Southern Roadtrip: Atlanta Part II

The Atlanta skyline greeted us as we drove back into the city. Jarrett's sister Sarah and her family drove down from Charlotte to hang out with us and end our trip on a high note with some sweet memories!

Getting some cousin love....Nate (3 yrs) and Lindsay (2 yrs) were SO excited to see each other.

They totally melted our hearts when they gave each other a hug- unprompted!!

We got to meet our new niece, Ameila Diane, who we will be attending her baptism in July. We could not get over what a good girl she was- didn't even hear her cry once, and what a happy baby. Sweet Dolly!

After a yummy southern lunch at Mary Mac's Tea Room, where we dined on favorites like sweet potato souffle, cornbread, and chicken pot pie, we took the kids to the Atlanta Children's Museum.  Nate and Lindsay had fun at all the exhibits while us parents got the opportunity to visit between chasing the kiddos around.

Picasso's in training

Big Brother & Little Sister: Jarrett & Madison (3 months) and Sarah & Amelia (4 months). It still amazes me that Sarah and Katie were able to grow up with such an ornery older brother and still like him. LOL.

Nate LOVED the fishing pond and had fun looking for blue fish to catch.

Lindsay did some hillbillie hand fishing too.

A budding tap dancer? She had fun putting on a performance for Daddy!

Handsome Husband, wonderful Daddy!!

Pure joy.

We had so much fun with you Morris Family!! Love you guys!

Our flight back to LA wasn't until 2pm, so we took the opportunity to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK Jr. preached and leader of the Civil Rights Movement met. It was a beautiful church, and a powerful reminder that through God all things are possible.

 

Final resting place of MLK Jr. and his wife

Don't judge... had to stop in at "the pig" just one time for kicks and giggles.

Our last lunch in the south was BBQ (of course) and it was at a yummy hole-in-the-wall kind of place that honestly, we were a little afraid our yelp map took us somewhere sketchy. We saw a ton of police and firemen outside eating there for lunch, and knew we found a local gem.

We came. We saw. We ate. A LOT of good food. We had a fun trip, although I am not sure we would do the road trippin' part again until the girls are older. It was pretty rough at times with both kids crying while we were lost or navigating a tough area. One thing Jarrett and I have in common is our love of traveling. I am such a lucky gal to be married to a man who loves spontaneity- we planned and took this trip within two weeks, start to finish! When we first got married we opened up frequent flyer accounts and have cashed in our miles to take some really cool trips through the years. Fortunately, we are both in a profession (education) that will allow our family to take trips during the summers.

We made some great memories, and got a taste of what living in the south is like. All in all, you know it was a great trip when you open your suitcase to unpack and your clothes still smell like that tasty BBQ.

Southern Road Trip: Oxford, Tuscaloosa & Montgomery

Before we drove down to Mississippi, we visited downtown Memphis and the Lorraine Motel, where MLK Jr. was shot.

Lindsay was so excited to see the trolley... she said "Choo Choo Train!"

My big girl... sight seeing in downtown Memphis.

After a fun time in Tennessee, we ventured south to Oxford, Mississippi to stop by University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss. Jarrett LOVES to visit colleges while on vacation wherever we go, so we had lunch in the town square and drove around the campus.

 

Gorgeous, shady trees were all over the campus... and the stadium was HUGE. This is where the movie "The Blind Side" is set in.

Lyceum build in 1848, (the big building with the white pillars above) was the set of an event in the Civil Rights Movement where the MS Governor refused to let James Meredith, the first African American student be admitted in the 1962. Rioting ensued, and the state guard had to escort him inside. During the civil war, the building was used as a hospital for union soldiers.  

We visited Greek Row.. Jarrett snapped a shot of the KA house. I told him to use his secret handshake and get a tour, but he was chicken. Also, I think it would probably break some sort of code having a wife and two babies hanging out. LOL

A sweet student who lives in Oxford bought Lindsay a book from Square Book Store... The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
We LOVED the cute town square, and all the school pride.

Ajax Diner..... We ate Shrimp Po' Boys with Pimento Cheese (just because it was on the menu and we never tried it). Ate a squash casserole that my Grandma Cross used to make... so yummy!

