Alabama road trip

The unofficial start to summer has begun! And of course, this means a little travel. First on the list: meeting up with my son, Jack, after he completed another semester at Auburn. The itinerary went something like this:

1. Fly to Atlanta

2. Drive to Auburn

3. Move TV from fraternity to a friend's house

3. Fill the jeep with gas

4. Commence road trip

The drive begins easily enough. Jack and I turn up the radio and hop on the highway. About an hour down the road, we exit the four-lane part of our journey and begin the two-and-a-half-hour trek on two-lane Alabama back roads. 

Once on the back roads, Jack tells me that it's now time to execute the finger wave. This is when you slowly raise your index and middle fingers off the steering wheel and give a friendly wave to the locals (it is imperative that the hand never leaves the wheel--otherwise it is not a finger wave). 

Driving these country roads, we pass countless acres of timber. We see lots of houses donning national championship flags for either Alabama or Auburn (the count seemed pretty even). We even pass through Brantley, the front porch city of Alabama. And just when we think we've seen it all, we pass through Sweet Home (think Lynyrd Skynyrd). Of course, no road trip through Alabama would be complete without a stop at the Chicken Shack in Luverne, so we stop for a spell and partake of a little Alabama-style fried chicken. 

As it becomes dark, we are nearing our destination--the beach! It's been a full day, but so worth it. Road trips are one of life's wild and wonderful experiences. Where are you road tripping this summer?

A wild & wonderful life in NYC

I ♥ NYC. So when my husband, who had meetings in the area, asked me if I wanted to meet him there for the weekend, I said, "Heck yes!" 

There is nothing better than spending time with my man in one of the "funnest" cities in the country.

We ate (at a restaurant famous for celebrity sighting) the best banana cream pie. The waiter told us that it was Joan Rivers' favorite. I can't speak for Joan--we did not visit with her--but the pie was fab!

We saw two great Broadway shows. One at Lincoln Center - beautiful.

We stopped by to say hello to a friend at Olde Good Things, an amazing store that uses proceeds to support an orphanage in Haiti.  

We spotted two celebrities.

We laughed, talked, slept in, walked, taxied, and read.

I hope New York never goes away. 

Water tower & waffles

What a wonderful way to spend 24 hours...with my son, Jack!

Jack attends Auburn University, a mere 14-hour drive from our home. Because of the distance, he doesn't come home much during the school year...so I go visit him. I fly to Atlanta, rent a car and drive one and a half hours to Auburn. As soon as I see the water tower with the Auburn logo, I know I'm close.

My recent visit included breakfast at the brand new waffle house. Judy, the waitress, was as pleasant as she could be. I learned new hash brown terms: smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped and country. (You'll have to visit a waffle house to understand.)
During this visit, the weather was glorious. Auburn had been stuck in a rain pattern and most days were rainy or cloudy for two weeks. This day, however, the sun appeared. One person tweeted "Hey Auburn people, look outside and notice the bright ball in the sky." My son and I enjoyed walking, talking, eating and shopping--all things a mom loves.

With my love tank full, I depart the town of Auburn, leaving behind the water tower and the waffle house. But I'm not leaving my son behind, for he remains in my heart.