The Journey Begins: Atlanta to Birmingham and Athens Alabama

Welcome to Alabama!

I don't start work at Grand Canyon National Park (stationed in Flagstaff, Arizona) until June 2, but I decided to get an early start to my cross-country drive this past Wednesday.  After getting my condo cleaner than it has been since starting my MBA and packing up the essentials for the summer, I headed out of Atlanta around 8:15 pm on May 23.  I can't count the number of times I have traveled I-20 West to Birmingham since moving to Atlanta eight years ago, so this part of the journey was easy to navigate.  At each state crossing I'm attempting to get a snapshot of the "welcome to" sign with my iPhone as I drive (very carefully of course).  The photo to the right was my first attempt.  You can just barely make out the word Alabama....

My first day in the yellowhammer state started rather early compared to my lounging days on Hilton Head Island last week.  My almost three-year-old godson John Bryan had been expecting my visit, so he was excited to wake me up at about 7:30 am.  He was very patient not waking me up at his usual wake-up time of about 5 am.  John Bryan to his mom Amanda that he did not wake me up because I was "really asleep."

Caroline Edin, Katie Grace and Julie, John Bryan,
Amanda and William Ward, and me, Aunt Bliz.

On Thursday, we took what John Bryan called a BIG TRIP to Athens, Alabama (about 1.5 hours north of Birmingham) to meet our college friend Julie and her little girls Katie Grace (2.5 years old) and Caroline Edin (born in January). John Bryan and Katie Grace had fun at Cracker Barrel and the duck pond park, while their little siblings, Baby Will and Caroline, cooed, played with their feet and took short naps. Amanda, Julie and I had a great time catching up and I enjoyed getting know all the little ones better.

Aunt Bliz, Mr. Beeson (great benefactor to
 Samford) and John Bryan in front of the
library on the quad at Samford.

Amanda, John Bryan, Baby Will and I had another great day on Friday.  It started with a walk around our alma mater Samford University with John Bryan's other godmother Aunt Katie.  The stairs around campus were a little tricky to navigate with Will's stroller, but Amanda and Katie managed very well.  Samford was extremely quiet as students are already home or off on adventures for the summer.  Despite the lack of activity, we had fun sharing memories and seeing how much has changed (and how much has stayed the same) in the eight years since we graduated.  It's hard to believe that I have lived in Atlanta twice as long as I lived in Birmingham - my twenties really flew by!

The rest of my time in Alabama was spent visiting with Amanda's family, which included taking John Bryan on a long, hot run Saturday morning run and eating delicious Chinese food for dinner.  It was a great visit and wonderful way to begin my summer adventure west!