2014

How did you all ring in the new year? Did you shed a tear saying goodbye to 2013? Or were you happy to close the door on that chapter?
We had a mild 2013, aside from a new grand niece and a couple of weddings, no big highs and no big lows. It was good.

We celebrated New Year's Eve with the Bowens.
They came over for dinner, then we played a few games before heading over to watch the fireworks. This was our 4th New Year's Eve in the city and they've been with us for 3 of them.
This year's was extra spectacular. I'm not sure if it was just the company we were with, or perhaps the much better view we had after scoping out an elevated spot in a building that faces the waterfront, but the firework show seemed to be even more grand than the years before.

I had to steal this photo from Angie. I love it! My favorite photo of the night. We had about 20 minutes to kill before the show started...this photo captures how much fun we were having.

So a new year means a fresh beginning, right?

Well, I've never been good at committing to any type of resolution, but I do have a few plans/ideas/want-tos that I hope to be able to set into action.

-I got a pedometer for Christmas. I hope to meet certain mileage goals per week.
-I plan on meeting my grand niece.
-I hope to see my BFF who I haven't seen in a few years.
-I plan on going to my nephew's bar mitzvah.
-I want to volunteer more.
-I hope to explore north of San Francisco a few times.
-I want to go to Montreal (mostly likely, won't happen, but I still want to go!)
-I plan on "auditing" a class at Berkeley. Maybe bring one or both of the Bowen kids, and/or the nieces who are in high school.
-I plan on buying less packaged junk food. If we want a sweet treat, I'll have to have the gumption to make it from scratch instead of instant gratification by opening a package. I already bake more than I should, so we don't need packaged junk to add to it.
-I want to use my DSLR more. It's become so much easier to take snapshots on the phone and not have to lug around that heavy and awkward camera. But the quality of the photos is incomparable.

Do you have a list?

11.5 "We would like to Thank and Excuse Juror #10"

I spent 3 days going through jury selection. It was a big case. The trial was expected to last almost 3 months. It was a heinous crime and for over a week, I have been very anxious and nervous about it. I was called in last Monday and 200 other perspective jurors were there with me. But since it was a long case and lasted though the holidays, a lot of hardship grants were issued. Out of the 200 in the room, less than 20 filled out the juror questionnaire and were told to come back the following Monday, November 4th. I found out yesterday, the 4th, that they gathered perspective jurors for 3 days last week, but only a little over 100 people were were there yesterday morning.

It's a very interesting process. I liked seeing how it happens, listening to the judge, listening to the lawyers, and listening to the answers the jurors gave when questioned by the lawyers.

I've been called in for jury duty many times, but for the 1st time since I was 18, I actually got called to a juror seat and was questioned by the lawyers to see if I would be a suitable juror. It was nerve wracking to say the least. I wasn't there to try to get out of serving, but I am not comfortable being in a position that judges someone that will completely affect his or her life. I was asked about how I felt about the 5th Amendment because the defense attorney may tell his client not to take the stand. I was asked how I felt about reasonable doubt, circumstantial evidence and direct evidence. They asked if I could set aside my own personal opinions and follow the directions and laws of the court without being prejudiced by what I believed personally. They asked me what neighborhood I lived in, my marital status, my and my husbands occupations, the occupations of our adult children if we had them and if I had ever served as a juror before.

Just being a perspective juror, I lost sleep, have had an upset stomach for over a week and breakouts on my face that I haven't had in over a year. I don't process stress very well. I'm blessed with a relatively stress-free life so when it happens, my body says "no sir, I don't like it." So when I was excused today, I felt a great sense of relief. I came home, did a bit of googling on the crime (we're not allowed to do any research whatsoever on anything related to the crime), told my closest friends and family who knew I was serving that I was excused and told them what the crime was (because of course, I couldn't tell them before), then fell asleep. I could finally put my mind to rest and my body shut down.

If I were chosen as a juror, I believe I could have been fair and impartial. I think I would have done a good job weighing the evidence. It would have been a very interesting trial to listen to. But, and I know I'm not alone in this, but the weight and emotion of this would have been excruciating. The lawyers even told all of us that it would be an emotional burden and hardship. I am so very very grateful that I don't have carry that burden. That I won't be edgy, anxious, nervous and possibly paranoid for the next 3 months. Not only am I grateful for being excused, I'm grateful that I was able to watch this process. It was a good experience. One I really don't want to have to experience again, but very glad I did. And if I do again, well, then I guess I may be a little bit more prepared for what the process could be.

gavel image from creative commons via here.

