We Welcome Friday!

TGIF! Good morning to you and yours for those of you reading today. In my little world, today marks the end of a great week spent experiencing Birmingham with my little sister, Mary Kathryn. It also marks the beginning of what should be an awesome weekend. Like most, today is my Husband's last work day which is always exciting, but it is also the day Jordan (Tony's younger, but bigger brother), will travel and join all the Birmingham fun!

This past week my sister and I toured just about everything you can tour in the city of Birmingham. We visited the regular hot spots, but also took a plunge into the unknown. While visiting The Vulcan, Mary Kathryn truly tested her fear of heights, but loved the gorgeous sunset views atop downtown. At the Zoo/Gardens we saw the typical caged animals and flowers, taste tested delicious cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, got lost in Liberty Park on our way to view the mini Statute of Liberty, sampled hot and fresh potatoe chips at the Golden Flake Factory, and lastly experienced just about everything Oak Mountain State Park had to offer. Needless to say, she and I have had plenty of bonding moments!

Although Mary Kathryn and I have lived in Alabama in years past, we never had the opportunity to sightsee the state’s highlights. Birmingham had many historical, yet diversely unique places to offer that most residents of the state probably have never seen. Unique to Birmingham is Rickwood Field which is America's oldest baseball field opened in 1910. It also is the original home to the Birmingham Barons. Secondly, the mini Statute of Liberty was extremely amusing assuming Mary Kathryn and I have never traveled to see the real deal. According to the plaque at its base, the bronze replica statue was first cast in France in 1958, and moved to its present location in 1989. At 36 feet tall this is among the largest Liberty replicas in the U.S. with a flame constantly burning in the torch. Lastly, the Golden Flake Factory was extremely fun. Not only could we taste test awesome chips coming off the transport belt, this factory is one of two factories in America which supply an assortment of Golden Flake chips to many southern and eastern states. As a future educator and college student, I would definitely recommend these places as top spots to tour if you live in the Alabama area or are traveling through Birmingham.

As you can tell, it has been a good but busy filled week and it is still not over yet! This weekend my Husband and I are heading off to Hotlanta, taking our siblings on yet a few more tours. We love, love, love this city and want to make stops at The Varsity, Georgia Aquarium, and then do the Braves Chop with our favorite MLB team at Turner Field. To end the weekend we get to visit with our parents, so everyone is excited and we should all be tired by Sunday! For now, I am off to bake some Jim-N-Nick's cheese biscuits while we wait for Jordan to arrive. Until next time, happy blogging!