We continued to Alabama and to Tuscaloosa.  We stopped in at the University of Alabama (Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, Bama) where the school spirit was insane. Every car, building, gas station, etc... had some sort of school sticker. We saw where the huge tornado last year (almost to the day we were there) ripped through the community and left many buildings reduced to rubble.

This was just one of the many, many huge buildings all over the campus. Hands down, biggest university we have ever been to. It was a metropolis... more than 16,000 students. More than the town I grew up in!

We spent the night in Tuscaloosa and visited the pool. It wasn't heated, so we swam in the jacuzzi. It felt pretty good after the cold pool!

This picture was taken at 8:30pm and our happy girl was all smiles when she saw her waffle.

Alright east coast folks, make fun of us if you want, but we had to stop and eat a a Waffle House. We had been seeing them on the road for days, and wanted to sample the local cuisine. LOL. I think my favorite was the customizable hash browns...Who would have thought you could put sauteed mushrooms, onions, cheese, chili and make them even more yummy? A person can't eat like that everyday, but it was a fun stop. We woke up the next day and headed to Montgomery, AL.

We checked out the White House of the Confederacy. The home was restored beautifully, and it was fun to see all the period furnishings. My favorite was a gorgeous gown they had displayed.

Alabama State Capitol

The museum was closed, but we got to see the site where Rosa Parks stood her ground and kept her seat on the bus.

One of the places I really wanted to visit while in Montgomery was called Old Alabama Town. It is a collection of houses, church, and school that covered several blocks in downtown Montgomery and depicted everyday life in Alabama at the turn of the century. It was so hot that morning, we felt like people thought we were crazy dragging two babies around to the un-air conditioned buildings.

A sweaty Mama and Madison at a general store.

Old Town Alabama street

Already a great student! They still used this one room school up until the 1950's...nuts!

After we saw an ambulance called for a fourth grader who had overheated (he was ok after some water), we thought we better pack up our kiddos before any of us melted. We were so glad to get back to our air conditioned mini van to crank the air and let the girls nap while we drove back to Atlanta, where it all started.

Southern Road Trip: Nashville & Memphis

After we left Kennesaw, we continued onto Nashville, Tennessee. Here are our little road warriors...

We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (next door to the Grand Ole Opry) which reminded us of Sam's Town (near Las Vegas) without the gambling. There was a river running through the hotel, lots of cute shops and restaurants.

Lindsay was scared of this horse until Daddy picked her up. Tickle Tickle!

Me and my girlies!

These billboards were posted ALL over Nashville. It was strange for us to see reminders of Bakersfield so far away, and when we told folks we were originally from Bakersfield, for them not to laugh.

I have fond memories of my Grandpa watching Grand Ole Opry... had to snap a pic!

The next day we checked out Vanderbilt University, which was gorgeous, and visited the Parthenon. Not the one in Greece, but a duplicate one set in a park next to the university.

Think...tiny humans built something that big without cranes- amazing!

Madison Grace, 3 months old

Daddy and Lulu feeding some ducks with fancy palates. They were ignoring the leftover 'cookie' from the airplane we were tossing...

We drove to Memphis, and on our way stopped at Casey Jones (Remember the song in Dumbo "Casey Jr coming down the tracks..") Railroad Museum. We didn't go in the museum, but did check out the country store and ate at the connected buffet. We noticed that there were lots of buffets in the south. This particular one was packed, so we knew it must be good. There was actually a person making griddle cakes (with real bacon grease) on a griddle in the middle of the buffet. Let's just say my diet was blown before my first bite.

Lulu in front of the cute country store candy

Saw on a sign in the country store: "Shopping with your husband is like hunting with the game warden." So true. Loved it!

We arrived in Memphis in the afternoon and drove by Graceland. Jarrett and I first dance as a married couple was to "I can't help falling in love with you".... Seven years later, still falling in love you, Babe!

We ate at Central BBQ http://www.cbqmemphis.com/, which was hands down, the BEST BBQ I have ever tasted. The girls were sick of the car and needed to run around, so we got it to go and ate it in our hotel room. Not the same ambiance, but hey, it was still the best and I can only imagine what it is like at the restaurant.

Pulled Pork, Ribs (1/2 dry rub, 1/2 wet) mac n' cheese, bbq baked beans, cornbread, and BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos. YUM!

Because we are silly, we wanted to drive across the bridge to Arkansas just to say we had been there. We drove across the Mississippi River- it was the first time I had ever seen it!

