Last month, we took a quick three-day trip down to Alabama to spend time with Walker's grandma and extended family on his dad's side.

The timing was perfect as I was itching to get out of the city. Since it wasn't quite yet spring in NYC, it felt so luscious there, with heavy green boughs weighed over the roads. Walker's relatives live in this quaint town right outside Birmingham called Mountain Brook. The houses are all so classy and historic, it feels like I've stepped back in time.

We tried some yummy new restaurants this time, including the waffle bar and fresh juice at The Pantry and dinner at Hot and Hot Fish Club. Our old favorite brunch spot, Dyron's Low Country, is the one non-negotiable stop each time we head down there; the shrimp and grits are dreamy.

This year we also made it out to see Indy races at Barber Motorspots.

I thought it would be a hot, oval racetrack, but it turned out to be a winding, banked track through trees, loud and mesmerizing.

And we also took a quick stroll through the beautiful (free!) botanic gardens.

Spring has finally caught up here in New York, and I'm going to share my latest spring trip in the next post!