An Early Mother’s Day Treat

What a wonderful surprise to see BryantsofBham mentioned in Birmingham Magazine‘s article, Mom, Online!

Now, to be fair, BryantsofBham is more Dad than Mom most weeks.  But, as Trav will tell you, I’m the personality.  Of course, he’ll also tell you he’s the looks.  And, well, that’s only true on Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Saturdays (those tend to be my no make-up, greasy hair days).

I can tell you that Birmingham Mag nailed it with the ladies of BirminghamMommy, Boomama, and Grasping for Objectivity, and others.  I have even found some new-to-me moms of Birmingham to read.

In a completely shameless maneuver, I’m going to add my own recommendation to the must-read mom bloggers of Birmingham list — Grass Stains.  Grass (as I like to call her) has been a long-time occupant of our Bluff Park Blogroll.  (I know, right, what an honor in itself!)  I got to meet her in person at the Alabama Bloggers Meet Up last week and, in all honesty, I’d like to put her in my pocket.  Her blog is thoughtful, witty, and funny.  And, if you prefer your hilarity in 140-character doses, follow @grass_stains on Twitter.  She’s positively addicting.

You can see pics of some of the featured bloggers over on Birmingham Mag’s site.  But I suggest you pick yourself up a copy of their May issue to get the full story!

Thanks, Birmingham Magazine, for mention!

Greenways Run to Hoover

This Tuesday a mega-co-op group will present a comprehensive plan for bringing a network of bike, running, and walking trails to Jefferson County. Looking at the map, it looks like both the Shade Creek Corridor and Cahaba River Corridor will break into Hoover. All the paths are meant to mimic many of the waterways around the county.

I haven’t seen a serious timeline for any of this. It’s hoped some of the money will come from Congress, some from the state, etc. Of course, the county probably isn’t in a position to offer much funding help.

But these projects are exactly the kind of long-term sustainable projects that we need around here. It would be great of some of the local municipal governments would continue these ideas outside of some monstrous county-wide initiative and improve avenues for bikes and pedestrians in and around their communities.

God, Grace & Girlfriends: A Review

I’m so excited to share my friend Mary‘s new book:  God, Grace & Girlfriends.

I met Mary about two and a half years ago when I decided to take a road-trip to Memphis with a van-load of folks I’d only “met” online.

Because that’s safe.  Right?

All of my traveling companions already knew each other and I felt like a stranger for a total of thirty seconds.  After two laugh-filled days, it was clear that this was completely a divine thing that this wallflower chose to step WAY out of her comfort zone and make the trip.  I still keep up with these ladies (and some more that I met on the trip).  They are a daily source of encouragement for me.  I’ve even managed to spend time with Mary since our trip to Memphis.  I could go on for days about her — her snappy wardrobe, her quick wit, but what struck me (and still strikes me) most about her is her realness.

People who authentically live out their faith in an online capacity and in real life are a smidge rare.

Or maybe I’m a cynic.

Anyhoo.

Mary has a passion for God and for gospel-centered friendships among women.  Let’s face it, ladies, friendships with other women can be tricky.  Am I the only one who’s put myself out there only to be taken advantage of?  Probably not.  Mary’s book is filled with wise counsel on the nature of girlfriends, how to get them, how to keep them, how to cut the toxic ones loose, and where their priority should be in your spiritual walk.  Her book is inspiration for women looking for friends and a how-to guide for gathering and growing in your walk with Christ alongside your favorite gal pals.

If you’re not 100% convinced by my glowing words, check out the NBC13′s interview with Mary about her book.

Precious, isn’t she?  (P.S. I think I should be Wendy Garner’s BFF)

So.  Let’s break it down a bit.

If you’re a girl that wants friends, you want this book.

If you’re a girl that has friends, you want this book.

You really have no excuse.

Unless you’re a dude.

But you’re probably a dude that knows a girl who has/wants friends.

So there.

I also am giving away a copy of Mary’s book in one week.  To be entered, all you have to do is leave a comment below.  Contest closes on February 23, 2012.

UPDATE:  Since there were only two entries, both Mary and Keri will be getting a copy of Mary’s book!  Congrats ladies!

Hoover getting an Earth Fare

Finally something is going into the old empty CompUSA store next to the Galleria and it’s a grocery store. Earth Fare is a “natural food” grocery. I’m not sure exactly what that means (maybe something along the lines of Whole Foods). There is more good info over in this story on al.com.

Shopping Local

I’ve been reading Carrie Rollwagen’s Shop Small blog for a while. I am by no means a militant localvoare type guy, but I do believe that there are benefits to buying from locally-owned businesses. I’ve always wondered about where Rollwagen falls… is she a militant type? a buy-local snob?

Well, The Magic City Post has posted a quick video interview with Rollwagen and it answered all of these questions and more. She’s entered into the “life experiment” with a very honest and even approach. She seems to be giving both national chains and local shops the same fair consideration as she goes through 2011. She makes create points about Starbucks being able to offer insurance for a 20-hours-a-week employee. That’s a serious point that needs to be addressed, by all businesses.

But, as I have found too, there are many pluses to shopping locally.

So check out the video and think about thinking about shopping local. Maybe next time you are in need of something you can find a place closer to home.

Hoover By the Numbers

So the Census data is out. It’s always fun to see if the numbers match up with real-world experience. That’s something we’re going to watch the first half of 2011. I do know that when we bought our house in mid-2010, there were 6 homes for sale on the street (including ours). Today there are none. They all have new families in them. So where are all of us new Bluff Park-ers coming from?

We came from Birmingham-proper. So we certainly support the new Census data, of Birmingham losing folks and surrounding areas showing big gains. Not sure about every one else.

Here are the Hoover Highlights of the Census:

• Hoover was the 2nd fastest growing city (by sheer bodies)
• Hoover added 18,877 new Hoover-ites
• Hoover readched a population of 81,619
• That’s a 30% growth trend over the last ten years.

Pretty interesting stuff. Now I’m going to dig around on the interwebs and see if I can boil the numbers down to just Bluff Park. If not, we may just do or own Bluff Park census. So if someone with a clip board going door to door, it’s just us wanting to do a nerdy blog post.

Have a good weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving and Safe Travels!

I guess the holiday season has officially started. I have not been in the stores yet, but there are a few homes I pass, on my way home from work each day, that already have Christmas trees up! We also spent last evening flitting between stores and CostCo, gatherting what we need for visiting family this weekend.

It is kind of a relief that we don’t have to be on the road this week. Of course, the down side is that everyone else has to. So if you are having to travel. . . be careful!

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!