Sweet Home Alabama

I flew to Alabama to visit my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew for Thanksgiving.

My awesome sister-in-law picked me up at the airport. We stopped to get me some lunch and got lost (well, as lost as you can get with a GPS anyway) in this little neighborhood. It was like jumping into a page of "To Kill A Mockingbird". Seriously...super cool.

I was really glad to see the kids, and was happy that they were glad to see me!

Let me just say that Alabama is a BEAUTIFUL state!

They showed me around town. Here is a photo of me and my niece with the Tennessee River behind us and their city across the river.

And here is a photo of my family in front of the river. Good lookin' group of people aren't they?? Four of my most favorite people of all time!

We went to the mall to see Santa arrive on a firetruck. Here is a classic photo of some Alabamians. It's hard to tell from their backs, but easily 70% of them are wearing Alabama or Auburn clothing (the UofU/BYU rivalry cannot hold a candle to the Alabama/Auburn rivalry...and a good chunk of people's wardrobes here are Alabama or Auburn clothing...depending on their preference). I suppose you can see all the crimson and know that Alabama is well supported at this gathering. :)

Just an interesting side note about University of Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium from Wikipedia... "In 2008, the visitors' locker room was officially named 'The Fail Room' after alumnus and donor James M. Fail. Fail commented, 'Earlier this year, when I saw the visitors' locker room as a potential naming right, I figured it was the most appropriate opportunity I would ever have to use my name.'"

I also found it odd to be waiting for Santa, outside, in a t-shirt and capris. Crazy!

Isn't she sooooooo cute?? I just love her!

He's here!

Following Santa's arrival...we went to Big Bob Gibson's for some real Southern BBQ. Oh my...that was good! If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!

Do you ever feel like you need a little extra help? Perhaps you can visit this body shop. Just pull up, honk four times, and he'll come out and pray with you about whatever you need. Then you can be on your way...just like that. Drive-thru prayer...oh so convenient!

They did not want you to be unclear about whether this school was built before or after the birth of Jesus. I was thankful because I was confused about that prior to reading the sign.

We went to see Harry Potter and I LOVED the Christmas tree at this super nice outdoor mall. It also had the biggest Barnes and Noble I have ever seen! I resisted the temptation to go in though..are you proud?

The next day, my brother took me to a Tennessee Titans game in Nashville. It was my first NFL game. I wish I had taken some pictures of all the new friends we made. There was "beardguy", "the coach", "homeless guy selling popcorn by the handful from a garbage bag covered in goo following the game", "crazy lady with a remarkable set of lungs", and "banana pudding guy". Oh how I miss those guys. We parked at a small minor-league baseball stadium across town and took a shuttle to the game (because it cost $75 to park at LP field...yeesh!). That was kinda cool because they shut down the roads in downtown to be used only by shuttles and pedestrians so this way we could see all the sights of Nashville.

Here's my brother with downtown Nashville in the background.

They did a Veterans Tribute because it was their first home game following Veterans Day.

Here's a view of the stadium from our upper bowl seats (thankfully, neither of us plunged to our death).

With a tied score of my lucky number 16 at the end of the game, we went into overtime. Unfortunately, the Redskins scored a field goal and won the game 19 to 16. On the bright side, this did please "beardguy" and "the coach". "Crazy lady with a remarkable set of lungs", on the other hand, was rather disappointed. Apparently her incessant screaming and rapping of her empty beer bottle on the rail did not ensure a win for the Titans. Who would have guessed?

You may have to click on this photo to enlarge it for the full effect. This is a double billboard on the way to Tennessee that we stopped to take a photo of on our way home. I think it speaks for itself.

Check back soon for more Southern signs and Juli's adventures in the South.