Evening Walk on Gulf Shores, AL Beach

Shortly after arriving in Gulf Shores, AL., we took a walk on the beach which  is about a 4 minute drive from Tiffany and Alisha's homes.

The beach at the end of Hwy. 59 in Gulf Shores is very deep.

When we first got in Gulf Shores, AL. we had really nice weather.

On our walk that evening there were these small round jelly fish balls all over the place.

We have had a couple of weeks of rain or cold weather lately.

But today we had a really nice day with a high of 73 degrees.

Madalena June's 1st Birthday

We had to be here by Nov. 19 to help celebrate Madalena June's 1st Birthday. Her Birthday is really Nov. 15th, but we didn't celebrate it until the weekend on the 19th.

Alisha and Jamie had decorated the house in Minnie Mouse for Madalena's 1st Birthday.

Maddie's 1st Birthday cake was a huge cupcake.

We had subway sandwiches and chips for lunch, before Maddie opened her presents.

Jamie made this chalk board for chores, and for occasions like this. Hayleah decorated the board for her baby sister's 1st Birthday

Here is my favorite Maggie May!

Maggie May is feeling better these days. She had glaucoma and had to have her eyes removed. It was a very hard decision for my daughter Alisha to make, but I can tell Maggie feels much better now.

This is Maddie's big brother Noah, who is 3 1/2 years old. He is holding a wood sword and ready for a duel.

Lennox my other 3 year old Nana boy came to the party, also.

My oldest Nana girl Hayleah, is 14 going on 15 on December 24th. No, she doesn't have a fish on her head. It  just looks that way.

My oldest daughter Alisha with our Birthday Girl Madalena June.

I am so blessed to have such a adorable Nana baby.

Maddie has no problem opening her presents.

She loves her new chair. As soon as she opened the present, she climbed into the chair by herself!

She also loved her new stroller/tricycle.

When it was time to get her party hat and 1st Birthday sachet on, she let us know it was not her idea of fun.

While we sang Happy Birthday, she was not too happy either.

Mommy gave her a lick of frosting.

She stopped crying,

and soon a smile came back on her face.

After cake, she played on all her new toys,

while the boys played in the back yard.

Noah drives his friend Aden around the back yard in his gator four wheeler,

and Lennox  climbed on the play gym in the back yard.Our weather was perfect when we first arrived, but this week we have been in the mid fifties.

First Day in Gulf Shores AL.

We arrived in Gulf Shores AL. on Nov. 18, 2011.

While Tiffany & Blake were still at work, we made our selves at home in their driveway.

I got Joe in on our first try. We will be parked in their drive for two weeks.

That night, the family got together, and we got to enjoy our Nana & Papa kids. I know this is a blurry picture, but I had to put it in, as Noah put a pumpkin basket on Joe's head. Doesn't Joe look good with it on! 

Tiffany and Blake cooked brats on the grill. The first batch, had to be thrown out. Luckily Wal-Mart is just minutes away.

We also got to help celebrate Blake's 28TH Birthday.

Three and Half Years After the 2008 Cedar Rapids Flood

                                                           11/17/11

Today we left Langston/ Guntersville, AL. area and headed further south. When we went through Birmingham, AL. it was pretty busy with traffic. We got to Plattsville, AL, a suburb of Montgomery, AL. And of course we are at Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

While I was still in Cedar Rapids, IA, I was able to drive around the area that was flooded in 2008.

Every year we come back, I drive through the area, to see the changes.

Most of the homes have been taken down, leaving blocks and blocks of  homeless neighborhoods.

Yet there are still homes still standing.

Some boarded homes have for sale signs on them.

Mom's new apartments are just two blocks up on the hill, so I drove through this neighborhood daily.

Before I met Joe I lived 1 1/2 blocks from this neighborhood.

The home that we had lived in was flooded also. The  main floor was flooded to the picture window. Most of the homes in that block were able to rebuild. I was so glad i didn't still own that home. What a night mare these families have been through in the last three years.

 

Most of the homes in this area had structural and foundation damage and were condemned.

My mom says that she has heard that the city is going to build a wall down here somewhere between the river and the neighborhood.

Not for sure what is going on with this house. Either they are getting ready to move it, or putting in a new foundation. Maybe they are going to put it up on stilts.

 

All in all, it is just weird see this neighborhood gone.

This and the next picture is of the lagoons that are located down by the river.

While in Cedar Rapids, I would drive by here every day, going to my mom's condo and back to her apartment. We were getting it ready for trying to sell it on our own. We got an offer after a couple of weeks and are waiting for inspection and financing to go through. Please keep the sell of her condo in your prays. I will thank you a head of time for the requested prays.