Visiting Alabama

Towards the end of July, I went home to visit my family and go to my cousin's wedding.  It was a really nice long weekend in AL.  I got to spend a ton of time with my sweet nephew, which was so much fun!  Justin, Mom and I went to check out the Children's Hands-On Museum in Tuscaloosa.  We ate some great food in Tuscaloosa.  We went up to Birmingham for my cousin's wedding, and I got to spend some quality time with my brothers and their significant others.  Overall, I'd say it was a great trip!  I really enjoyed the visit home, although it felt a little short (as always).  Here's some pictures... Enjoy!

Justin and Mom picked me up from the airport

Mom and Justin at CHOM

Justin being a total cutie at CHOM

I loved the quality time with Justin!

The formal shot of our family at the wedding

This could be one of my all-time favorites of our family.  We are silly.

Christmas 2012

Hi!  Greg and I were lucky enough to have a lot of time off at Christmas.  We were gone from Durham for 11 days, and we were able to actually really enjoy time with our families instead of constantly having to worry about leaving for the next place.  We left for Alabama on Friday afternoon before Christmas.

Greg had to work until 3:00 on Friday, and I got home 2 hours before that.  I ended up packing the car, and I am so proud of myself!  Being married to a Barrow has taught me how to pack a car!

The drive was pretty uneventful except for some traffic in Charlotte.  I don't know why, but it always makes me happy when I get a picture of the AL sign as we drive in.  I don't know why I get so excited because we still have to drive a bit get over to Tuscaloosa.  We ended up arriving a little after midnight.

We stayed up talking with my parents until around 2 am.  The next morning, the dogs decided it was time to get up at 6!  So, I got up to let them out, made the coffee and sat down to relax before everyone else got up.  Ben and Alicia came down that morning to do gifts, and it was so good to get to spend some time with them!

My sweet  nephew, Justin, was at Mom and Dad's house.  I absolutely loved being able to spend so much time with Justin while we were in Tuscaloosa.  He is the cutest!

Saturday night, Greg and I were able to go to Birmingham to meet some friends.  I am so glad that we were able to see so many people in such a quick visit.  I am pretty mad at myself for not getting a picture with everyone!  I loved being able to catch up with Mary and Lauren.  I really miss them throughout the year.  

Although I am frustrated with not getting a picture of the entire group on Saturday... I am so glad that I thought to get a picture of Greg and I.  I never ever remember to take pictures when we do things.

We had an extended family Christmas on Sunday with my Mom's sister and her children.  It is so much fun to get together with everyone.  Last year was the first time that we have done that since my grandma died, and it has been really great.  After my cousins and Aunt headed home, we did presents with Mom, Dad, Guy, Andrea, and Justin.  This picture makes me laugh because Greg had just opened a baseball hat and put it on, and Justin was totally checking him out.  So funny!

I don't know about you... but one of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching Christmas Vacation.  

Here's a picture of me sporting my new PJ pants, house shoes, and old lady fleece robe.  

Mom and Greg's Christmas Eve tradition is to watch It's a Wonderful Life.  Dad and I tolerate it.  ha!

Here's a picture of us on Christmas morning.  We were literally about to walk out of the door when Mom made us go pose by the Christmas tree.  Not the best picture, but I'm glad we have it.

Unfortunately there was a pretty significant chance of severe weather on Christmas day.  We had originally planned to drive over to Clanton to do Christmas with Greg's family, and then drive on to Roanoke to stay with Greg's parents for a few days.  Greg's sister decided that we should just postpone the family Christmas until the next day since we didn't know what the weather was going to do.  So, we had to leave Tuscaloosa a little earlier than we had planned and went straight to Roanoke.  

Christmas night we just relaxed with Greg's parents.  We did presents, and then played an intense game of Scrabble.  You can just call me the dog whisperer because somehow I always end up with all the dogs in my lap.  

The day after Christmas we drove over to Clanton to do Christmas with Greg's grandmother, sister, her husband, and kiddos.  Grandmother asked Greg to read her a story from a magazine, and I thought it was too sweet not to snap a picture.  

Linda's dog is a hoot.  She was playing some Christmas music on the piano and he hopped right up there while she was playing.  Too funny!

We left Roanoke on Saturday to go to Atlanta.  I am irritated at myself that I didn't get any pictures of this!  We went by to see Greg's cousins and his aunt and uncle.  It was wonderful to see everyone, and we had a great time catching up with them.  They also made an incredible dinner of shrimp & grits and Brunswick stew.  After we visited with everyone, we headed to the suburbs of Atlanta to stay with our friends for a couple of nights.  We had not seen Brad and Maria in over a year, so we really enjoyed being able to spend time with them before heading home on Monday.  Maria got some pictures with her camera, so hopefully I can add those soon.  

