A Piece of Alabama Heaven

Miracles do happen. And I am living proof.

I just met another girl from Alabama. Living here. In Jersey!


Yep. You read correctly. There is another slow-talkin', sweet-tea-makin', peach-cobbler-cookin', kids-running-around-the yard, come-on-in-just-as-you-are, feel-like-I've-known-you-all-my-life Southern belle running around New Jersey. This place will never be the same.

I met her a few weeks ago at a mom's event. I'd heard she had just moved from Alabama to the Garden State. I admit, I was a little giddy to be meeting someone from my own backyard.

She pulled up a few minutes late and unloaded her four kids. Wow. She was skinny and beautiful. Dang it. I decided I could still like her. :)

As she headed over to the group, she went to grab her keys. But, they weren't there... She'd locked her keys in her car.

At that moment, I knew we was gonna be tight.

We have spent the past month hanging out and chatting on the phone. We have shared and laughed. It brings tears to my eyes to watch our oldest two play together. They both have missed their Alabama friends tremendously and seem so thankful to have a friend to relate to.

The thing is, they get it. They know what it feels like to miss Nana's, Maw-Maw's and cousins. They miss Auburn football and Vacation Bible School with friends. It's a lot to adjust to. It's been hard for us, but I know it's been hard for the kids, too.

I will say, God has brought me so many friends since I have lived here. And for that, I am so grateful. But, I still can't believe that He brought me a new friend from home...to make this feel more like home.


Thankful.

As they left to go home tonight, we all waved and hollered as they loaded their suburban to drive away.   My heart was more full than it has been since moving here. I feel amazed, that I have someone here that gets me. That understands. That also needs family away from family.

(Speaking of family, my mom knows her family. We aren't related, though, that I know of... Hey, it is Alabama people...)

So, here's to our Jersey future. And until we get back home to Alabama, God is taking care of us with more friends, and now, more family than we can count.

My precious new friend and I, with her youngest son.

Yeah, our kids ran around in diapers. That's how we roll. 

Say "ALABAMA!!!!"

Say, "NEW JERSEY!!!"

Redneck in Jersey

Our welcome gift to Jersey? 18 inches of snow.

 Fellow Southerners, here are ways to stand out in this neck o' the woods...

1. Refer to it as "New Jersey".

It is simply "Jersey" up here in the North. Write it down.

2. Talk.

Dead give-away. I've tried to mask my Southern draw at times so people could understand me better, but I only end up sounding like a goob.

3. Say you're excited about visiting New York City.
It is simply referred to as "the city." Helpful Hint: Use little enthusiasm when you say it. As in, "Yes. dah'ling. I'll be having brunch out on the terrace and then going into the city."

4. Ask what "jug handles" are. 

Jersey doesn't allow left turns on most major roads, so you must turn right to go left. Just don't ask. 

5. Drive off with the gas nozzle still in your car.
A man might chase you down screaming. Simply explain that where you're from, you pump your own gas and are having a hard time getting used to the 'Don't Pump Your Own Gas' law. But take note: He won't care.

6. "Improvise" when there is no diaper around.
See picture below.

Hey, it got us home. All I'm sayin'.

7. Cry when people are short with you.
People are brutally honest up North. Hey, a librarian made me cry. A librarian. It's not something I'm proud of.

8. Call a grocery cart a "buggy". 
That most certainly will get you shot.

9. Let your son run around outside in his diaper.

Yes, it is cute, but the neighbors will talk. I do it anyway.

10. Do random acts of lunacy. 

Recently, I drove around with a dirty diaper stuck on top of my car for a few days. I didn't know it was there. (thanks, honey) That's a sure-fire way to say, "I'm not from 'round here."

PS. Refer to this list if you are ever passing through the Garden State. It might come in quite handy. (or at least explain the dirty looks)

(or "Bama", as some call me up here)

My First Blog

I, Brianne, do solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, the ugly truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

You wanna know something? I don't enjoy reading blogs.

