~from Ami

Just returned from a long vacation to the Carolinas to visit family for Christmas. We usually do a road trip out there once or twice a year. I saw frost on the kudzu, Atlanta's skyscrapers rising out of the fog, the sun setting over Mississippi hills, the sharp, blue outline of the Appalachians smudged against the northern sky, stars falling over the darkened Alabama landscape.

It's very hard to return home after these trips. We have no family in Oklahoma and sometimes I long to be around my sisters and their kids. It's kind of a culture shock to come back to my house on the hill in this small town after spending time shopping, eating, touring, and hiking our way across southern cities. But a warm wind was blowing as we pulled into the drive. A neighbor came by to show us where he'd put our newspapers since we forgot to have it suspended. Zack's phone started ringing with friends wanting to get together. We bought groceries and started laundry.

Life does go on after vacation, doesn't it?

Days gone: 9
Miles driven: 1500
Pounds gained: 4