Sweet Home Alabama! + Disney Challenge Day 10!

April 6th, 2011


I want to be honest with you all, and that is why I am telling you that this morning was somewhat rough. After not drinking alcohol since the end of January and then trying to last night, it wasn't as easy a return as I had expected.  However my Panera Bread tasted like heaven once I got around to it! I will mention that the Jack Daniels Distrillery is in a DRY COUNTY! Yes, a whiskey distillery in a county that you can not have a drink of alcohol in! WHAAAAT!! 


We left Nashville around 830am and were on our way for a tour through Alabama!! We drove through Birmingham and Montgomery before arrived in the Tri-State Area in Southern Alabama right near the Georgia and Florida borders. I took pictures in Birmingham/Montgomery and all along the route with Ashley's camera so hopefully she will post some of them soon and then I'll steal them and pop them up in here! Sorry it's so uneventful photo-wise! We stayed overnight in Dothan, Alabama.  It is known as the "Peanut Capital of the World" (there were many signs for people selling nuts along the highway), and they had a bunch of supersized Peanut statues around with peanuts dressed up in different outfits. 

First Class Nut 

Mona Peanut

Tomato Nut

Dothan was a nice little town with many many hotels, it seems like a lot of people stop on their way through the area.  They kept advertising a Tri-State Barbecue Fair on the weekend and it sounded realllly yummy.  I was only thinking about the barbecue sauce and not the face that they would be putting that sauce on meat. 


We checked into the Motel 6 (yeehaw!) and the front desk lady Susan was SO nice :) She even called once we were in our room to make sure everything was great and wished us safe travels and such if we didn't get to see her in the morning! So cute! We asked her for a good local restaurant with real southern cooking and she recommended The Blue Plate - and thank goodness we listened! It was delicious!!! Here is their website!  It was honestly so yummy. We walked in and everyone our age kind of looked at us like 'who are those girls?' but once we sat down the staff were friendly with amazing accents.  Ashley had Fried Chicken (YES!) with mashed potatoes, gravy and creamed corn.  She was it was unreal.  I had a 'veggie sampler' and had creamed corn, lima beans, mac & cheese and fried okra!! I was so excited to try okra ever since I heard about it on Top Chef! Apparently one of the judges didn't like it because it was always slimy, but then the cheg made it and changed his mind! Anyways, I was excited for it and it was good.  Although fried anything is usually good ;)


We went back to the hotel and I got an email that my sister Kim had gone to the hospital to have her baby!! I was kept up to date by my Dad, my other sister Carrie and Kim's dear friend Angie!  Everything went well and I am so excited that at 3:04am (6:04am my time) my little niece Clodagh was born with 10 toes, 10 fingers and great health!!! My sister is doing great, Clodagh is doing great, Gar is doing great and all is well!! I right away felt really sad that I wasn't in Vancouver for the big moment, although I would have most likely been sitting in the waiting room or at home with Lily pug while it happened. I wanted to go home then and meet the little Munchkin and it was hard continuing on the trip at least until I talked to Gareth on the phone the next day.  Clodagh is an Irish name (pronounced "Clo-da") and she is the cutest little lady ever. I know people say that all babies are cute, but they aren't. Some are kind of weird looking. I'm not just playing favourites either, Clodagh actually is absolutely adorable! I don't think Kim and Gar want her all over the internet just yet, but I shall try to snag a picture when I'm allowed! :)  I finally knew that it would be Princess dresses that I would be buying over the next year!! Soooo exciting!!! I barely slept but it didn't matter, I was way toooo excited! I'm an Auntie!!!

Disney Challenge Day 10: Favourite Song

I love love love the music from Beauty and the Beast. From Belle to Gaston to Something There to Beauty and the Beast (Tale as old as Time), they are all incredible songs. Not to mention Be Our Guest! I use to sing that through the dining room at Le Cellier sometimes and it made me so happy.  It's hard to compare the classic Disney songs with the newer ones as well. You can't say anything bad about "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin or "I Wanna be Like You" from the Jungle Book, but "Almost There" from Princess and the Frog is incredible and helps me on my long runs, as does "Go the Distance" from The Hercules.  Then there is "God Help the Outcasts" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame that is just so moving. How are you suppose to choose?  Hello the Circle of Life?! Or "I Just Can't Wait to be King," (Lion King) or "I Won't Say I'm in Love" (Hercules) or "Hi-Ho" (Snow White) or "The Bare Necessities" (Jungle Book) or "Some day My Prince Will Come" (Snow White) or, as I sang in a music festival in grade 3 "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes" (Cinderella). Then there is the pre-teenage angst years with "Reflection" from Mulan where you relate so well because you want people to see the real you...or was that just me? "Colours of the Wind" or "Just Around the River Bend" from (Pocahontas) were some of my favourites when I was younger, I was in a dance recital that included Pocahontas music! I'm totally leaving out the wonder that is the music from The Little Mermaid (Under the Sea is great for running, and Part of that World goes well with Reflection for pre-teen angst).  Don't even get me started on theme park music...

Clearly there is no BEST Disney song, just my favourite, and I have two. The first means a lot to me because it was Walt Disney's favourite song.  He use to call the Sherman Brothers to his office and ask them to play it, and this is what he wanted to hear: 

Mary Poppin's Feed The Birds.  It has such a potent message and is so simple at the same time.  I think it also shows the true spirit of Walt.  

Disney fact: If you go to meet Mickey in his new Town Square location at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, look on the desk across from where Mickey is standing. There is a bag sitting on the desk labelled 'Tupence.' ;)

My second choice is the Disney song of all Disney songs...When You Wish Upon a Star. It's the ultimate song for believing in the power of your dreams, especially when Louis Armstrong sings it...