44th Wedding Anniversary

My parents would be celebrating their 44th Anniversary today. They met in 1965 or 1966 after my mom came to California from the Philippines. My mom was a nanny and my dad was a bartender. Somehow their paths crossed, I'm assuming that my mom's cousin fixed them up, and in 1967, they got married in a small desert town in Southern California. A year after they were married, I was born and would be their only kid, though I know they wanted more. I would have loved to have another sibling, but it wasn't in the cards. There was a big age difference between them. My mom was 38 when she got married. My dad was almost 63. They had 25 years together before my dad died.

My dad came to America in 1924. The goal was to assimilate and over the years, he had forgotten how to speak his native language. So when my mom and dad got married, she had to re-teach him the language. Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines, but both of my parents were from the Ilicos region so their local dialect was Ilicano. After I was born, they only spoke in English. Still in the late 60s and 70s, assimilation was key, so there was no desire to teach me their language. For the longest time, I was happy to only know English. But as I grew into adulthood, I longed to understand it, even if I couldn't speak it. The bay area has a large Filipino population and I'm embarrassed whenever someone speaks to me in Tagalog and I have to say "I'm sorry, I can't understand."

My parents worked hard to create a modest life in the high desert. By American standards, we were below the poverty level, but compared to my parents relatives 'back home' we were wealthy. We had a 3 bedroom home, 2 cars and healthy meals every day.To say my mom was frugal is an understatement. Looking back at how much income they brought in, I don't know how they managed to save as much as they did. They did their best to raise me American, and I became exactly what they regretfully wanted...a spoiled American kid who resented her frugality and her old customs. Though i still studied hard and got good grades, never smoked or did drugs and almost always obeyed her rules. My dad was a very quiet man, leaving most of the discipline to my mother. I can only remember once when my dad raised his voice at me. He was already retired by the time I was in school, so he was the parent I spent the most time with since my mom was working. He was the most influential presence in my life. However, now that they're both gone, my mother has left the biggest impact. Thinking back on our strained relationship, I can't help but wonder about what could have been done to strengthen our relationship. Hindsight is 20/20, but now there's so much time to think about what could have been.

I miss them.

Photo from early to mid 80s in our house. Don't know the occasion or who took the photo.

I hope she will forgive me

My cousin is shy. So I hope she doesn't mind me posting this pic of her when she was little. She's probably not quite 2 years old in this pic, which means I'm 9 in this pic.

But the reason I'm posting this pic, is that I'm just so happy that she's my family. Because aside from Jimmy's family, she is my FAMILY. We're not even true cousins, but it doesn't matter because she is much more like my sister than a cousin. And seeing how she's raising her own family now with her amazing husband who I also love to pieces, just makes me swell with pride that I can't keep it to myself. I love the girl. I love the woman and mother she's become.

And I loved that horse sweater so very very much.
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The Story of Stuff

I've lamented about all my stuff and feeling like I'm being buried in it, yet I still consume consume consume. If I see a craft project that I wanna get my hands on, I can't resist getting it. I'm not much of a mall shopper, but even aside from crafting stuff, I catch myself wanting a lot more stuff than I could ever need.

I stumbled on this video from someone else's blog. I never know exactly how I get from one place to another when I'm blog hopping.

But if you've lamented about stuff, you might be interested in watching this.

Warning: It's long, 20 minutes. But I thought it worthwhile mentioning in case anyone felt like watching.

Click on image to watch.
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Bali

I've just gotten to the section in Eat, Pray, Love where Liz is in Indonesia. I went there almost 10 years ago and reading about her adventures, so different than mine, makes me recall my trip. It's hard to believe that it's been so long ago already...

