A Taste of Home

“Home” is a concept we don’t take for granted these days. Two weeks back in Atlanta (for Meadows’ departmental conference) meant a big helping of home! And we made the most of it.

Meadows and I started the visit off right: after our long, overnight flight plan, Meadows went straight to lunch with my brother, and I went to Hillary’s wine-tasting bridal shower! And then, I slept for 18 hours 😉

We tried new restaurants and hit some old favorites (namely Joy Café THREE TIMES!). It was an action-packed two weeks, so I’ll hit the highlights:

There was a triumphant return of weekly Zoe’s/Maki Fresh dinners. Melody, Lizzie, Jess and I got to have TWO of these fabulous reunions.  Plus, I got to attend two Monday-night Bachelor viewings with all the girls (don’t judge… it’s a guilty pleasure!).

Another old favorite: I got to go to Nordstrom Café with my old coworkers. It’s always great to share a jam jar (or two) and champagne with my best girls!

Meadows’ mom, Tudda, visited! We went to our favorite spot, Bar Taco, for dinner. The next day, we went to the Mart (I stocked up on cute jewelry!) and CNN for lunch with our girl, Deb.

Friday night, we went on a triple date with the Joneses and future Zimrings at Jess’s favorite, Murphy’s.  Then, we hit up a concert in Little 5 Points.

Melody planned a fabulous brunch with the Joneses, the Gottfrieds, the Kays (inluding little Eliza!) and Charlie.  Afterwards, we did a beltline bar crawl with an even bigger group. It was such a fun Saturday with all of our friends!

My parents came to town for some shopping and southern cuisine. We hit two old favorites: South City Kitchen and Bistro Niko.  YUMM!

We finished the trip with a bang: the Coke CAD Conference party! It was movie themed, and we live out of suitcases – so I went for the easiest costumes I could find. Admittedly, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are not the most flattering costumes!

The best part of leaving in January was knowing we’d be back in six weeks. But the worst part of being back was knowing we’d be leaving again… for a long time. In six weeks, we were able to adjust to missing our family and friends and the time zone frustrations of keeping in touch. Being back meant another round of goodbyes and a new adjustment to life away.

Initially, we were scheduled to leave Saturday evening for Sri Lanka. But we were told that our Sri Lankan visas were delayed, so we would get an extra four days in Atlanta. I went ahead and made plans with our friends and set my expectations for more time at home. With 24 hours notice, we received the visas and had to board a plane …even earlier than we were originally scheduled! That’s the hard part of this lifestyle – you’re gone at a moment’s notice! I didn’t initially take the news well, but I now realize that quick goodbyes are easier than drawn out ones. And more time in Sri Lanka is never a bad thing!  Our sweet friends planned an impromptu farewell brunch, and then we were on a plane headed across the Atlantic Ocean.