Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Destination: Cullman, Alabama - Small Town Tour

This weekend brought a special treat! One of our good friends let us know she was coming for a visit, so we got to play tourist in our own hometown - Cullman, Alabama!  First stop - the Ave Maria Grotto at St. Bernard.

Because "the grotto" is practically in our backyard, it is one of those places that we have always known about, but have never really taken time to go visit.


At first glance, it's a little overwhelming. The life work of Brother Joseph, one of the St. Bernard monks, is artcycling at its finest...

I spy the sights of Rome


By the end of your walk through the grotto, you'll be in awe of the detail and the sheer number of miniatures in replica... if you're going to have a life's passion, this is a place to visit for inspiration and to see what dedication looks like!

Shelly and Ashley and Brother Joseph

The Grotto

Mini-Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Mini-St. Bernard


Next we headed downtown to the Warehouse District for a little shopping and lunch. The Warehouse District has lots of fun shops - Monograms Plus, Kernel Kullman (popcorn), The Added Touch, Too, and more! No stop is complete without posing at the Oktoberfest photo-spot.  If you're planning a visit to Cullman, Oktoberfest is a great time to visit! Downtown transforms into a German celebration like no other!  All in all, we had a great day exploring our hometown!

Oktoberfest is always in style!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Springtime fun

Stopped in to DQ for a treat today... and then realized it was FREE CONE DAY!

FREE CONE DAYs are the BEST days!

Ended up with an ice cream cone, which really went well with my springtime hat!  Get out and enjoy the sunshine today!

Springtime Selfie