It was less than a year after my mom had died, and the first time in my adult life that I had traveled to an impoverished Asian country. And while Elizabeth Gilbert's book touches on the poverty and corruption of the island's colorful past, experiencing it with my own eyes was a disconcerting experience. I couldn't help but compare the people and locale to my mom and where she grew up in the Philippines, also an impoverished Asian country. I'm pretty good at trying to keep my emotional experiences separate from my tangible ones, but the death of your mother sticks with you more than anything. As some of you know. I remember thinking while I was there, that I have no desire to ever go back. Before that trip, Bali had always sounded so glamorous and exotic. And the reality was disheartening. Perhaps it is an Island of the Gods, but it's far from paradise. However reading Liz's book makes me remember the beauty of the people and the island.

A woman carrying her goods on her head, a common way to carry things in Asia. This was taken near Ubud, where Liz lived for those 4 months.

Near Ubud.

Getting ready for a spiritual ceremony at a temple near Ubud.

Lake at Mount Batur.

At the Elephant Cave, or Goa Gajah. There is a mix of Buddhist and Hindu spiritual symbols here and is estimated to have been built around 1022AD.

At Goa Gajah, there are amazing bathing pools:
The bathing pools are divided into 2, one for women the other for men, each with three water spouting statues.

This the Mother Temple, Pura Besakih. It is Bali's most holy and Indonesia's biggest Hindu temple.

A little peak at a private ceremony at the Mother Temple.

These were our tour guides. Niti, on the left showed us around the whole day. The other man was our guide thorough the temple.

Interesting architecture at the temple.

Still at the Mother Temple. She's carrying heavy stone bricks on her head!

The flowers and plant life take over everything.

Rice terraces of Bali.

I can't remember the name of this instrument, but it's traditional Balinese and Niti played it for us during one of our stops.

A view from above. Bali is very lush. Notice the feral dog and cat. The island had plenty of feral animals.

We saw a couple of traditional Balinese dances.
This was the Barong Dance. A dance that depicts the fight between good and evil.

A beautiful Barong Dancer.

Talented wood carver in Mas.

The Temple of the Holy Water, or Pura Tirta Empul.
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"I don't do resolutions"...

So I say.
I like the idea starting the new year with a fresh outlook, but I'm not a fan of pressure or commitment. And I'm not so good on the follow through. So why would i set myself up for failure? I've avoided making resolutions for several years because of this. However, the month of December brought on several excesses that definitely need to be tamed.

Shopping
My cousin has started her New Year with strict spending moratorium for 3 months. I considered joining her with some modifications. Earlier today Jimmy and I were reviewing our expenses and in the past month I had spent $5 here, $13 there, $21 everywhere, and even though each purchase was not a whole lot, multiply them by a kazillion and next thing I know, I've racked up a 17grandmilliondollar credit card bill. While I can justify some of it as Christmas expenses, I also managed to spend quite a bit on crafting supplies. For myself. Big surprise. So, realistically I know I won't be able to completely cut my crafting expenses out, but I'll definitely commit to cutting my expenses by at least 50%. (I can practically hear phin saying 'yeaaaa riiiiight'). For 3 months. Then I'll do a reassessment.

Battle of the Bulge
The first half of last year I did pretty well with the battle. Then I got a little lazy but maintained for the next 3 months. Then this crazy thing happened the end of November. It was called Thanksgiving. December continued the feasting. Well, it's time to get my focus back. And move more. I need to motivate myself to go on walks or hikes, take my camera and shoot photos. Now I need to figure out what to do with all these delicious foods, sweets and treats that are still lingering in my house.

A Load of Crap
Through the years, I've collected a massive quantity of stuff. I think it's related to the shopping problem. I have this "rule" where if I buy something, I need to get rid of something else in its replacement. I'm pretty good at sticking to this rule with clothes, shoes, bags or kitchen supplies. But I break it almost every time with crafting supplies. I really need to purge.

Anybody else attempting any New Year's resolutions commitments possibilities for 2008?

photos from the hideaway this weekend. completely unrelated to this topic. but as you can see, there was a tiny bit of snow.
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Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

Today marks the 50th anniversary that Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas integrated nine African-American students and marks one of the major events of the Civil Rights Movement.

1957
After being driven away by angry mobs on the official first day of school on September 4th, the students were finally able to enter the halls of Central Rock High School on Monday September 23rd. They were met with protests and death threats; other students spat on them and did everything they could to make them feel unwanted and alienated. Each day presented new challenges to the students and one of the nine had to leave. However the other 8, through strength and determination, finished the school year and marked one of the most significant milestones in America’s Civil Rights history.

