Memorial Day Weekend 2013
We've been in Raleigh now for almost 10 weeks, but all of our posts from here have been retrospective, about the days before we arrived. Last weekend, we dug our camera out of its hiding spot in the cabinet in preparation for a trip to the beach (that's next), only to discover that we have in fact taken a few pictures since relocating to the east coast - I had forgotten all about the group of pictures below. Better late than never, they say.
Memorial Day weekend (and Drew's first three-day weekend) fell just one week after we landed in Raleigh, and we (actually, for the record, it was Drew's idea) decided to make the most of it with a three-day, three-stop trip to visit my family. I'm not sure what compelled us to get back in the car after spending so much time in it the week before - probably a little bit of stir-craziness mixed with a little bit of eagerness to get closer to the coast, plus a healthy dose of excitement to just get in the car and drive to some of the people and places we've been too far away from for too long.
We stopped first at my grandmother's, just less than an hour south of Raleigh, where we were fed and entertained like a king and queen. The next day, we headed to Midway, driving right past Richmond Hill on the way with no reason to stop, which was more than a little strange. Life sure does go on, changing all of the time, whether we like it or not. We still have plenty of ties to Richmond Hill, but home is where the heart is, right? I know for us those words have felt truer than ever in the last few weeks as we've visited most of the people we love most somewhere other than where I would consider home.
In Midway, we enjoyed fresh seafood, being on the water once again, and soaking up the salty air and good company. At one point, my dad showed Drew how to operate a backhoe. Drew got some useful experience with the tools of the trade and my dad got a few problem plants removed from his lot. Win-win, I'd say.
I mostly watched Drew do the hard stuff from the comfort of the golf cart with Kate, but I eventually hopped in the driver's seat for a quick driving lesson, too.
After a great visit in Midway, we headed farther south for some fun in the sun in St. Augustine. We never got too far from the water, and spent lots of time in the pool, on the boat, and at the marina. Because it was Memorial Day, the crowds and traffic were cuh-ray-zee, but, outfitted with my mom and Danny's beach cruisers and located within walking distance of just about anywhere we needed to go, we avoided the worst of it.
A 7-hour drive is no small thing, really - that's about how long it takes us now to get to St. Augustine, FL and to Powder Springs, GA - but compared to the previously necessary three-day, cross-country ordeal, it's beans. Somehow, the stars aligned in the right way at the right time, and we've been able to be intentional and choosy about where we live. With every day and especially every weekend trip home, I become only more certain that we made the right choice, choosing Raleigh.
Memorial Day weekend (and Drew's first three-day weekend) fell just one week after we landed in Raleigh, and we (actually, for the record, it was Drew's idea) decided to make the most of it with a three-day, three-stop trip to visit my family. I'm not sure what compelled us to get back in the car after spending so much time in it the week before - probably a little bit of stir-craziness mixed with a little bit of eagerness to get closer to the coast, plus a healthy dose of excitement to just get in the car and drive to some of the people and places we've been too far away from for too long.
We stopped first at my grandmother's, just less than an hour south of Raleigh, where we were fed and entertained like a king and queen. The next day, we headed to Midway, driving right past Richmond Hill on the way with no reason to stop, which was more than a little strange. Life sure does go on, changing all of the time, whether we like it or not. We still have plenty of ties to Richmond Hill, but home is where the heart is, right? I know for us those words have felt truer than ever in the last few weeks as we've visited most of the people we love most somewhere other than where I would consider home.
In Midway, we enjoyed fresh seafood, being on the water once again, and soaking up the salty air and good company. At one point, my dad showed Drew how to operate a backhoe. Drew got some useful experience with the tools of the trade and my dad got a few problem plants removed from his lot. Win-win, I'd say.
I mostly watched Drew do the hard stuff from the comfort of the golf cart with Kate, but I eventually hopped in the driver's seat for a quick driving lesson, too.
After a great visit in Midway, we headed farther south for some fun in the sun in St. Augustine. We never got too far from the water, and spent lots of time in the pool, on the boat, and at the marina. Because it was Memorial Day, the crowds and traffic were cuh-ray-zee, but, outfitted with my mom and Danny's beach cruisers and located within walking distance of just about anywhere we needed to go, we avoided the worst of it.
The next morning we took a stroll over the Bridge of Lions and around the Castillo de San Marcos before getting in the car for the drive back to Raleigh.
A 7-hour drive is no small thing, really - that's about how long it takes us now to get to St. Augustine, FL and to Powder Springs, GA - but compared to the previously necessary three-day, cross-country ordeal, it's beans. Somehow, the stars aligned in the right way at the right time, and we've been able to be intentional and choosy about where we live. With every day and especially every weekend trip home, I become only more certain that we made the right choice, choosing Raleigh.
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