Sweet Home Alabama and the Plastic Bag:

I'm back from Seale, Alabama where I got to visit with my Aunt Loly and Uncle David. My mother was attending her high school reunion, but didn't want to drive the express way. I took the girls with us, while Michael held down the fort with the boys. Noah was feeling much better, so I decided it was okay to leave him.

Rachel kept asking us if we had made it to Alabama about every 20 minutes. From my mother's house it takes about 2 hours to cross the Chattahoochee River into Alabama. We met Aunt Loly and Uncle David in Phenix City, which is about 20 minutes from their home in Seale. They bought lunch for us at the Waffle King. The girls thought it was fun to have breakfast at lunch time. Eve was very shy, but Rachel gave everyone a hug.

After lunch we drove to the house and my Aunt Loly came back into her bedroom, which she was allowing us to sleep in while we were there and she handed me a plastic bag. She stated that she hoped the girls liked what was in the bag. I thanked her then she walked out of the room. I started pulling items out of the plastic bag to find other plastic bags...there was a space saver bag, 2 comforter covers, and a couple of grocery bags. At the bottom of the bag was a free plastic cake server from Publix. I was thinking this was an odd gift for little kids to play with, but I gave the kids the cake server and they thought that was cool. Rachel had heard Aunt Loly say something about a bag of things for the kids, so she wanted to open the bag and see what was in it. I told her to help her self, but that it was just full of plastic bags. She grabbed the bag and carefully examined everything and came to the quick conclusion I was correct.

The next day Aunt Loly asked my mother if the girls liked the stuffed animals she had given them. Mom mom responded that she hadn't seen any stuffed animals, but she would ask the girls. When we told my mom it was just plastic bags she went to ask Aunt Loly if she might not have given us the wrong bag. You should have heard the laughing from the other room! They both walked into the room laughing and had the rest of us laughing. She went to her closet and found the correct bag and the girls picked out a lion and a bear. We had quite a laugh about the plastic bags all the way home that day. I suppose it was our Southern upbringing, but I couldn't say anything about the plastic bags because I figured that may have been what she thought the kids wanted to play with and I would look ungrateful. My mom even felt bad about saying anything even though Aunt Loly had mentioned what she thought she had given the girls.


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My Uncle David is such a chilvarous guy. When their was any hint at all that we weren't sure of directions on how to get somewhere he would say just follow my car and I'll lead you there. He had even stayed up 5 hours after the time he usually went to bed to make sure my mother got home safely from her reunion. Mind you he isn't in the best health and he needs his rest.

In his younger years my Uncle David owned a Crown gas station. He told my Aunt Loly that as long as their was a man alive she would never have to pump her own gas. Aunt Loly told me that if anything were to happen to him she would have to call her son Bubba and have him meet her at the gas station to pump her gas because she didn't know how to use the pumps. My Aunt Loly has many talents, but this is one skill she isn't about to worry about.

It was such a wonderful visit and I'm glad the girls got to see my Aunt and Uncle...me, too!