Last December, I had a chance to visit Central High School during a road trip with my sister-in-law. And although I remember learning about this event when I was in high school, nothing compares to actually being there and seeing this amazingly impressive building and how big and intimidating it is and must have been to these students walking up to it with the mob of protesters lining the streets and trying to prevent them from entering the high school.

If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend reading “Warriors Don’t Cry” which was written by Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine, or click on some of the links here.
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Another thing

I really need to smack myself. I suppose I'll give myself a break because all of this sudden reflection can't happen all at once, when I'm trying to get ready for a big trip and the 4th of July. (have I told you that I'm not a great multi-tasker? Although I can chew gum and walk at the same time).

uh. what was my point here?

Oh yea. How could it have slipped my mind that my mom was the same age in these photos as I am now? That's just so crazy to me. Her 38 is so vastly different than my 38. Not just because she was getting married and I've been married for a long time already, but e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.! I know though, that's probably the case for almost all mothers and daughters.

What was your mother doing when she was your current age?
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Today would have been their 40th Wedding Anniversary

I'm a little bit ashamed. I've been so single minded lately that I didn't even realize till moments ago that 40 years ago, my parents got married in a tiny desert town in southern California. I never asked how they met before they were both gone, but I think I have a pretty good idea. My mom's cousin was married to a man who worked with my dad at the Apple Valley Inn. I suspect she played the little matchmaker, introduced my mom to my dad, then not long afterwards they were married. I really should thank that cousin!

updating

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Mine will be full of activities. Tomorrow morning, heading to the favorite scrapbook store for a chance at a 30 second shopping spree then going to Paper Source for their grand opening event. Sunday going to the parentals for dinner.

Wanted to give you an update on my attempt-to-better-health journey. I haven't blogged about it much but I'm almost down 2 sizes. My weight is evenly distributed - I'm not a pear, apple or cone shape. I fall more into the hourglass category. So even though I can't wear any of my 'big' pants anymore, I don't look like I've lost as much as the numbers indicate. This happened to me the last time, too. (7 years ago already). It wasn't noticeable for a long time till suddenly it was dramatic. Strangely enough, I'm really not telling anyone I know in the real world, except those few who read my blog. I think it's because the last time I was on this journey, it made some people uncomfortable. Like they couldn't eat in front of me or they had to change their way of eating or cooking when they were with me. It also made me uncomfortable whenever I would eat something that they deemed bad for me. I know how many points/calories I've eaten and how many I can afford for this meal or that snack. Trust me, I calculate everything to the 1/2 point. So if I'm eating a cookie, I know the caloric/point value of it and it's accounted for. I still eat ice cream (the low-cal kind) , chocolate and potato chips (always portioned out), Mexican and Hawaiian food. But I admit that I miss pizza.

On another note, since I admitted that I'm an aggressive driver, I've been driving a lot calmer lately. I really just like to get to wherever I'm going Now. So maybe I'm really more of a speed demon rather than aggressive. Because I always signal, I'll let people in if they signal and will move out of the way if someone wants to go even faster than I'm going. And I don't talk on my cell phone while I'm driving because I know that I can't possibly concentrate on driving fast, watching all the other cars around and hold a cell phone to my ear all at the same time. But what weighs on my conscience more is the gas issue. Since I drive an SUV, my gas mileage isn't ideal to start with. I try to get around 22mpg, but if I'm feeling a little lead footed, I'll only get around 19mpg. Yup, I need to slow down.

Those of you with blog readers have noticed that I've been updating my blog a bit. Just adding labels to past posts. That organizing thing I like to do. My apologies for any confusions. It'll probably happen a few more times till all of my old posts are properly labeled. Just as a little warning. :)

The Interview

I couldn’t resist playing when Zann offered up her Interview Challenge. We’re collaborators in an art blog but just getting to know each other on our personal blogs so decided to take this opportunity to get to know a little more about each other. It’d be a lot of fun if you’d like to play along, so lemme know if you do and I’ll send you 5 questions for you to answer on your blog, too.

