Dear Alabama…

Jun 15

Growing up as an Army Brat and then later becoming an Army Wife, I have had the opportunity and privilege to live in some amazing states. For the longest time, I wanted to create a way to display these “homes” from my past beautifully up in my home and that is how these Dots & Dust State Floral prints came to be. Each design in unique and hand drawn as I incorporate each respective state’s flower. And with the unveiling of each design, I wanted to include a love letter to that I personally write for each state. It’s just a small token of my gratitude and love for each home that the Army has sent us to.

Up first, it’s Sweet Home Alabama.

Dear Alabama,

In my 34 years of moving all over the U.S, there truly has never been a state that I lived in that I could call home until I came to you. You gave this little "military gypsy" so many things to be thankful for.

You took care of my family when my younger brother passed away and showed me that it was time to live by the Lord's standards and no one else's.

You sent me the sweetest college professors at Troy University-Dothan that challenged me all the way to a Bachelor’s degree in Chemisty.

You introduced me to my love for college football (ROLL TIDE), sweet tea, rocking chairs, country music, bare feet on green grass, and cowboy boots.

You gave us friends and neighbors that loved the Lord, would talk to me through wooden fences, and showed us that family is WAY beyond just "being blood."

You introduced me to my sweet husband and then years later we were returning to give birth to our youngest son.

You tested our marriage to the point where it felt we would never recover, but then taught us the importance of reading the bible and keeping God at the center of our love. And because of that, we came out so much stronger.

What you have given is way more than this little Filipina gal could ever repay you.

And so my heart still leaps for joy when I hear those distinct chords strum on the guitar. But it will always remind me that you will FOREVER be "Sweet Home Alabama" to me.

Love Always,

Angeline