Sweet Home Alabama

So much water has passed under the bridge since I last posted but the ripple effect is basically that we moved to Nashville in the fall when Andy became head basketball coach at Pope John Paul II High School. Our house in Huntsville is still for sale (go figure with the way the economy is). I had only been living in Nashville for a week when I had a seizure and ended up in the hospital....long story short, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. I am still reeling with bouts of vertigo and trying to get myself back to normal. We are currently living with our daughter, son in law and the 2 grandbabies to help me while I recover.

That just about sums up our mid-life adventure change so far. We keep praying for our house to sell so we can finally settle in and start our new life for real. Huntsville has always been home to me except for a short time in Tuscaloosa for college and a couple of years in Birmingham when I first married. I was born and bred here and this has always been my roots. Andy and I were anxious and excited to try something different for the second half of our lives when we started considering the move. I just didn't realize how hard it was going to be to leave and then even harder to stay away. Our housing crisis and my illness have only complicated the experience. I know if we can sell the house and finally get all our furniture and belongings back together we will be able to start building a new life.

In the meantime, I came back this week for a little sabbatical. This is the first time I have been able to drive by myself. I loaded up Arthur (our cat) and off we drove down I-65 to Sweet Home Alabama! As I drove into my driveway, I saw my redbud trees blooming and the scattered daffodils were peeking out all over the front yard. Wow, what a difference 100 miles makes!

The house was ice-cold when I came in as we had the furnace turned as low as it could go with out freezing the pipes. Arthur was anxious to jump out of the carrier and quickly began running up the stairs to investigate his familiar territory. I must admit that I spent the first hour also roaming throughout my house remembering all my things and just enjoying the experience. We have had the cable tv turned off, so the house is quiet and peaceful. I've been here for 2 days now and this afternoon was the first time I even thought about having any noise in the house. I turned on the stereo and adjusted the surround sound and listened to some of my favorite cd's. It was breezy but wonderfully warm at about 66 degrees so I sat in the sun in my favorite wicker rocker on my screened in porch for several hours this afternoon. This has been the best therapy for me since I got sick.

I have enjoyed visiting with my son and daughter in law for dinner the first night I was here and then Drew came again this afternoon for a little visit. Last night I had dinner with my best friend and we just curled up on the couches at her house and watched American Idol and talked and talked. So much fun. I also went out to my old office and visited with all my old work friends.
Today two other dear friends came by to see me and we laughed and chatted just like I had never gone away. Andy drove down this evening after work and we went out to dinner with two of our best friends tonight. Great dinner, wonderful conversation and company and just like we had never been gone. Life is so short. Don't take the little things for granted. Smell the roses everyday and thank God for all your blessings. Tomorrow we will pack up and head north again for Nashville. My little vacation here for only 2 days has refreshed my spirit. It is suppose to snow tomorrow in Nashville. I will take back warm memories of today on the screened porch. I thank God that I could come home again for this little visit. I plan to come back and do this again until the house sells!