1. How did you choose your screen name, Madretz?
Mad is the first 3 letters in my first name and Retz is the first 4 letters of my last name. A few people call me that personally but most call me Madeline or Mad. But I don’t like “Maddy.” Makes me cringe just thinking about it

2. What is the biggest life obstacle you've had to overcome?
Ou, this is a tough one. I’m actually gonna have to plead the 5th on the biggest life obstacle, it’s super personal and highly emotional and I’m still going thru “overcoming” it. But my 2nd biggest obstacle is nearly just as tough, and that was losing my mother 9 years ago. The funny thing is that I was closer to my dad, but I was at peace with his passing. I think because my mom died suddenly, so much was left unsaid. Also...I had to make the decision of keeping or taking her off life support and no matter what the statistics are or what the doctors said, I think I will always question the "What Ifs". Phew, that was tough. I’ve never spilled those beans on my blog before.

3. How did you meet Jimmy?
We’re high school sweethearts. We had classes together since the 9th grade but didn’t really become friends till our Jr. year when we sat next to each other in history class. I remember the beginning of our senior year and the first 4 periods, I was so disappointed that I didn’t have any classes with him. Happily, he showed up in my 5th period English class, we sat next to each other and continued our friendship. I was working at KFC (fried chicken anyone?) and he started working there, too. By December in our senior year, we were dating. Been together ever since.

4. What draws you to the medium of photography over other mediums?
I’ve been documenting my life since I was in the 5th grade when I got my first diary and I started taking snapshots around the same time. My first camera was a Polaroid, then in the 80s I got one of those new-fangled disc-cameras – remember those? The quality of the photos were awful, but they were small and fun for a young teenager. It all changed in 1993 when I got a film SLR camera. That’s when I started learning more about the creativity and art of photography. Still, most of my photography is to document the events that have happened in my life: people/places/things. But I take time photographing things that are visually appealing to me. I like framing the shot, paying attention to how light affects something, or playing with depth of field to focus on a certain object or make it blurry. When I switched to digital, I learned so much more because I can experiment without worrying about wasting film. Also, I’m a lot more confident in my photography skills than my writing skills, so my posts will almost always have photographs to accompany what I write. Often, I’ll let the photograph speak for itself.

5. What is your favorite children's book?
Ah. This is easy! The Madeline series by Ludwig Bemelmans. As a child (or teenager in my case), when you discover a book that’s titled with your name, spelled exactly the right way, then it’s gonna be your very favorite. Maybe that’s sort of cheating, so aside from that, I've loved Richard Scarry books since I started reading.

Thanks for the questions, Zann!
Hope some of my bloggy friends want to play, too. :)
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Oklahoma City

12 years ago yesterday, April 19th, our nation was devastated and saddened by the senseless bombing in Oklahoma City. My sister-in-law and I visited the Memorial in December and it was sad, awkward and horrific yet reflective and peaceful, also.

As I'm starting to write this, I'm struggling with my words because of the events that happened in Virginia this week. Hoping not to make any wounds deeper, but wanting to share my experience at the Oklahoma City Memorial. So in an effort to remember the people lost 12 years ago as well as those lost this week, I'll continue with my experience.

Reflecting Pool
This reflecting pool was built on the street that fronted the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. There are identical gates at either end of the pool with 9:01 and 9:03 inscribed that represent the time immediately before and after the explosion. It's always awkward seeing yourself in reflecting pools such as this. It brings to home those thoughts that "It could have been me".

Survivor Tree
On the north side of the reflecting pool stands a solitary American Elm tree known at the Survivor Tree because in the face of the explosion, the tree survived. There's a lot of symbolism in this tree - Strength and Hope at the forefront.

The Field Of Empty Chairs
The saddest and most moving area of the Memorial was The Field of Empty Chairs. There are a total of 168 Empty Chairs on this field where the federal building once stood. There are a total of 9 rows of chairs, representing the 9 floors of the former building. Each person's chair is positioned in the row that corresponds to the floor where they worked or were visiting. There are also 5 Empty Chairs that honor those who were killed outside of the federal building. Each persons name is inscribed on his chair. Yes, there are smaller chairs, too.

Jesus Weeping
Just outside the Memorial Gate is this statue.

Written on both gates and inside the memorial museum:
"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

Peaceful blessings.

remember.

Flowers left by children at the Lorraine Motel. Memphis, Tennessee.

