It has been 8 years since I've called Memphis home, and for the majority of that time I was a plane's-length away. I didn't think about the distance as much when I was living it up at college in Virginia or swirling through my first year of the real world in D.C., but now that I'm a little older (and a bit wiser), I realize how precious those few and far between visits are to my soul. Sure, my parents can easily drive to Atlanta to visit us, but it isn't quite as easy to pack my older brother, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, the family dogs, my childhood bed, and my favorite Memphis restaurants into the car. To anyone reading this who lives in the same city as your family - don't take it for granted.
Atlanta is the closest I've lived to home without actually being home, so I am grateful that the distance has gotten smaller. The 6.5 hour drive doesn't seem that bad when you book it out of work early on a Friday, the car stockpiled with snacks and a host of unplayed podcasts anxiously awaiting your undivided attention. You feel super accomplished when you pass through Birmingham, and though the longer stretch through Alabama and Mississippi is boring as hell, gaining an extra hour makes the drive seem like a breeze when you are rolling into Memphis in time for a fashionably late 8 p.m. dinner.
THE DRIVE HOME ON SUNDAY THOUGH. One word: WOOF. Your trip home is over in the blink of an eye and then it is time to hit the road (and lose an hour) back to Atlanta, knowing that all that awaits you is a bare fridge and the inability to sleep in the next day because you have to get your butt up and go to work. One might ask, "Why don't you just fly home? It's only like a one-hour flight, right?" Thanks to the lovely airline system, flights from Atlanta to Memphis average around $600...$600! That's $10 every minute! WTF.
Sooo you can only imagine my immense joy when Mother and I schemed a surprise visit home to Memphis that would allow me to fly home using the parental's airline miles. It allowed me to get there at an even more reasonable time and gave me the entirety of Sunday to relax before my super early flight back to Atlanta Monday morning.
I left work a bit early on Friday and Marta-ed over to the airport. I hit up the TGI Friday's for a pre-flight drink (hey, it's vacation!), chatted with a fellow bar patron who was also flying to Memphis (and whose aunt is my brother's godmother; it's a small world, folks), and boarded my short flight home.
Mother picked me up from the ghost town that is the Memphis International Airport and we headed home to surprise my dad (aka Poppy). I'm bummed that we didn't record the reveal, because my dad was absolutely stunned when I walked into the living room. We spent the evening making homemade pizzas and watching the USWNT dominate the CONCACAF semi-finals and officially qualify for the 2015 Women's World Cup! Holla!
I'm not going to lie, besides spending time with my family, one of the biggest pulls for this impromptu visit home was to meet my new sister, Lucy. My parents adopted her mid-September and it was killing me to wait until Thanksgiving to meet her. And guess what ladies and gentlemen, Lucy has now upped the number of gingers in our family to 2 (hence naming her Lucy after the one and only Lucille Ball)!
My parents adopted Lucy (and big sister Bella) from the American Brittany Rescue group. We love Brittany Spaniels in our house, and Lucy's puppy-like qualities are definitely keeping everyone on their toes! The house is now sporting some new features:
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| Stay off the chairs, little Lucy! |
Saturday afternoon Mother and I headed off to our customary mani-pedi session and then hurried home to prepare dinner.
On the menu for Saturday night: crudité station with homemade boursin cheese dip; homemade gumbo with smoked chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausage; warm, fresh bread; and my world famous pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
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| Mother is the Queen of tablescapes |
My grandparents and my parent's BFFs David and James came over for dinner and we ate, told stories, and watched football until it was time to call it a night. Sunday was a lazy day spent going to church, preparing dinner, and watching the USWNT win the CONCACAF finals!
My brother and his girlfriend came over (along with my grandparents) and we celebrated his girlfriend's birthday with some Halloween-rific cupcakes that yours truly decorated.
That 4 a.m. wake-up call came very early and it was back to Atlanta I flew to begin my short work week (thank the Lord). Up next - Charleston!
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