Call it Kismet....

  Just this past Friday, I was whining to the hubs about it being Labor Day weekend and having nothing to do. We had planned to attend church with my MIL on Sunday and hopefully meet up with Arlene, Jon and their kids and go swimming on Monday. B happened to call his mom post- game on Saturday night and she told us that after church, she planned on visiting family in Ardmore, AL. Her brother and SIL had just moved back home from Florida, so she was excited to see them. She invited us to come, but we wanted to make sure they had room for us, as we all planned to spend the night. In the meantime, we journeyed to Wal-Mart for some groceries.

  We didn't hear a thing until 10 AM on Sunday morning,  and we hurriedly packed our suitcases and cooler with all of the necessities. In my rush, I forgot to call/msg Arlene (bad Angel!). Luckily, she is a SAHM too, so she understands the occasional missed phone call and chaos. (Thanks, Ar!) My MIL graciously offered to pay for our gas there and back and she sat in the back of our extended cab with the kiddos. Thankfully, my babies behaved and it was only a 1 1/2 hour road trip.

  My husband grew up in Ardmore, AL. It is literally a stone's throw away from Pulaski ,TN and a 30 minute drive from Huntsville, AL. While I had been there a few times before with him, there was just something very special about this trip. I guess because so much has changed in our lives since our last visit. We are now married with children of our own, living the life we dreamed of back when we were dating, and driving down these same roads.

  To describe Ardmore to you, it's very reminiscent of Mayberry-yes the tv show. While there is more than one gas station, barber, etc, it still very much has a small town feel to it. Even though the big city is just a short drive away, you almost feel like you have gone back in time. It is amazing to have pefect strangers wave and smile at you and actually want to know how you are. The neighbors know each other, customer service is alive (gasp!) and traffic is not standstill (ahhhhh....). There is just something so very serene about smelling fresh air, seeing wide open spaces with actual corn fields, haystacks, grazing farm animals and not much else to distract the senses.

  We had a fabulous time with extended family as we got back to nature (not camping-I am high maintenance, lol). Not once did we worry about calls on cell phones, texts, tv shows, or hopping online. We all could not stay indoors. It's almost as if our bodies had been craving the outdoors. The added bonus of perfect weather, lack of mosquitoes and a summer breeze were even more tempting....

  We sat on the porch swing, then took a walk around the vast amount of acreage, including a stocked catfish pond, storm shelter, and many other cool places.The children ran free like wild horses, with no fear of overbearing parents, screaming for their offspring to stay close for fear of being run over by speed demons.

  The view of the pond, roaming ducks, gorgeous green grass, trees and flowers was intoxicating. There is nothing like sitting on the edge of a dock, feeling a cool breeze across your face, while listening to crickets chirp and fish jumping. It's like the sweetest lullaby ever.

  Later that night, the hubs, myself and the kids hopped in the truck and picked up some breakfast items and Sun Drop (Mtn. Dew is a cheap imitation!) and then proceeded to take a ride through town. B showed us his alma mater, his childhood home and the house that used to belong to his grandparents. He told me of all the fun they would have and how nice it was to walk from his house to his grandparents and be safe. I don't want to sound all cheesy, but I had never felt more in love with my husband  than at this moment. I started having new dreams of us moving to his hometown with our little family and  making new memories of our own. :-D

  Lately, with the new business, Brian's last few  classes before graduation, and his regular job, we have been really stressed. We have also been dealing with some other personal things that have been very draining.  It's like fate brought us on this impromptu getaway. It was like food for our soul. Have you ever traveled somewhere and thought, this could be a new life for me? A place to start anew? Well, Ardmore is that special place for us. With idyllic countryside, a small town atmosphere, the best schools in the state and great job opportunities as well as awesome pay, it seems like a perfect fit. It's amazing how your life can change in one weekend. It was hard to leave-because it felt like home.....