Well, occasionally, I'll click a link on Facebook when something sounds interesting, but that's about it.

For starters, I don't have time to read blogs. I am a wife, a stay-at-home mother of two (one being a toddler who just so happens to be sleeping which is the only reason I am able to even be typing this), a volunteer, a control-freak, a Southern belle who was just transplanted to another planet (called New Jersey) a little over a year ago.

Secondly, I have viewed most "Mommy bloggers" as women who have it all together. I have viewed them as organized, crafty, picture-perfect, successful, fashionable, training-for-a-marathon, ain't-my-life grand, I-deserve-Mommy-of-the-year-cuz-my-kids-don't-eat-high-fructose-corn-syrup kind of women.

No thank you. I think I'd rather just sit and Pinterest for a while and see a thousand other ways I can't seem to compete with the plethora of supermoms these days. At least that way I can tell myself that those ideas came from lots of different people and not just one person.

I mean, really. Why can't I get it together like these women? I try and try to implement things, but I never seem to stick with them. My exercise routines are anything but consistent and the last time I even had time to make a craft, I hot-glued some buttons onto a onesie for Austin's first birthday. I used hot-glue because I couldn't use a sewing machine if my life depended on it. Sometimes I even imagine what life would be like living in a home where my kid's playroom toys are color-coordinated. A place where my kids could sit at perfectly organized craft tables painting houses surrounded by rainbows, butterflies and daisies. A place that could inspire my kids to grow up and become nuclear physicists or better yet, save the ozone layer. And later in life, when asked what the reason behind their success was, they would say, "That's easy. The three P's. The Perfect, Pottery-barn Playroom."

Now, don't miss what I am saying. I love Pottery Barn. I love decorating. Heck, it's what I went to school for, but, it seems that "supermom syndrome" has taken on a life of it's own, and those of us who don't measure up feel we must be lazy, unorganized or completely failing as a mother.

But, I am realizing the truth of the situation. These women don't have it all together. And their goal isn't to make me feel inferior or worthless. They are just figuring it out as they go, too. They have worked hard to find time to rediscover themselves and share their talents. They are in different situations. They have different abilities. They have chosen to share things they have discovered, things that might make someone else's life a little easier. Okay, maybe 'Ways to Cook a Great Leg of Lamb' isn't easier, but for some moms, that cranks their tractor. Hey, don't we all want to feel like we have more to offer than just doing dishes, wiping noses and folding laundry? (which alone are amazing accomplishments) 

Right now may not be the time for me to be making tissue-paper flowers, but one day if I decide to do it, it's good to know a mom out there has taken out all of the guess work for me! We all want to grow and be better at things. We should look at others and become inspired to be more than what we are, but not at the expense of our own self-worth.

So, there it is. My first blog. And by the way, if your kid's playroom toys are color-coordinated or you run marathons or your kids don't eat high-fructose corn syrup, then don't let me scare you off. Chances are, I could stand to learn a few things from you. That being said, I could stand to learn a few things from each one of you who even carved out the time to read this. In fact, I want you to share ideas or things that would be funny to hear about. I am open to suggestions.

I can't promise you amazing do-it-yourself crafts, for now. But, I can tell you how I pulled a rabbit out of my hat when I remembered that Jayden needed a craft for school ten minutes before the bus came. I can't promise you '10 Different Ways to Braise Pork', but, I can tell you that I keep a huge bag of dino-nuggets in my freezer for nights where I Just. Can't. Go. Any. More.

I want this blog to make you laugh. At me. At yourself. At life itself. I want to be real so no one thinks they are alone in their struggles. And if all else fails, you can read my antics and think, "Well, at least I ain't that crazy!"

I share because I feel the need to be real. An open book. Like a friend who always makes you feel loveable, warts and all. So stay tuned. I will be sharing lots of my crazy ways, my "Bri-antics", if you will. And I promise to tell the truth. The whole truth. The ugly truth. And nothing but the truth.

Believe me, I couldn't make this stuff up.