Tour of the South

Last week Mike and I toured most of Virginia, North and South Carolina and the Atlanta area seeing friends and family. Our trip started with an over-nighter in Greensboro, NC, about a 5 hour drive from DC, where my sis currently resides. She was studying for finals for her first semester of her PT program at Elon, but graciously hosted Mike and me on her futon for the evening, and treated us to pizza and beers. It was great to see her, her kitties (though Mike was no at all excited about those things because of allergies) and her first apartment. I sometimes forget that she's old now, too - something about her being the younger sister always makes me think she is younger than she really is. Elaine, welcome to being old :-), and thanks for the futon and pancakes.

Next stop was a short hop to Charlotte for a lunch with some Davidson friends. I always love driving through Charlotte because I know that I can call my good friend Schulie and have a good meal with great company! We were also thrilled to see Dan, Sarah, and Elliot, and meet a new friend, Matt, too. We relived a few college memories and Sarah and Elliot shared some sage advice on how to deal with wedding planning. Thanks, everyone, for meeting up with us!

Next stop was my parents' house outside Atlanta. It is always such a strange sensation driving into my old neighborhood. It is all exactly how I left it, but different somehow, too. We had a great time with them. A delicious (huge!) dinner at an Italian family-style restaurant, dinner with my grandma, dinner with our good family friends the Millers, lunch with another college friend and Mike's teammate Ronnie, and lunch with my childhood friends Sarah and Megan (yes, we eat a lot!) I was so happy that I was able to see everyone. It was a great combination of a continual going-away party and engagement celebration with those that I'm close to in ATL. Speaking of engagement, my mom is only slightly less excited than me - she had bridal magazines and wedding books waiting for me when I got there, and we snuck away to try on some dresses. I still have no idea what I want, except that I will NOT be looking like the icing on a cupcake on my wedding day (I felt like these things below, only in white!).

Last stop on the tour was my parents' lake house on Hartwell. The first two evenings were quiet, just the four of us, which was a nice respite from the go-go-go of the previous days. Late Friday night, my uncle, aunt, and three cousins came down from Southern Indiana and spent the weekend on the water - skiing, tubing, swimming, paddling, canoeing... you name it. And we had a blast. It was such a great time, and such a pleasure having my extended family around.

So all in all, it was a wonderful trip, and well worth the 1300 miles. I'm so glad that we had the chance to spend some time with my family. I know they will only a plane-ride away, but it is tough to mentally get over the geographic distance. Driving away on Monday got me a little choked up - the next time I see them, I will be a California Girl. I know down deep, though, that I will forever be a Peach, and that my family isn't too far away.