It's History Baby!!!!

I have let my resolution to blog every week go to the wayside so I am at least going to try to blog once every two to three weeks to keep up with everyone.  Since I haven't blogged since March 1st, I am going to hit the highlights of the last few weeks in my world!

First up: The lovely Ashley Filiano is expecting so Paige, Anne, Tara, and Erin threw her a great shower at Paige's house.  I am a little frightened by all the baby items I know about, in contrast to Kelly and Anne's comments about not knowing what most things were at the shower.  I guess I have had a ton of friend's have babies in the last few years and must have learned the difference between a Boppy and a Binky!  Ashley is a very sweet and gracious pregnant lady and we are all excited to meet Noah in May!

Next up:  Montgomery Road Trip

Kelly and I checked off another Alabama list item by visiting the State Capital in Montgomery.  Although I have seen the sights of Montgomery as a kid, it was really a wonderful experience to view it through the eyes of an adult and student of American History.  We were extremely lucky to catch a Saturday tour of the Capital and our Docent, Dr. Irby was truly a pleasure.  Dr. Irby is not only a historian but also is a living part of history, having participated in the Selma Voting Rights March as a 19 year old African American and later serving in the second administration of Governor George C. Wallace.  Dr. Irby shared with the group his profound respect for the changes made by Gov. Wallace after his his assassination attempt on both a personal and professional level.  He was an incredible fount of knowledge about not only the history of Alabama's Capital  (our capital is the most "historical" capital in the country and served as both the first capital of the Confederate States of American and as Alabama's present capital city) but the Civil Rights Movement in the state.

The Capital is truly beautiful and has been home to many moments in history, including the forming of the Confederate States of America by Jefferson Davis and representatives from each of the Southern States. 

Speeches on the Capital Steps by both Gov. George C. Wallace promoting continued racial segregation and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. promoting equal rights for all.

Here are some views from inside the Capital, around the Capital grounds, and throughout the city (spot where Rosa parks refused to give up her bus seat, Little White House of the Confederacy, Home where F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived). 

Finally, the question you all have been asking.... Where did you eat of the Top 100 Things to Eat in Alabama Before You Die list?????? 

Chris's Hotdogs in downtown Montgomery.... famous for the Chili Sauce they put on their dogs!  It was sinfully tasty!

And of course.... CASPER!

Every day when I get home, Casper "kills" one of his bobos for me as a welcome ritual!  He is currently working on the Devil Bobo he got last Halloween.  I wanted to try to get a picture of him running around with his toy so I could title it "runnin' with the devil" but as usual, he didn't cooperate!  Still, it's pretty sweet that he presents me with his prey on a daily basis just to make sure I know he loves me and who exactly is the Alpha in this arrangment!

Weekend Road Trips

The last two weeks have involved fun road trips to see wonderful friends and some of Alabama's historical sights!  The weekend of February 20th, Kelly and I went to Tuscaloosa for an Olympic Party at Jon and Marji's house!  Marji, the Queen of Tape, and Jon, the King of Criminal Defense, welcomed guests with food, arts and craft, plenty of drinks, and a homemade luge for chilling shots! Matt and Kendal also came down for some fun in the Home of the National Champions!!!! (I am going to so... enjoy saying that for the rest of the year!)  Here are some highlights of our evening at the Smith-Cohens! (Take special notice of my brilliant use of tongue to take a shot off the luge.)

As you can tell by the pics, we were all winners!

The weekend of 02/27, Kelly and I travelled to Monroeville and Selma to knock some historical sights off of Kelly's Alabama Bucket List.  First we travelled to the lovely Monroeville, home of Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird), Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood), and Mark Childress (Crazy in Alabama).  There was a small arts and crafts festival but the highlight of the trip was seeing the Old Monroe County Courthouse in which Harper Lee's father (the inspiration for Atticus Finch) practiced law and Harper Lee first began formulating the story of The Finch Family and Boo Radley.  We got a special treat while in the courhouse in the form of gospel singing by the choir of  Wilcox County High School filling the main courtroom and those kids were incredibly talented young men and women. 

Before leaving Monroeville, we also indulged in a treat from the Top 100 Foods to Eat in Alabama Before You Die list in the form of Catfish and Cheese Grits from David's Catfish House.  Normally, I hate catfish but I got some to try and Kelly and I both agreed both the fish and the grits were quite delicious and worthy of placement on the list.  We also scored tickets to see To Kill A Mockingbird in May at the Courthouse!  This is a huge accomplishment because the shows always sell out and the tickets were not to go on sale to the general public until today.  We spoke with a lovely young couple and they were gracious enough to let the out of towners buy early because we weren't going to be able to come back and it is difficult to get tickets any other way.  Both Kelly and I love TKAMB and cannot wait to come back to see the play and maybe catch a glance of Harper Lee!

After leaving Monroeville, we had plenty of time and decided to swing by Selma, one of the major homes of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama and sight of the voting rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge (the reenactment of this famous march will take place next weekend in Selma so probably good we swung by before all the other hundreds of history buffs came!).  Stuffed to the gills from catfish (pun intended), we did not indulge in any food from the Selma section of the list but there is always next time!  On the way home from our road trip fun, we also swung by my favorite furniture store in Pelham and I am officially in love with what I hope will be my new "big girl" bedroom suite!  (Come on tax return!).  I am going to include several pictures from our fun road trip so you can all share in the nerdy girl fun! 

 

 

Last but not least, here are the Random Casper Pictures of the week (this is why I should not waste my money on expensive toys for the dog) and a really crazy semi-trailer we saw on our road trip!