Last Thursday of 2011

Callaway Gardens' Mountain View Golf Course

From 'The Fantasy in Light's at Callaway Gardens

Beautiful drive at Callaway Gardens

While Belinda was at work today, Charles went to Callaway Gardens to play some golf.  It was such a beautiful day!


When Belinda got home from work we enjoyed a wonderful meal at the Cracker Barrel!  What a wonderful way to conclude our last Thursday together in 2011!!!

Muppetts Rock!

Christmas Week with Charles, part 3

 After our trip to Warm Springs we came back to Columbus and took in a game of miniture golf!  We didn't get any hole-in-ones, but we had a lot of fun anyway!

Christmas week with Charles, part 2

Wednesday was a fun day with a trip to Warm Springs (just north of Columbus) to visit "The Little White House," the southern home of FDR.  We then went to see the facility/pool that FDR had built for the treatment of those with polio (including himself). We also stopped for lunch at the Bulloch House Restaurant, great aptmosphere!

Christmas Week with Charles, part 1

It's a Cracker Barrel fire!



Charles arrived late Christmas evening following his services in Iraan and McCamey.  It was so good to have him home in Georgia!

On Monday, we went to see "The Muppet Movie," a really good movie!  Charles has all the Muppet tv shows and movies and we had wanted to see this when it first came out. We had such a good time with an added bonus of a coke machine that was a hoot to use.  It had over a hundred different combinations and while we didn't try them all it was fun to try the ones we did.

On Tuesday, we ran errands and looked at some apartments for us to live in here in Columbus.  We also got a Georgia license plate for the Toyota, the third state we've had plates from (the others being Nebraska and Texas) on this car.

Holiday Ball Picture



Belinda at the Holiday Ball
Martin Army Community Hospital
Fort Benning, Georgia
December 2, 2011

Christmas in two time zones

Columbus, Georgia

McCamey, Texas

We are enjoying not one, but two Christmas trees this year, one in Georgia, the other in Texas!  It is nice to be able to share the beauty of the season with each other, even if it is cross-country! 

Charles' Texas Rose

Charles returned to McCamey from his time with Belinda (now in Georgia) this afternoon to discover a reminder of Belinda, his very own 'Texas Rose,' in the backyard! 

Thanksgiving Day in Georgia

After we left Callaway Gardens, we drove toward Tyrone, Georgia where we enjoyed a family Thanksgiving celebration at the home of Charles' sister, Sandy Boda (and her husband, Steve!).  Along with Charles' niece, Julie and nephew, Michael (and their families) the day was filled with great food and even better company!

Our Anniversary at Callaway Gardens

 We had a great getaway to Callaway Gardens for our anniversary. We drove up after Belinda got off work on Wednesday and after a terrific dinner in one of Callaway's restaurants, we experienced the Callaway Garden's famous "Fantasy in Lights."

The next morning we rose up to enjoy a fire while we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on tv. After that there was time to enjoy the Butterfly Center (part of Callaway Gardens).

Early anniversary present

 Belinda gave Charles an early anniversary present, two rounds of golf!  Yesterday he played at the Maple Ridge Golf Club (part of the complex where Belinda's apartment is located) and today at one of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses, Grand National - Lake Course (in Opelika, AL).  Charles reports that this course certainly lives up to its billing as one of the best in the country and the best in Alabama! 

Belinda reports that she is really getting put through her paces this week at work.  She's happy that it is a "short week" with Thanksgiving right around the corner!

Sunday, Sunday

Our first Sunday in Columbus, Georgia was a nice day, soup to nuts!  We had been invited to go to worship by Mike & Susan McCollum (Susan works at the Maple Ridge Golf Course, part of the company that owns the apartments Belinda is staying in). 

This morning we drove to downtown Columbus and attended the contemporary worship service at St. Luke UMC.  There had to be 125-150 people there and the energy was amazing.  There were all ages present, some using iPads or iPhones, some with coffee, everyone getting fed by the praise band!  After worship, we went with the McCollums' to their Sunday School Class and had a great time.  We then went to lunch at the McCollums' favorite Chinese restaurant.

Following a side-trip to the airport where we got a rental car for Charles to use this week we returned to the apartment to rest up for Belinda's big week.  Look in for news during the week!

Saturday in Columbus

Our first weekend in Columbus continued today with some more shopping for essentials for Belinda's apartment and after lunch at Cracker Barrel we took a dashboard tour of downtown Columbus.  We also poked a toe over the river to Phenix City, Alabama, just because we could!

A big task today was to help Belinda become familiar with the route she'll be taking to get to work.  We drove around Fort Benning, seeing many of the familiar sights.  Both of us have spent time at Fort Benning and while a lot has changed over the years there is a lot that hasn't changed much at all!

Friday in Columbus (GA)

Lots accomplished today in getting Belinda situated here in Columbus.  Much of the morning given to visiting the civilian personnel office at the hospital where Belinda will be working.  She is really excited about being back in the "Army culture!"

After stocking up on supplies for her new apartment, we returned home and Charles set up a Christmas tree.  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

From Selma, AL to Columbus, GA!

  

We woke up in a chilly (for us) Selma, Alabama this morning and got ourselves out and about to explore some of this historic town.  We stopped by the Church St. UMC, a 175 year-old congregation and met the pastor and got to see the beautiful sanctuary.

After stopping by the Chamber of Commerce (housed in a former Carnegie Library building), we set off on a self-guided auto tour of the historic area.  Such beautiful places!  We also took in the very interesting National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, an important reminder of this important legacy of the civil rights movement.

After sitting through a major traffic tie-up on I-85 outside of Montomery we managed to get to Columbus and get Belinda settled into her temporary apartment.  She'll be in this apartment until mid-January and then we'll just see what is available!

After supper at the Columbus Cracker Barrel (yes, Belinda is thrilled!) we returned to finish settling into the apartment and unpacking.  Tomorrow will be more orienting Belinda to the area and a bit of sight-seeing.

A four state day

We really made tracks today chalking up a four-state tally.  We started out in Tyler, Texas and drove in and out of rain through Louisiana and Mississippi before arriving this evening in Selma, Alabama. 

Along the way we enjoyed lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Shreveport, Louisiana (always a hit for Belinda!).  We also got to take in the Mississippi River from the Vicksburg, Mississippi welcome center.  Lots of history to take in there! 

We reached Alabama just before nightfall so tomorrow will be filled with memories beginning right here in Selma!