MAYBERRY, I mean, CULLMAN

Three weekends ago (still catching up on my posting...) Josh and I decided to really explore downtown Cullman. This is what we found....

Our first stop was to a local BBQ place called Johnny's Bar-B-Q. (We ordered what you see in the picture to your left.) It was delicious!! One thing we have learned about Alabama: they make good BBQ. This place had a white sauce (as you can see) like a lot of places in Alabama... I loved the sauce. Josh did not as he has an aversion to most white condiments... mayonaise, sour cream, white cheeses, ranch dressing or anything with any combination of any of these.

Our next stop was an an architectural salvage and antique store in downtown cullman called Southern Accents. As you can see by the entrance to their store, they too were affected by the tornados back in April, but they are still open for business!!

This store was absolutely amazing... Josh and I browsed through the whole place picking out front doors, hardware, mirrors, lighting and this fireplace mantel for a future house :)

Our next stop was just a couple of blocks over on this cute little street with lots of clothing, stationary and furniture/decoration boutiques. I love what they did with this old warehouse turned retail strip.

Just a couple of streets over from the pictures above we saw this....

It was definitely a rude awakening to see once again the damage that happened in only a matter of hours. There is still a lot of cleanup to be done in Cullman (and throughout the state.) When I see these images, all I can do is pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for those who lost their homes and businesses and thank God that he spared us and kept us safe during that time.

And that sums up our day in downtown Cullman. There is still a lot that Josh and I want to explore in the area including the Ave Maria Grotto which is a monastary in the heart of Cullman that is beautiful (so we have heard) and also has many hiking trails.

JOSH, THE ADIMINSTRATIVE RESIDENT

Again, I am severely behind on my posting... but I wanted to fill you in on Josh's new internship (well, it is paid, so I like to say "Josh's new job" :). Josh started his adminstrative residency last month at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, AL. (See picture to the left... his first day on May 16 with his new suit and bag he got for graduation.) During this residency he will complete several rotations through different departments of the hospital, work on special projects for the executive leadership, sit in on senior team meetings and observe lots of surgeries. I am sure that there are lots more things that he will be doing for the next year... but since he refuses to make this a joint blog, you get to hear the description from yours truly.

Huntsville Hospital is one of the largest locally owned non-profit hospitals in the country. It has 881 beds and 6,200 employees. (Comparison - about the size of UAB and about 300 beds larger than Shands Jacksonville.) They are a Trama 1 Center which serves all of Northern Alabama and the southern Tennessee Valley. They provide all medical procedures and services (except organ transplants). Translation = Josh will be exposed to a lot since Huntsville Hospital is so large and provides so many medical servies. Another side note... their facilities are so large that they have a TRAM (like a DISNEY WORLD TRAM) that patients and families can ride to get from one building to another... it looks AMAZING... I can't wait to ride it :).

Josh has an office in the EXECUTIVE SUITE. He sits right in-between the CEO, COO and CFO of the hospital. He gets to interact with the executive team daily and is directly exposed to their daily duties, meetings and projects. His office is extremely nice with his own sitting area and everything - FAN-CY!! I will try to get him to let me post pictures eventually... once we get the office in proper "working order." Of course, since his wife is an interior designer... his office needs that special husband-of-a-designer touch. I will leave it up to your imagination as to who in this family is more concerned with a well-designed office.... :)

We are so incredibly thankful for this opportunity that Josh has to soak up as much information as he can before he has to go get his "real" job after this next year. He is really hoping to get a broad range of exposure to all of the business and development sides of the hospital in order to determine what he may be most interested in pursuing after his internship. This is going to be an exciting year in the Hewiett House. Can't wait to see how God will use Josh in this position where God will take our family in the future!