Trip to Alabama and Mississippi

Our dear friend, Becky, was getting married in Alabama the weekend that the terrible tornadoes hit that area. We had been excited to go attend her sealing at the Temple and stay for the weekend, but were uncertain what the disaster would mean for her wedding plans since it was set to happen in some of the hardest hit areas. The day before the wedding we found out that the reception was cancelled, but the sealing was still going to happen, so we hit the road! We had to make a minor adjustment, since most of the hotels in Alabama cancelled all reservations and were taking walk-ins only (to help relieve those who were victims of the storms). So we decided to drive to the Mississippi border and stay the night there on Friday, instead of driving all the way to Birmingham, Alabama.

Saturday morning we headed to Birmingham so I could help Becky get ready for her big day. While we were occupied doing girly stuff, Tristan took Ethan to find something to do. They ended up finding an airport (go figure) and entertained themselves for an hour or so until we were done with our primping!

Ethan is going through a phase of LOVING all things trucks, tractors, cars, any vehicle. Apparently, he made good buddies with this maintenance worker who was mowing the lawns. To him, this was a tractor, which made his day!
He even got to go sit on one with his dad!
Ethan fell asleep in the car, so sweet Tristan stayed with him while I went in for the sealing. By the time we all got out, Ethan was just waking up.

Steve and Becky Ennis, the happy couple

Becky and Me (Excuse the squinting, it was SUPER bright outside!)
Birmingham, Alabama Temple

The first time our family has visited the Temple together!

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event. It was nice to find some happiness in a time of such great loss for so many. We all went out to eat afterwards and then we headed back to Mississippi for the night. After a good night's rest, we found a local ward and attended sacrament meeting and then it was time to hit the road back to Louisiana.

A tiny idea of the power of the tornadoes that came through this area. We saw a lot of damage but weren't able to get pictures from the interstate very easily. This is nothing compared to the devastation a lot of the areas were dealing with.
Ethan on the way home from Mississippi...just getting comfortable!
It was a special weekend, despite the devastation that area was dealing with. We are grateful for the safety of those we know and love and that we were still able to go be a part of this special event.