Traveling Back to the REAL South

8:00 AM...bags packed, baby dressed and dry, car loaded, coffee in hand...only means one thing...headed to the Lubbock airport for our trip back home. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. I did all of my usual preparation...hair dyed (to cover my ever-impending grays), pedicure, and some light shopping to change up the wardrobe. I learned years ago that if I came home with gray hair, unpainted toes, while wearing jeans and a t-shirt, Mom would ask certain questions to decide whether or not I was "doing okay." And though I no longer have to go through this process, it's embedded in the depths of who I am and I'm reluctant to let it go. In fact, I don't think I ever will and I'm okay with that.

We arrived in Memphis for a quick layover, long enough to grab a pork sandwich (a rarity in Texas) and off to Birmingham we flew. Ian, by this time has had no lunch (not that it wasn't offered...he's a bit finicky about eating when it isn't within his routine) and a twenty minute nap in my arms. However, that sweet kid managed to keep his cool throughout the entire flight and even waited patiently while our bags were claimed and a car was rented. Our drive from Birmingham to Athens was a bit nostalgic. I love driving on I-20 through the Talladega National Forest. It's green and lush and feels like home. And though Ian was at his wits end by this time, it was still good to be home...

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