We headed home Monday, and I know that the dogs were so glad to finally get here.  Hershee is a nervous wreck in the car.  She pants the entire time.  Once we arrived home she fell fast asleep and I think if we hadn't moved, she would have slept until today.  Penni is the total opposite of Hershee.  She just lays down and totally relaxes during the drive.  

Overall, I would say that it was a great visit.  I am so glad that we were able to see so many of our friends, and our entire family.  I am thankful for all the time that we got to spend with them.  It was a wonderful Christmas break!  I hope that you guys had a wonderful Christmas too!  Much love!

  

Weekend trip home

In July we flew home for a weekend because one of Greg's good friends was getting married, and Greg was a groomsman.  We actually flew into Atlanta and rented a car for the weekend because that was cheaper than actually flying into Birmingham.  We stayed in Tuscaloosa with Mom and dad on Thursday and Friday night, and then Saturday night after the wedding we stayed with my brother and sister-in-law in Birmingham.

We spent Friday hanging out with my Mom, and luckily dad was able to meet us for lunch.  We ate at the new Jim 'n Nicks in Tuscaloosa.  Shocker, I know.  It was pretty good, and really busy.  Friday night we drove up to Birmingham for the rehearsal, dinner, and after rehearsal get together at Pale Eddie's Pour House downtown.  We had a good time, and it was really good to see some old friends.

Greg and I at the after rehearsal get together

Saturday was a little crazier.  Greg got up and went to Birmingham early to hit golf balls with the guys, and then they had lunch before they started getting ready for pictures.  I didn't want to go up there and be stuck with not much to do all day, so I stayed in Tuscaloosa with Mom.  We went shopping and got a manicure and pedicure.  It was a really good morning/afternoon.  After we got home, I rushed around getting ready for the wedding.  I drove up to Birmingham to my brother's house and dropped the car off, and he took me over to the church for the wedding so that Greg and I would only have one car.

The wedding was beautiful.  It was in an adorable Episcopal church downtown.  After the wedding, we all headed to the Vulcan Museum for the reception.  I had actually never been to Vulcan, so I was pretty excited to check it out, and see the views of downtown Birmingham.  It was so pretty!  We had a really good time!  I got Greg to dance with me a few times!  We ended up seeing a lot more friends at the reception, so it was really good being able to catch up with them.

Brian and Carson during the ceremony 

Greg and I at the wedding reception 

Brian and Carson's first dance

Sunday morning Mom and Dad drove up to my brother's house because we were all going to go have brunch at Another Broken Egg in Mountain Brook.  We got there around 11, and luckily only had to wait about 20 minutes.  It was DELICIOUS!  I'm so glad that we were able to get together with the entire family!

Mom and Dad at brunch 

Guy and Andrea at brunch

Ben and Alicia at brunch

 Greg and I at brunch

Overall, it was a crazy busy weekend, but I am so glad that we went!  It was really great seeing friends that we haven't seen since our wedding, and of course it was great to see my parents, siblings, and my nephew.

Here is Justin holding the book that Greg and I got for him.  I seriously cannot believe that he is going to be one this week!  It's amazing how time flies when you have little ones in your life.  I am looking forward to going through it all again starting in late January when Greg's sister has her little girl!  We are looking forward to become Aunt and Uncle again!  I can't wait to begin spoiling my newest niece!

Going home: Tuscaloosa edition

I made a last minute trip home to Alabama back in May.  The family that I nanny for was going to be gone for a week, and Mom was missing me (and wouldn't come to Durham)... So, I decided to go home for a few days.  It was a relatively short trip, Saturday-Wednesday, but it was certainly nice to see my family.

I had a pretty long layover in ATL, but it was actually a nice change from having to run to catch my next flight.  I enjoyed being able to get breakfast, and do some people watching.

I coordinated a family get together while I was home.  We met at one of my favorite restaurants, Jim 'n Nick's in Hoover.  To my surprise, everyone was actually able to make it.  Having everyone there certainly made it more fun, although we did all miss Greg.  I got to spend some time with my nephew, Justin.  He actually got to chew on his first rib bone!

Okay, so Jim 'N Nick's is actually Greg's favorite restaurant.  He was extremely jealous that we went to eat there without him.   

Here is me and sweet Justin.  I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with him! 

This is Alicia, Ben, me, Guy, Andrea, and Justin.  It's always great to get a picture of all of us together.

I also got to have dinner with my sweet friend, Mary.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture together.  It was one of the highlights of my trip home.  One of the hardest things about living so far away is that you don't get the opportunity to see you good friends on a regular basis.  I am always missing Mary, so it was especially nice to get together with her for dinner.

