Home for the holidays!

yI drove home to my parents house last night. (Note: I'm in the weird transition in life where I call two locations/cities/places "home")

In a last minute decision I ended up packing my bags and was ready to hit the road after the RUF Thanksgiving Dinner. I told myself if we got finished eating and chatting and being thankful before 9pm that I'd hit the road - after that I would wait until the morning. We had a good time (to be discussed in a future post) and were winding down around 8. I was able to help clean up some and finish up conversations with friends by 8:30. PERFECT!

I got on the interstate for my long night of driving. I turned on some music (Joshua Radin, if you were curious) and settled in. I had pre-arranged with a friend to have a phone date while we both drove to our respective houses. She called shortly after I got on the road. C and I chatted for a solid hour - well if you don't count the few times we got disconnected as she drove through the middle of nowhere. It was so good just to chat and laugh and encourage each other. We talked about what we were thankful for, how to love our families well as we return home from the pseudo-independence that is college life, and how we could be praying for each other while we were away.

It was one of those conversations that is so laced with God's work and providence that you cant help but be in awe of how God uses the people in our lives to speak HIS truths to us.

Then C was getting home (she has a shorter drive than I do) so we wrapped up and said farewell. I continued to jam out to Joshua Radin but was getting a smidge sleepy. I called my super good friend and neighbor at my parents house, L, to chat. (As you can see, I like to talk on the phone while I drive. And in case you're wondering I DON'T text and drive...well...except at red lights). We talked for a bit about how we were excited to see each other and hang out. It has been months since we've both been home at the same time.

After hanging up with her, I stopped at a MickeyD's for coffee. I opted for their mocha frappe thing. (Yes, I still drink cold drinks in winter - I live in Florida) I don't know if you have ever had this particular item from their menu. I'm sorry if you have. It was simply disgusting. It had a hint of being a milkshake made from coffee icecream - delicious, right? WRONG! They may have added dirt to it - with fresh worms! Ok, no, it wasn't that bad...but I still couldn't finish it. Blegh!

So I carry on, jammin' out to my tunes. I'm getting closer to home when all of the sudden I'm in stand still traffic. SAY WHAT? It's pretty late by this point and I can't imagine how traffic can get this backed up at night. Turns out they're doing construction or redoing the road and 3 lanes went down to 1. Awesome. It wasn't too terrible though, only stuck for 10 minutes or so.

I carry on, now singing loudly to keep myself alert. At this point I was glad I was the only one in the car - I really do belt it out when I'm singing on my own. =P

Finally I get to my exit and make my way to my house. The neighborhood is quiet and dark. I turn into my street and get all excited - you know, the kind of excited that makes you do a little dance...or maybe that's just me. I'm home for the holidays! Ok, well, just Thanksgiving for now.

My Daddy waited up for me and my parents' dog ran circles around my feet as I drowsily dragged my bags inside. I fell into bed (yes, my bed from childhood) and I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.