Birmingham Celebration Date!

Brian and I debated between spending the weekend in Atlanta or just staying here to celebrate his birthday and my being done with school. He was out of town this past week, so we decided an out of the ordinary Saturday in Birmingham would be fun. We were SO right!

We slept a little late on Saturday morning, then went to Waffle House for breakfast. It was *SO* good and was actually a perfect meal for my diet. Because of the celebration part of the day, I did get a cherry coke- not the bobo cherry cokes from the grocery, but an honest to goodness coke with cherry syrup. It was delicious, but super sweet. My body doesn't really know what to think about these things anymore.

After breakfast, we made our first stop of the day at Pepper Place. This is a huge Alabama based farmer's market that has all sorts of fruits, veggies, fresh flowers, fresh cheeses and eggs, and homemade jellies. They also sell different homemade crafts, which I have to admit, were my favorite.

It is called Pepper Place because it is located in and around the old Dr. Pepper factory. The fun buildings and signs made great decor and ambiance.

There was a woman taking part in the Harry Potter read-a-thon. She was sitting there reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It took a lot of self control to not sit at the table and listen to her.

Brian and I loved walking around the area, but were shocked at how much great stuff there was right there in the middle of Birmingham. It might have been the first time to stop by, but it certainly wasn't the last!

After Pepper Place, we drove down a little and stopped by Sloss Furnace. I was a little sketched out at first, but it was a really cool (and free!) place to explore.

Next, we went to Vulcan, but we didn't go up. I am deathly afraid of heights and it seems to have grown since I got pregnant. Behind the statue, there is a gorgeous view of Birmingham, so Brian and I enjoyed that for a few minutes before we headed to lunch!

For lunch, we ate at the Urban Cookhouse. It is a scrumptious deli with lots of Alabama grown products. I had a turkey sandwich and fruit and Brian had a braised pork sandwich on homemade yeast rolls with mac and cheese. It was so very good. It was also good to be able to have a seat and get off our feet for a little while!

After lunch, we walked around Homewood and looked in the shops. I got an amazing deal on some bags and bought a ball for Emily Ann, but found lots of treasures that I would have loved to have purchased. Brian was a fabulous sport and shopped without complaining. Such a doll!

When we finished shopping, we headed to an overlook that looked over the hospital where Emily Ann will be born. We had a time of prayer for our sweet baby and the doctors and nurses that would be delivering her. Though the entire day was a blast, this was by far the best part of the day. The overlook was gorgeous and the time with Brian was so so precious. I was so blessed by the leader my husband is and adored that opportunity.

We finished the day with splitting a midnight magic chocolate chip cupcake at the new Gigi's Cupcakes in Hoover and a $5 pizza from Little Caesar's (and yes, in that order :) ). 

It was such a fabulous day and we didn't even have to drive more than 15 minutes! 

I hope everyone else had a fun and relaxing weekend!