Mom, Dad and I went out to dinner at my all time favorite restaurant in Tuscaloosa.  I absolutely love Depalmas.  I think the food is really good, and I love it's charm.

It's so cute!  I wish I had some pictures of the inside to show you.

I got one of the specials, and it was so good!  

Like always, it was really good to go home and see my family.  I wish that I could do it more often, and that Greg had been able to join me for this trip.  I was so glad to see my parents, siblings, and Mary!  We will be heading back to AL in a few weeks for a wedding, and maybe we will be able to see a few more people during that visit!

Fisher Christmas!

Okay, so I had plans to be this great blogger in the new year and I have already failed.  HA!  I haven't even posted about Christmas with my side of the family.  Here's a quick (or not so quick) recap:

We headed to Tuscaloosa on Christmas Eve afternoon.  We made it to my parent's house in time to rest for about an hour, and then head to church with Mom and Dad.  It was a really nice, relaxing way to spend Christmas eve, and it was topped off by Mom and Greg's tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life.

The great part about not having kids yet is that you get to sleep in on Christmas!  We slept in, and I prepared a lasagna for Christmas dinner.  My brother, his wife, and my nephew drove down Christmas afternoon.  Once again, we all took it easy!  My grandmother came over for dinner, and we all had a really nice time!  She opened her presents from everyone, and we had good food (except for the burned bread- I swear it's hereditary).

The day after Christmas was our big to-do!  I got up early because I was doing most of the cooking.  Once I got up and started the coffee, I realized that Mom hadn't put the turkey in yet!  We had a good laugh about it, and I cooked muffins and started on all the side dishes.  My other brother and his girlfriend got there, and then my aunt, my two cousins, and my cousin's fiance.  It was certainly a house full of people!  We had so much fun opening presents and joking around.

I had arranged for a photographer to come and take some family portraits for Mom's gift from Greg and me.  She stood me up, and wouldn't return any of my phone calls.  I was disappointed because I had this session set up since September!  I was also disappointed because the photographer was supposedly a family friend.  If you live in the Tuscaloosa area, I encourage you to avoid using Kim Murphy Photography if at all possible.  She is unreliable and unreachable, and she certainly doesn't respect her clients.

It all ended up working out because we just had each other take some pictures, and we got some cute ones.  It was a really nice visit home.  Amazingly enough, no one got in a fight and we all left still liking each other- HA!!!  Here are some pictures:

The star of Christmas 2011! 

Dad loves that sweet baby! 

My aunt and cousins- I'm so glad that they were able to come! 

The whole family! 

With my brothers- so glad we made it through without a fight.  ha! 

The Barrow family!

Thanksgiving, part 1

Hello everyone!  I spent this month diving deep, and thinking about what I am thankful for this year.  I feel like Greg and I have had a really great year.  We have faced so many changes, I feel like we have found a place that we love living, and we have also been dealing with a lot of challenges. 

