carolina summer, day six: the drive home.

on tuesday morning, justin was back to the clinic for further interviews. i ever-so-grudingly rolled out of bed at this early hour (i'm not much of a morning person, to say the least) & dropped him off. as i headed back to the hotel, i decided a nice little trip to starbucks was in order, & then i curled up with the book i was currently reading, heart of the matter, for the better part of the morning.

i planned to do a bit of shopping & get to know columbus better, but before i knew it, the phone was ringing, & it was time to pick justin up. before we got on the road home though, we stopped in to cracker barrel where i could get another nice helping of (what else?) chicken strips.

the drive home consisted of alabama backroads, stormy weather, & of course, more junk food. when we finally arrived at the junction for i-20, i'm not gonna lie, i was pretty ecstatic. not only did this mean we were that much closer to home sweet shreveport, but we also could refrain from vigilantly checking our gps for where the next turn-off was going to be.

as it turns out, we had to go through an entire three states to get home. but, the juncture of the trip that was the true turning point, happened when we finally reached the mississippi state line. because then, it was jackson, vicksburg, monroe, ruston, &... shreveport (a trip i've made quite a few times, & its familiarity seemed to make it seem easier & caused it to fly by).

and, naturally, as we passed through the quaint town of ruston, louisiana, i was compelled  to photograph some semblance of a skyline.  this was the best i could come up with, & just looking at it makes me wistful for the days of volleyball, rabbs, & waffle house (and let's not forget, wilmart).

as we continued on toward shreveport, we talked of the future, played 'hanging with friends' while sitting right next to each other, & wished for home as the road stretched ahead, feeling endless in that last hour of travel.

and then, as if by roadtrip magic, we arrived home. as we jumped out of the tahoe, abilene & mollie jean (the puppies) raced each other to greet us, and mom was there to see us in as well.

as i walked into the living room, where dad, kara, & ellen were already sitting & talking, i felt happy to be home. and pizza was fresh out of the oven, calling our names.

we sat for an hour at least, recounting our lovely, much-too-quick vacation, while showing off pictures of the beautiful mountains & waterfalls we had seen.

there was laughter. there was pizza. there was family & friends. what more do you need, really?

as if the simple act of returning to a welcoming home wasn't enough, my sister surprised me with an early birthday present 'from across the pond.' she knows of my obsession with all things british, as well as my love affair with beauty products. put all of that together - et voila! - i was holding in my hands my very own ciate' paint pots nail enamel (in cocktail dress). there may have also been an 'awkward family photos' birthday card involved, as well. thank you, kara!

(photos: my sweet iphone)

carolina summer, day five: columbus, georgia.

day five of my carolina summer didn't have much to do with the carolinas at all.

justin & i woke early that monday morning, & after scooping up some coffee & chicken biscuits from dunkin' donuts, we were on our way to columbus, georgia.

i snapped this quick photo while we were on the winding downtown roads of atlanta.

those who know me will tell you - i am a terrible city driver and passenger. my palms get sweaty, i get jumpy, & i am quick to lay on criticism, consisting of any combination of the following:

you're driving too fast.
you're driving too slow.
you're driving too close to the car in front of us.
stop weaving in & out of traffic.

add the crazy curves of the atlanta interstate, & you've got the perfect recipe for a riled-up lauren.

but i do like to think that on this particular drive, i was rather calm & collected. on this particular drive, i was zoned in on capturing a sufficient photo of the skyline, as it morphed & grew larger as we wound our way through the city. and, unfortunately, this is the best photo i managed to get (and you can see the reflection of a door hanger that was lying on justin's dash... oh well).

after our arrival in columbus, the afternoon was filled with tours & interviews. we were so busy, in fact, that, around four o'clock, we had a hotel feast of candy & diet coke (i know... healthy...) - but we had to save room for the delicious dinner we attended later on at ben's chophouse. cheesy seafood risotto, tangy-seasoned seared tuna, and fried mushrooms were among our favorites of the cuisine we sampled that night, alongside a delicious red wine.

as we were chauffeured home that evening,  a georgia thunderstorm raged outside, alleviating us of the sweltering heat & humidity. in addition, i was simply happy, as i love a good thunderstorm!

and as i fell peacefully asleep, i felt thankful for the vibrant, exciting trip we had had so far.

(photo: my dear iphone)