Savannah Update

I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only people I know who would ask the rental car company if there was a Ford Focus available that I could have rather than a 2013 red VW beetle...but in the two days that I had this gem, I have to admit she was pretty fun to drive. We bumped some great R & B tunes with the windows down, she put up with my unstoppable tears, and she proved to have great get up & go! 

Monday and Tuesday were pretty low key days--hanging out around the house. On Monday I'd finished my book and Tuesday I poked around online grading & researching options for Charleston. I picked my rental up on Wednesday afternoon and then headed over to my gal Heather's for our running & dinner date. I wish I could have photographed the course we ran because it was gorgeous---just imagine a gravel trail winding alongside ponds and creeks, under Spanish moss draped trees, and across cute little bridges. We sweated out one lap around, which was about 2.5 miles, before the two of us and Heather's adorable daughter were too exhausted! Returning to their place, I was entertained by Heather's hub D who had worked with Tall D at our duty station in Louisiana. This D kept me entertained with his news of other people we'd been stationed with and his many socio-political thoughts, while Heather put together some homemade pizzas and salad. After dinner, we headed out for ice creams. It seriously was awesome catching up with the two of them, loving on their fur crew, and getting to enjoy their cute daughter!

On Thursday after a sleepless and emotional night, I headed out at 7am for Charleston, SC. I'm planning on another post of pictures just of Charleston so you'll have to wait to see more photos of that amazing city. I seriously loved touring around, I felt I got to see much of what I'd hoped to, and I'm continually in love with the look of South Carolina every time I drive through. I came home last night absolutely exhausted and my cough has again become deeper, so I passed out at 10pm and slept until 7am today with the help of two tylenol pm.

This morning I woke up to the sounds of lil E sqwaking and it dawned on me that staying here for the duration of the Skype interviews was probably not the best idea. Luckily my gal D was a great and understanding sport and we arranged for me to do the interviews upstairs at Heather's after dropping off the rental car. The biggest irony is after arranging all the details, my bosses almost decided not to have me participate, however I called into the last interviews. A quick chat with Heather while I scarfed down the meal she'd grabbed earlier, and then we picked up adorable lil G and headed back here. A huge thank you to both my gals for their willingness to help transport and locate this still somewhat working gal! A two mile jog this afternoon and some chat time with D this evening and now I'm off to bed for our early morning breakfast downtown with H & G and a visit to the Farmer's Market.

A few more days to enjoy with D & E (and maybe attempt to get back to Tybee) and then I'm headed home. All these travels have proved the old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder but I'm also nervous about heading back to the emptiness of home. I'm not sure what stage Tall D and I might be in, but I do know that I've incredibly missed him throughout this month and realized how much he's ingrained in who I am. Every other thought and every fifth statement has something to do with him, and I've hated not being able to chat and share my daily life with him. I also have realized more and more that I have many repetitive flaws as a partner that I need to work through as well. There's a lot of hurt on both sides at this point and I'm concerned that there might just be too much water under the bridge without the structure being that of a draw bridge. I think I've said a lot of things without really realizing some of the repercussions and I think I've been overtaken by emotions more in the last month than I thought feasible. (Yea for a mix of wacky hormones, emotions, & major life transitions....) But this trip is the first time in months that I really missed my old ring and I heard myself mentioning without thinking that I do still love Tall D in a couple different conversations. Whether it's salvageable is still under debate and I'm truly not sure of the sentiment from the other half of the party at this point.

So for the time being, I'm going to do what I can to enjoy the last few days being back in the glorious south and then I'm heading "home" to figure out some new pieces. (Ironically being here has also made me aware that my old job from Louisiana is readily available in numerous locations across the nation. They're on a big hiring push.....more thoughts ensue, of course.) I'm incredibly grateful for and looking forward to Katie's visit mid-month and hopefully I'll have some more answers and direction at that point too. It's been so great to enjoy the natural southern beauty and to have moments of catching up with some of my favorite gals!

Here's to 2.5 more days in the South and to what I hope is a great weekend for you too!