Throughout the month I wrote down things that I was thankful for with the intent to blog about it, so here it is:
- I am thankful for my very sweet, caring husband.  I am so happy that I have found someone like him to face the world with, come home to at the end of the day to, laugh with, travel with, and grow old together.  Greg and I balance each other out perfectly, and I am thankful that we met at Camp Sumatanga the summer of 2006.
- I am thankful for my wonderful parents.  They are a constant support to me, and I know that I can always call them if I need to talk.  I am thankful for Skype and FaceTime so that the months in between visits don't feel so long.  I always love having conversations with my Dad on my way home from work some days, and I love being able to call my Mom to talk about anything from a crappy day to how to make a beautiful bow for our door.  I am so lucky to be able to call them my Mom and Dad.
- I am thankful for my fantastic in-laws.  I feel like I won the in-law lottery.  They are so supportive of us!  I love talking to them, and I love when we are able to make a trip to see them.  Although we don't skype with them very often, it is fun when we have the chance to.  I know that they love us, and they set a wonderful example of how to really grow our marriage.
- I am thankful for my big brother Guy, his wife Andrea, and my sweet nephew Justin.  In college, I was super close to Guy and throughout the years we have kind of drifted apart.  I am thankful that this year we have had the opportunity to rekindle our friendship.  I am so happy that Andrea and I have had the chance to spend more time together in person, and we have spent a lot of time texting and chatting.  And of course how could I not be thankful for Justin?  This is the first time I've been able to experience being an aunt of an infant!  It's crazy to me how much I can love such a little human that I've only known for 2 months!
- I am thankful for my big brother, Ben.  We have certainly had our ups and downs throughout the years, but I am so glad that we have recently reconnected.  I rarely get to see Ben because he is usually working when we are home, and because we live so far away.  I am looking forward to seeing him at Christmas!
- I am thankful for my very sweet sister-in-law, Liz.  I know that if I ever have questions when it comes to cooking or baking that I can call her and she will have an answer for me!  She is a brilliant cook, and I'm so glad that I can rely on her in a disastrous situation in the kitchen! I am also thankful for her wonderful kids: Kayleigh and Tanner.  I was just thinking the other day that I can't believe how grown up they are!  I feel like it was just the other day that I was meeting them, Kayleigh was a sweet 6 year old and Tanner was a toddler!  It's crazy how time flies, and I am thankful to have you in my life!
- I am so thankful for my loving pups.  They make coming home at the end of a crazy day so happy.  They are always thrilled to see me when I walk in the door, and they are always willing to give me lots of loving and snuggles!
- I am thankful that Greg and I have found a cute townhome to move into.  This will be the first time that we have lived in something besides an apartment!  I am super excited to have something that feels more like a home!  Although I hate, hate, hate moving... it will all be worth it.
- I am thankful for Mark, Kate, and baby J.  I am so happy that I met Kate, and I am so thankful that they welcomed me into their home to take care of baby J.  Making the transition from a daycare to being a nanny has been fantastic, and none of it would be possible if they had not trusted me to love and take care of their sweet baby.  I wouldn't have the job I have now if it hadn't been for Kate... which leads me to...
- I am thankful for Bryson, Lauren, and baby B.  I am so happy that they trust me to take care of their sweet baby boy everyday.  Hanging out with B is so much fun, and I enjoy getting to know Lauren and Bryson more and more.  I am so looking forward to watching B grow and learn!  I am thankful that they have allowed me to come into their lives!
- I am thankful that cooler air has finally moved into North Carolina!
- I am thankful for days when I come home to a cooked meal!  It doesn't happen that often, but I cherish the evenings when I walk in to a hot dinner!
- I am thankful for college football.  This year has certainly made things interesting!  It's been fun to watch and wonder what will happen throughout the season.  I also love the fact that college football generally means that Greg and I are going to hang out all day and eat yummy comfort food!
- I am thankful for people who list their moving boxes on Craigslist for free!  I am also thankful that they weren't really kidnappers/murderers.  (ha)
- I am thankful that in the midst of a bunch of car break-ins in our apartment complex... that we have unappealing cars to criminals. 
- I am thankful for the opportunity to take an amazing vacation over Thanksgiving break.  We had such a nice, relaxing time!  I will be blogging about our trip later.
- I am thankful for reruns of Grey's Anatomy, Friends, and Will & Grace!  
- I am thankful that we've found our way to Durham, NC.  We absolutely love it here!  I am looking forward to staying here for a while, and hopefully growing some roots in this city!
- I am thankful for the time off that I am going to have at Christmas!  Greg and I are looking forward to make a trip home where we will actually have more than 2 days with our families. 
- I am thankful for Christmas decorations!  They make me so happy.

This is by no means everything in the world that I'm thankful for, but these are the ones that I wrote down throughout the month.  I am overall very thankful for the loving support of our friends and family.  They are the most important thing to me in the world, and I feel like I've been blessed with a great group!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving break!  I'll be updating soon with pictures from our Thanksgiving trip!

Meeting baby Justin!

Last weekend Greg and I loaded up the car and headed to Knoxville, TN for the weekend!  We were going to meet our new nephew.  Justin was born 5 weeks ago, and we had originally planned to go this weekend, but I had last Friday off so we pushed it up a week.  I was super excited to get my hands on him!

This entry is going to have a ton of pictures... sorry in advance.  BUT it's of an adorable baby, so there shouldn't be an issues with having to look at all the pictures.  :-)

On our way to meet Justin!

This is right when we got there- please excuse my double chin.

So happy to be holding him!

I was so nice.  I even let Greg hold him!  I feel like Justin is looking at him like, "who are you?"

This is one of the gifts I sent Andrea.  It's a Moby wrap.  It is amazing, and if you are having a baby you need to get one!  This is the total inner hippie momma coming out. 

Penni and Hershee didn't quite know what to think!

Andrea and I gave him a bath!

He had to get his Auburn stuff on to cheer for them against LSU!

I stayed right there with him asleep on my chest for 2 hours!  SO sweet!

Greg loved holding him too.

 Watching the Auburn v. LSU game

We had to get him changed over into his Alabama gear!  He had to help us cheer for Alabama against UT

We were all cheering for Alabama!  Roll Tide!

CUTIE!

On our way home.  This is exactly how the car rides go.  Penni is totally calm and laying down, and Hershee is crazy and panting the entire time.  

We loved getting to meet our new nephew!  It's amazing to hold and love on a 4 week old.  He's absolutely adorable, and I am not biased at all.  I can't wait to see him again at Christmas!