said it...but do you really, truly mean it? Shaun and I have lived in Ohio since December and, to be honest, we were getting a little homesick (actually, a lot homesick). We've been trying to plan a trip South for a few months now, and finally the pieces fell together and we were able to go home! It's not a cheap trip to travel over 1,000 miles, and Shaun and I are blessed with compassionate, giving friends and family, so thank you to those that helped us out. :)

In my mind I thought we would get to go home for the weekend or just a few days, enough to say "Hi" and "Bye," but, thankfully, we got to stay for 7 days!!! It was refreshing. Very refreshing. I wanted to surprise my mom, so I successfully kept our trip a secret. Early Thursday morning, at 4am, Shaun and I headed to Alabama. We crossed the Alabama state line around 3pm. You would have thought we'd won the lottery! We cranked up the radio and jammed out to Alabama, took a picture of the Alabama state sign, and both got a little teary-eyed. It felt so good to be back.

We surprised my mom in her classroom at Wills Valley. I will never forget the look on her face when she saw us...she didn't expect it at all.

The Alabama weather was awesome! We soaked in every minute of the sun we could. I don't remember everything we did while we were in Bama, but here's a few pictures to highlight our trip.

My dad and co. were camping at the river, so we got to cookout and swim one day.
My mom took us out to eat at Don Chico's, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.
Nathan spent the night us, always fun!
We worshiped with DCI on Sunday morning. It was great seeing everyone!
We cooked out with Shaun's family and went fishing nearby.
We played lots of softball with my Mom, Terry, Nate, and Mike.
We got to eat at Sonic AND Wingstop...2 places that Ohio does not have.
We played Mario Party on the Wii, our new investment.
We spent the night with Shaun's mom at her new house.

It was a great trip!

"My home's in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head
My home's in Alabama, Southern born and Southern bred" -Alabama

Happy Resurrection Day!

This past weekend was Easter! Even though Shaun and I were 1,000 miles away from our real families, we had a great weekend and got to hang out with our "family" in Ohio. Friday night we went with Adam and Brianne to Malabar Inn restaurant. It was amazing! We ate outside on the patio because the weather was beautiful. The atmosphere was very unique and the food was delicious. Shaun and I cheated a little on our “diet” and split a brownie sundae. ☺ On Saturday, I spent my afternoon filling 800 Easter eggs with candy for the egg hunt on Sunday morning. I taught the 3-5 yr. olds class on Sunday morning. After church, we went with Adam and Brianne to Orville to Bri’s family dinner complete with ham, potatoes, deviled eggs, and yummy desserts. We played ladder ball, also known as “hillbilly golf.”

Also, I got a full-time job with benefits!!!! Praise the LORD! I am going to be the site director for the childcare facility that is opening up at Citichurch. I start April 19th. I am very excited…a little nervous, but overall excited! God answers prayers and is always faithful.