Best Western Horseshoe Inn Alexander City

... I took the back roads and actually enjoyed the rolling hills, auburn colors and my first cotton field sighting. I happen to turn on the radio to listen to NPR as the annoying beeping of automated warning took over the station. I was about to change the station – didn’t want to listen to the warning – when the voice came on saying 70mph winds and a tornado threat was headed my direction. It was dark by ...

Heading South and into the sun. We left Asheville and drove back through the Smoky Mountains. The weather was completely different this time, foggy and rainy and absolutely amazing. It crazy how different one place can look depending on the weather. It was totally beautiful.

Once through the Smoky Mountains we headed back into Alabama for a few extra sights. First stop was Noccalula Falls in Gadsden ...

After months of planning and saving I am on my way to a strange country to meet a tour guide to see a new world. What an adventure!!!! We leave for Atlanta Airport. Chris my eldest son has come home to stay for the time I am gone to help Howard (my husband) with caring for our dogs. We get to the atlanta airport and all goes well. Until we taxi onto the runway and all planes to NY,NY are being held due to a storm in NY. Finally on to NY,NY

We made it!! After what ended up being a 5 hour layover in Chicago, we made it to Birmingham. Thanks to the coaxing of the flight attendant, I was able to sleep for most of the flight (whispered into the speaker: "Shhhh! You're getting very sleepy... you don't want anything to drink... peanuts give you gas... go to sleeeeep."). Fr. Jim from the Portland Catholic Worker picked us up from the airport. Michelle, Fr. Jim, Josh (part of the Oregon ...

... for the Heart of Dixies! I did not feel in a foreign place and people are pretty laid back. The weird thing is all these tiny little twns on the way there, they almost looked abandoned but people still do live there! Nice road trip... And lots of things to learn about my family too.

... notifying them of the very basic information for this trip. I wanted it to be a complete surprise. I enlisted the help of several members of my family, who also knew very little about this trip, to pass along information to the unsuspecting couple. Jane's role in Atlanta was to deliver the first message and to ensure that David and Arlette had scheduled the time off. Cynthia, better known as ...

Our LAST performance!!! Today was a bit emotional - partially because we are tired and partially because of all of our lasts for this year. We got to Birmingham in time for a quick lunch and then on to a retirement home to share our musical one more time. I wish all of could see the residents react to all of the songs...and the youth! I think my favorite part is when the students ...

Our team met for the first time today! There will be six of us going - Will, Andrea, Amy, Megan, Mom, and me. We went to lunch at Mexicali and just spent our time together getting to know one another better. Previously, I had a dream that the first time we met was when we got to the airport, so this lunch has ...

Well, things are looking up for us! Deposits have been paid. Applications are trickling in. Passports have been applied for (or located in the mysterious safe deposit box). And the latest information about vaccinations... None of these are REQUIRED, but the CDC definitely suggests them. Let's take the advice of those much smarter and wiser than ourselves. I definitely don't want to contract some ...

So my first trip to Africa was Sept 2004. I spent four months living in Johannesburg, working at Door of Hope, a children's home for orphaned and abandoned children. It was difficult for me to return to the States after seeing the great need with the children I worked with, prayed over, mothered. I've been praying since last January for a way, time, place, God's leading to return to Africa. In November Brook ...