Photoshoot for Winston

wheelbarrow

Winston and his "grandma" :)

how do you do?

hugs

interrupting duke's never-ending study sesh!

true feelings about flight school

Last night Winston was craving some attention. After ignoring him a while, I gave in and it ended in a photoshoot. Love this little doggy! 

Alabama

Last Tuesday-Friday I drove with my mom all over Alabama doing family history research. I have to say, I've never really been into family history, but I've been starting to get into it a little more as I learn a little more about my ancestors. Especially going to where they lived and seeing actual documents from their time period, it makes them more real and interesting and relevant. And it's kind of fun trying to piece bits of their life together. Here are some pictures from the past week. (this is my mom's side, so for all my bushman cousins, these are your peeps too!)

Original land deed to Benjamin Foscue my 4th great grandfather 

Um, Alabama is gorgeous.

Finding some graves

So my 4th great grandfathers' brother's house is still standing in Demopolis, AL that was built in 1840 and they've turned it into a restaurant! How cool is that? Unfortunately, it's only open for dinner on the weekends, so we didn't get to eat there.

We checked out some other plantation homes in the area-turns out a Foscue married the son of the guy who built this house, and they lived in it! It was really really pretty inside.

Cool Methodist Church (also built back in 1850's I believe) 

Plantation Home City!!!! I loved it. 

Reseraching at the Birmingham Library 

Made some time for a temple trip

It kinda looks like I'm squatting to go to the bathroom here, but I'm not. We were searching this unruly pretty much abandoned cemetery for an ancestors grave. We found out she was def buried here, but there were too many weeds, snake holes, spider webs,  and poison ivy for our flip flops and shorts to check every grave.  

record of 3rd great grandmother's marriage in Rockford, AL courthouse.

Seriously, look how old that book is! I love it.

Found out my 4th great grandfather was a pastor at this Baptist church that was practically in the middle of nowhere. Not the original church, they said it was built over the original.

Stopped in Montgomery to eat and drove by the First White House of the Confederate.

Civil Rights Monument in Montgomery. That black wall has water rolling over it. It gave me chills!

So that was the trip. Yesterday we went to the beach, dinner and saw Batman-really good, but I couldn't help but be scared that a crazy gunman was going to come in the exit door at any minute, and we were not in a good spot for that. Tomorrow we're going to Marianna, FL where these peeps moved to see what we can find there.

Friends and Family

I've been really lucky living here in Florida to (so far) have 2 of my best friends and their families vacation in the area, which means I got to go see them and enjoy the beach. My friends Jenna's family was down here in May in Gulf Shores and Stacy's fam is here right now in Gulf Shores. I went down yesterday and left this afternoon bc my mom came into town for the week (more on that later). 

Stacy has been my friend for SOOOO long. Almost 11 years. She moved to Bentonville the beginning of 9th grade when we were both young 14 year olds. She hated the place but she went to my church and we had classes together and by the next year we were BFF's. And we've been BFF's ever since. It was SOO fun seeing her and reminiscing and cracking up. She is probably the most hilarious person I know. Anyways, here's the 2 pictures I took of us.

I had to post that last pic, bc it cracks me up every time! It was obviously very sunny and I couldn't even see my phone. But we had to take one without sunglasses! Ha.

Anyways, it was so good to see her. My mom came into town today as well to do a family history trip! I guess we have ancestors that are from the Birmingham, AL area and Jacksonville, FL area, so I'll be going around with her this week trying to find dead people. Well, records of them. Should be fun though, I'm actually excited to learn more about my ancestors. Makes me appreciate them more and to feel an actual connection. 

Duke Turns 30

Saturday was Duke's 30th birthday. We began celebrations on Friday by going out to eat at our favorite restaurant in Pensacola-The Global Grill. Everything was delicious, minus my pick for dessert. Note to self-no matter how good ice cream & berries sounds...do not get it! Especially when chocolate cake is also on the menu.

I told him to pretend we found out winston was a puppy again. Apparently that thought doesn't make him as excited as it does me...)

Saturday morning I made him his favorite blueberry pancakes (with freshly picked blueberries!). If you like pancakes, you should probably click that link, bc these pancakes are the bomb.com). And he opened a couple gifts I got him. We also headed to Pensacola's Farmer's Market and went and got our workout on. 

Coffee book picture books of America-just what he wanted! (he looks a little creepy here if you look too long)

Birthday boy & birthday pancakes

That night we celebrated his birthday with some friends.

I tried to make it a really special birthday for him. That night he told me it was the best birthday he's ever had because someone cared about it more than he did. Melted my heart.

 I love you Duke! Happy 30th.