Magic City

We have been going nonstop since last September when we announced our move. Aside from the personal things keeping us busy, Daniel has been crazy busy at work and was ready to take some time off. I wanted to take a trip specifically during the school year because this is our last chance- Will starts Kindergarten this year (!) so everything will revolve around his breaks from here on out. We discussed many places and in the end chose Birmingham because it's close and we wouldn't have to spend a ton of money.
We knew any of our friends would be happy to put us up if we asked, but chose to stay in a hotel so we could surprise some folks and have a pool. We arrived in Magic City Saturday evening and went to church Sunday morning where everyone was surprised indeed. And you will be surprised to learn that it was Daniel who initiated this, not me. :) We were disappointed that Buddy, our pastor, was on a mission trip. I was really looking forward to his sermon. But we still heard a great, gospel-filled, truthful message. Daniel went to a guy's bible study, I went to dinner with some girls, Will got to swim, and we acted like tourists. It was really fun to just explore the city and relax as a family without commitments to attend to.

We visited the Vulcan- Daniel never went to the museum or in the tower- the zoo, botanical gardens and McWane Science Center. We ate at several of our favorite local eateries and walked our old stomping grounds-- where we always went shopping and even stopped in at Yogurt Mountain. We didn't have time to run by the house, but were uncertain about doing that anyway. I would've loved to meet up with some other friends and visit Hand in Hand where Maggie went for therapy, but time didn't allow to fit everything in.

I interchangeably used "home" to refer both to B'ham and our new home in Nashville. It's a strange feeling. But as we left, I told myself this was no longer home. And I think the trip helped me close that chapter of our lives. Don't get me wrong, I'm not miserable here in Nashville, but certainly have a lot of attachment to Birmingham. The place where we started. It will always be our first home as a married couple and family. I think even missing Buddy was God telling me it's no longer home, He's provided us with a new one. We enjoyed visiting our previous home, maybe we'll go back again one day.