Last weekend we decided to take an impromptu trip down to the South to take in some golfing and visit people from Jason's mission. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi about 10 years ago. Jason had 4 conditions on where we could go..1 - had to be somewhere warm. 2 - had to be at least 5 hours driving time away but we had to fly. 3 - he gets to drive a convertible while there. 4 - we spend the trip together!
Somehow we managed to meet all his conditions with our wonderful trip...
We started the trip in Nashville, Tennessee and drove down to Birmingham, Alabama. Our first morning there we played golf in beautiful weather! It was a perfect relaxing morning!
Then we headed down to Selma, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama. Selma is where the Civil Rights movement got it's start as well as being extremely historical in regards to the Civil War. We took in the State Capital, the Confederate White House, and Vulcan Park. While in Selma, we went to the Old Live Oak Cemetary - now I know it's odd to put a picture of a cemetary on a blog posting but it was beautiful there...
Then we headed back up to Huntsville, Alabama with a little stop along the way to Birmingham & Gardendale. We went through the Civil Rights Institute and it was amazing! It was definitely eye-opening! Then we stopped in Gardendale, Alabama and visited with some people that Jason knew from when he lived there years ago. It was great to visit with everyone and they were so kind to us. We also got to see the new LDS temple that was built in Gardendale.
The first thing we did in Huntsville the next morning was take in another round of golfing! Jason was truly in heaven! Following a morning of golf we drove back into Tennessee to another one of Jason's areas that he lived in but unfortunately we didn't run into anyone that time. To finish off the day we went on a tour of the Jack Daniel's Distillery...now to make something very clear - we don't drink alcohol so you may be wondering why we went on a tour of a distillery...it was actually very historical and interesting! We learned a ton and at the end of the day neither of us had any desire to take a drink.
Our final day of touring the south was definitely directed toward Diana! I have always been a huge civil war buff - I think it started because I loved the big dresses the women wore and the huge antibellum homes. So our last day out we went on a tour of an antibellum home and saw some Civil War battlefields and museums. It was fascinating! We both love history and there is something so cool about seeing places you've learned about it school come alive in person!
Finally we headed back to the airport and back home to Chi town. It was a wonderful trip and just what we needed to relax and unwind from the daily stresses of life! In addition to seeing a ton of stuff we also got to eat some wonderful food, 'nana puddin', Cracker Barrel's Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola Cake (unbelievably good), grits, southern BBQ (although I think I like Jason's better), boiled peanuts (only Diana fully appreciated those) and enjoy good ole Southern Hospitality. We had a great deal on hotels through priceline and Jason was in heaven when the rental agency gave us a convertible to drive.
So as they say in the south...Y'all come back now!