We went to bed and woke up in Memphis ready to head out to our next destination, Oxford, MS!!

Southern Road Trip: Atlanta Part I

Call us crazy, but last week the Fisher's took our first roadtrip to the Southern part of the US! Why the south? Well, we have done the Northeast. I have always wanted to check out the southern states, and Jarrett's idea of a vacation always involves touring universities. So, we flew into Atlanta, rented a rocking mini van, and put on Veggie Tales and we were off.  In seven whirlwind days we visited Georgia, Tennesee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. With a toddler. And a 3 month old. Here are pics of our adventure...

Our little flyer... she did great! She is quite seasoned, having been on over 6 flights before she was 2.
Madison did wonderful on her first flight- slept, nursed and cooed. The people in front of us stood up after the flight and said, "Oh! I didn't even know there was a baby behind me!".

First stop: Atlanta, Georiga. Isn't this the cutest welcome sign ever?

We ate here our first night in Atlanta. Fried Catfish marinated in hot sauce and sweet tea. YUM!

We flew into Atlanta, and after a night of adjusting to sleeping all together in one hotel room, we woke up and met up with our sweet friends, the Gross's on our way to Nashville. We met the Gross's at Pepperdine, and they have three adorable little ladies that Lindsay had a blast playing with! Lindsay still talks about Abby Jane, and says she wants to go back to her house.

Lindsay made herself quite at home. She found a tutu and a bike within minutes.

Lulu and Blythe.. they were fast friends.

Here's our guys, talking about dissertations... Both have families and full time jobs and are cranking those doctoral degrees out. We are so proud of them!

The crew after a delicious BBQ lunch (the first of our trip) and some sweet conversations. Emily is a wonderful Mama, and I am contantly amazed by her ability to juggle three girls, a sewing ministry (check out 418stiches) and be a shining light for Christ. She inspires me! We left our friends and began driving our first leg of our tour, to Nashville!

3 Months

Madison Grace, 3 months

Our sweet baby girl turned 3 months during our Southern Roadtrip (more postings to come!) so we have a few photos of her first week of 3 months...

Her favorite way to be held: Looking out at the world! She doesn't want to miss a thing!

Miss Madison has been busy growing! I am not sure of her stats because we don't go to the pediatrician until next month, but she seems to be gaining weight steadily, and has grown out of a few of her 3 month old jammies. I hopped on the scale the other day with her and she is definitely over 12 lbs!

*Eating- This girl loves to eat. I think if I let her she would nurse all day. I am pretty sure that her tummy troubles are over (knock on wood!) and she is a happy, smiley, cooing and just plain delightful child. Instead of having a milk allergy, I did some research and figured out I had an oversupply of milk, which causes a lot of the same symptoms. Once I figured out my breastfeeding issue, (either that or she just grew out of it) she was so much better. She is a drooling machine, and still spits up (although less frequently) often. I am wondering if she will be an early teether?

*Sleeping- She is a really good independent sleeper, and loves her crib. I will wake up and hear her cooing in the mornings and 'talking' to the sweet little birdies on her bumper. Her first sleep stretch at 7pm is usually her longest, around 3-4 hours. Lately she has been giving me more sleep in the am and waking up every 3-4 hours on the dot, instead of only 2. Although I am waking up at night on average 2-3 times, she goes back down quickly so I can't complain! She takes 3 naps per day, at around 1.5 hours each, and her awake times have increase to almost 2 hours.

*Hair/Eyes- She still has tons of hair, although a lot of it has fallen out. It is soft brown and she has big, bright deep blue eyes, which sometimes look green. I think she looks a lot like Lindsay at this age, especially her chunky cheeks.

*Personality- Sweet Talker!! Check out the video below to hear her cooing. I am not sure if Lindsay was particularly quiet, or just that our second little lady needs to be heard, but she is a vocal child! She lets us know quickly if she is hungry, needs a change of scenery or a cuddle (she is also a cuddle bug!). She coos, squeals, says "ah goo" and consonants... I think she isn't going to let big sis boss her around too much. She is still gaining better control of her head/neck, and we are working up time on her tummy. Her legs are getting stronger, and she is beginning to like standing on your legs. She is just such a little joy, and completes our family so perfectly! We are truly blessed to be her parents!