Happiness is . . .

My "musical tulip swing"! I went back to the Birmingham Botanical Garden this morning. The tulips were in bloom!!!! :) I stopped by Starbucks for my candy coffee treat and headed down the street to see the pretty flowers. There just happened to be a "porch" swing (minus the porch) right by a huge grouping of tulips, so I sat down, turned my music on, and swang. I'm not sure how long I sat there. I watched some chipmunks or squirrels (not quite sure what they were) playing in the big trees around me. It was such a great way to spend a few hours on my day off - combining several of my favorite things: coffee, tulips, music, swinging, and people watching. I did walk around the rest of the garden eventually to find even more of my special flowers scattered around. I'm sorry I didn't take my camera with me so I could share the beauty with you, but take my word, it was truly beautiful!! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sadness in Aggieland . . .

Well, as I understand it, my Aggie basketball boys are out of the running to win this year. I've never really enjoyed basketball. To me, it's like the intermission between Act 1 (football) and Act 2 (my beloved baseball!). :) I certainly never understood brackets and seeds (which until only a couple years ago, I thought it was "seats" - like "1st or 2nd chair in band")! But, as the loyal Ag fan, I actually watched parts of a few games this season. Shocking, I know!! I'm so proud of my Aggies for getting SO FAR this season. They've come a long way since I was a student; it's unbelievable!! I hope they can appreciate all that they accomplished this year and leave with a feeling of success, not defeat because of a loss. I'm sure next year will be great, too. And who knows . . . I may actually watch an entire game?!? Gig 'em, Ags!!

Happy Springtime . . .

Have a wonderful day!!

Huntsville, AL

Well, I decided to go visit the Space & Rocket Center at NASA Huntsville today. It's about an hour & a half north of Birmingham. It was pretty fun. For those of you who don't know, I absolutely LOVE space and looking at the stars. I'm actually the science nerd that watches the NASA channel. :) This space shuttle is named Pathfinder. It has never flown into space, but it was used for practice a long time ago. I think they said it was built there in Huntsville. They also had several rockets to look at. I'm always amazed at the size of these ships and the fuel tanks! The next picture is from the Huntsville Botanical Garden. It's a grouping of 3 trees. (I think they're dogwoods, but I'm not sure.) The picture just does not do them justice. It was breathtaking! The gardens were very pretty, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of tulips. :) I guess it may still be a little early, but I was hoping! They have a hope garden there in honor of patients fighting a battle with cancer. Each spring and each fall they select 3 cancer patients to landscape a section of this garden. The patients get their picture and a brief bio on a plaque in their section. In the center, there's a bubbling little brook with benches around. It's probably one of the most peaceful places I've visited in a long time! On my way home, I had to stop at the grocery store, so I picked up a bouquet of tulips & gerber daisies. I'll get to see my tulips even if the gardens don't have them! :) It was a very fun day.

Road Trip #2!!

Well, yesterday morning I headed out on my 2nd official Alabama road trip! (Very Exciting!) :) I had to run a couple errands around town, and then I headed south on I-65 (towards Mobile). I wasn't quite sure what I was gonna do there, but I felt like driving. I love driving long distances! It's such a great time to sing at the top of your lungs with your favorite songs or to have a solid couple hours of prayer/worship with God. Well, being in the car for probably 8 or 9 hours yesterday gave me opportunity for both! (a few times!!) As I neared Mobile, I saw an exit for Pensacola, FL. I got to go there several years ago with a college retreat and remembered how pretty the beaches were, so I took the exit. About an hour later, I arrived at the beach and got to walk along the edge of the water for about an hour. The water was beautiful & clear, and the sand was so white it was almost reflective! I found a spot (in the shade - no sun screen with me!) to sit and watch the water until someone nearby thought it was a good idea to feed the seagulls. I've NEVER understood why people feel it necessary to feed those poop-machines! So, when the birds started dive bombing around where I was, I decided to get back in Roony and head someplace else. I headed west on I-10 towards Mobile. I'm not sure if I ever actually got into Mobile, though, because I had to exit and take a LONG detour to get some gas. Instead of winding my way back to I-10, I found a highway that I recognized went through Montgomery & near Birmingham. I hopped on and headed north, which was fun since it was different scenery from my trip down. I found my way back home by around 10PM last night. What a fun day! By the way, the picture is looking back where I had just walked through the sand. The water washed up before I could snap the picture and blurred my toe prints. Oh, well!