Fresh Start

It's not very often when anyone looks forward to a Monday. But hopefully this'll be a fresh start to a brighter week compared to last week. I won't go into details here because the consequences didn't effect me directly so I don't want to share that to the whole world. But there are certainly a few things that I'm very grateful for that happened last week:
-I got to spend a few days with my dearest friend and her amazing daughter. It was so nice being with her, I just wish we lived closer together. I even went to a gymboree class with them - so fun!
-Long drives somehow give you free license to eat junk food. mmm...cornuts!
-I realized that there are a couple of advantages of being an only child.
-I ate at Chick-Fil-A. I tried to go last year in Dallas but it was a Sunday so it was closed. I didn't even know they were in California. Good chicken sandwiches.
Speaking of chicken, did you know that the average American eats 66 pounds of chicken a year?

The Ferry Building, San Francisco on our anniversary.

Married 16 years, together since we were babies

Not really babies, but sheesh! Lookie how young we were.

We started dating December 1985 so, wow, we've been together for over 21 years. This is our graduation picture June 1986. Four and a half years after this, we were married at 22.

Happy anniversary sweets. It's been a blast!

2006: Year in Review

January: Yosemite, cabin with friends
February: Race day with the Stutes, Dallas
April: Ashes and Snow in Santa Monica
May: Taylor's birthday, Mothers Day, Ryan at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Coach Max at NCAA championship game, Ashley's Graduation, Morro Bay & the coast highway
June: Picking berries with the Bowens, volunteering at CKU
July: Dinner with the Bowens, Forth of July, Childrens Tech Museum w/ Machados, San Jose Obon Festival, Capitola for my birthday, Steve and crew at cabin
August: SF Zoo with Bowens, cabin w/ Linda and Andrew, Seattle, cabin w/ Chancey's
September: Meeting Larkin, Bowen kids birthdays, Golden Gate date nite, exploring the high country, Disney 5k race, Kauai
October: Las Vegas, Bob's Big Boy, SF w/ Monica and famiy
November: Hanging w/ Danielle and Taylor, Thanksgiving, Disneyland, Sambos in Santa Barbara
December: misc. roadtrip photos, Christmas, kitty at the cabin

Slow Down

I was out and about today, scurrying around trying to get last minute errands done. I saw 3 accidents on the roads happen right in front of me. After the first 2, which were w/in a 1/4 mile of each other and near the mall, I realized I just need to take it slow today because it's 3 days before Christmas and no one wants to have an accident now.

So please everyone...while you're out and about the next couple of days, don't get in a tizzy because it's not worth it to save 10 minutes to get in front of the 5 cars ahead of you because an accident will cost you so much more than time.

I know I have a tendency to drive very fast and get frustrated on the freeways, but after seeing what was happening today, I'm certainly stepping back a bit.

5 days

Time is the craziest thing. I've been home for 5 days, the exact amount of time that I was on the road with my SIL. But those 5 days felt like a month. The past 5 days felt like a day and a half. Why is that?

It's odd to me because I feel like I've been running around with my head chopped off trying to get so many things done for the holidays. But when it comes down to it, I haven't accomplished much. However, looking back at those 5 days on the road, it felt like time was standing still, yet we drove all the way across the country and saw so many things.

In the past 5 days at home, all I've accomplished is getting rid of a cold, restocking the fridge & pantry, going to a Christmas party, going to a fantastic holiday tea party, buying a few more Christmas presents, writing and addressing all my Christmas cards and starting the yearly family calendar. I haven't even blogged much since I've been home because I'm scurrying around doing this and that.

I could really use a big glass of sweet tea right now.

Sunrise leaving Amarillo, TX.

Day 5: New Albany, MS to Atlanta, GA then, unexpectedly, home 2 days early

Along the way, I caught a cold. I guess that'll happen when I have a propensity to get sick a lot and I've been traveling hard. So my SIL insisted that I fly home from Atlanta as the cold was just starting to fester, rather than wait 2 more days and have to fly home in full blown cold-mode. I'm so glad I did because I slept 10 hours in my own bed and after a few hours of night sweats, hopefully I've broken the fever. My throat is still scratchy, but I don't feel as congested. I just got off the phone with my SIL and she just crossed the border into Virginia so she'll be at her brother's in less than an hour from now. She did have to spend one night alone in South Carolina, but her drive into Richmond today is short and she dropped me off at the airport at 5 so we were able to spend most of day 5 together.

Mississippi:
We left New Albany around 8 in the pouring rain. We considered stopping in Tupelo, Elvis' birthplace and the Tupelo National Battlefield (continuing our National Historic Site tours) but it was raining so hard we just wanted to continue on. Essentially, Mississippi was just a place to sleep for us. Didn't get the chance to see much of the state, if there is much to see even.

Alabama:
We were driving away from the storm so by the time we got into Alabama, the rain was gone. The landscape was a little bit more interesting, more pine trees and rolling hills along with the barren, leaf-less trees of winter. Did however, see one house with a confederate flag and one truck at WalMart with a confederate sticker, but I still didn't feel uncomfortable being there because I know those people are in the minority, they just like to be outspoken about their beliefs. Birmingham seemed a little gloomy as we drove thru the big city. There was something just a little dismal about it that I can't pinpoint. Maybe because it's winter and everything in general was gloomy, but the city just seemed a little tired. However, we stopped to eat in Moody, Alabama just east of Birmingham and met the coolest lady. We ate at the Cracker Barrel (Yahoo!! Love that restaurant) and our waitress was awesome and so full of character. We started chatting with her about our drive and she asked us where we were from "cuz you don't talk like yur from here." After we told her we were from California, she chatted with us and said "well, you got no winders in California." SIL and I both look at her blankly and just shake our heads. She continues, in her very thick accent speaking very fast "We got a waitress here who's from California. She's been here for a few years now, but she always used to ask to service the window section. Finally, we told her: hon, we don't got a window section. All we got is a winder section." She was hilarious! Whenever she came back to service our table, bring us back some sweet ice tea (there is NOTHING as refreshing as southern sweet tea!) she'd tell us snippets of her life. Her 11 year old son, 22 and 25 year old son and daughter. Her sister, her mother and father and her dawg. Her dawg is a little rascal and chews and bites and her older old son tells her "Maw, you gotta be the alpha. You gotta teach that dawg that yur the alpha and yur in charge". She says to us "Now, I'm just a skinny ol' redneck, so I don't know what no alpha means. And her comes my son tellin' me that I gotta be the alpha." She was so cool, sharp-witted and tough as nails. And, believe it or not, we ate our healthiest meal at the Cracker Barrel: grilled chicken salads. Finally got some greens! Atlanta was still a couple of hours away, but we enjoyed our drive thru Alabama. The roads were good and we watched our speed and the truck drivers because our waitress told us "Them Atlanta truckers'll drive you off the road, an' our state troopers'll putcha in jail fer 10 days if they catchya goin' over ahunnerd so just keep an eye out for 'em". Before leaving Alabama, we saw the big Talladega speedway from the highway. Now I have to watch that movie "Talladega Nights". As well as "Sweet Home Alabama" again. Alabama was good to us.

Georgia:
And so was Atlanta. I only wish we had more time to explore this beautiful city. As we crested a hill from I-20, the beautiful Atlanta skyline appeared. It's a beautiful city. The architecture is amazing. But we only had time to go to the MLK Jr birthplace since we didn't get into the city till close to 4. Spent about an hour there and headed to the airport. I caught a 7pm flight out and my SIL continued on to S. Carolina for the evening. I felt bad leaving her alone, but she's familiar with that area so wasn't driving blind and she had her pup with her. I was home by 11:45 and in bed by 12:30.

Reflecting:
Driving cross country is an amazing experience, especially when you can do it with someone you love and truly enjoy spending the time with. There's a lot to see, but there's also a lot of down time sitting in a car just trying to make it from point A to point B. There are countless times when you're asking "Are we there yet?". But a trip like this really isn't a vacation because the days are long and arduous, trying to drive as many miles as possible yet see a few sights along the way so it doesn't get boring. Luckily, weather was on our side till we left Mississippi. We were glad that we went south rather than north thru Knoxville since that rain storm would have probably been icy or freezing rain. And we wouldn't have met the cool waitress in Moody, Alabama or seen Atlanta, as brief as it was.

I'm just so grateful that I have these amazing relationships with my in-law family. Being an only child and with both of my parents gone, I just feel so blessed that Jimmy's family is a part of my life. His family is my family and no one makes a distinction.