I’ve been home for over two weeks now, and I’m just getting to posting my pictures from our trip to Georgia. Sorry about that. Life has been crazy. I’m sure I don’t have to tell any of you that.

Anyway, it was an amazing trip. Alyssa wasn’t feeling well before we went. I’m afraid she was kind of miserable the first couple of days. Still, it was great having her as a traveling companion. She kept me company and held my hand on take off. That’s why I can’t fly alone!

My friend picked me up in Jacksonville. It was 84! She laughed when I stopped, opened the front flap of my suitcase, and pulled out my sandals. Wow, it felt good to slip them on! Our flight from Atlanta to Jacksonville was delayed, so we were about 1 1/2 hours later than we thought. Since they don’t feed you on the plane anymore, we stopped at a restaurant along the way. It was true Southern cooking! We enjoyed fish, and I had hushpuppies again for the first time in many, many years. I know, they’re not gluten-free, but it was worth it all. They were delicious.

One thing we discovered, is that in the South, you get two sides with all of your meals. We ate well while we were down there. Probably too well. It was all delicious. Anyway, after we ate, we made our way to our hotel. The other woman who was putting the speech together met us at the hotel with a great big welcome basket. By big, I mean big. It was loaded with chips, and chocolate, and granola bars, and socks, and hand sanitizer, and I could go on and on. What a great welcome! Pure Southern hospitality!

The next day, I went to speak at their homeschool group. They had a great crew there. The kids were enthusiastic, and I really enjoyed speaking to them. There were several who were rather interested in writing, so I was able to share some tips with them. I love it when I get to meet young authors. It’s great to be able to encourage them.

That afternoon, we went out to lunch with several families from the group. There is a whole bunch of us, but we felt so welcomed and included. It was really a great time.

After a bit of rest, they took us out for dinner again. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my entire life. But it was so good, I couldn’t help myself. This time I had steak, with two sides, it was all delicious.

Saturday was the day I was really looking forward to. I wanted to let Alyssa sleep as long as she could, hoping that would help her to feel better. I sat in the breakfast room doing some research, and waiting for my cousin’s daughter. I hadn’t seen her since we were little girls. Never you mind how long ago that was. Anyway, she peeked around the corner, and I was so excited to see her. We hugged and cried and sat down and started to talk as if we had seen each other last week. We have so much in common, and it was just great to reconnect after so many years. I wish we lived closer together. We definitely won’t go another 40 years without seeing each other.

A little bit after that, my cousin and his wife arrived. I had seen him about five years ago, but his wife I never remember meeting. We all sat and talked and shared funny stories about her family. Alyssa came. I told her she could text my friends daughter and they could hang out if they wanted to, but she wanted to stay with us and hear the old family stories. Warms the mother’s heart to hear that. I love talking to my cousin because he remembers my grandparents much better than I do. He told some stories I had never heard before. He also told about Penny the dog. Everyone in my family tells that story. We’ve heard it about 1000 times. It still hilarious though.

Time flew by. We went out to lunch (yes, I had two sides), and before we knew it, it was time for my cousin to leave. I’ll tell you, I didn’t want that day to end. We were having so much fun, time got away from us, and I didn’t have too much of a chance to get ready for my speech. Fortunately I had everything just about ready. We went to the church and got set up. My friend and her friend did such a magnificent job. The social hall was beautiful, and they put together a great program. There was a praise band, and they had so many door prizes.

My speech went very well. I pray that it was uplifting and beneficial to the hearers. I was so glad that my cousin’s daughter was able to stay and hear the speech, since these are her family stories, too. We were pretty exhausted but also very happy by the time he got back to the hotel.

I was able to have breakfast with my cousin’s daughter before she had to be on her way home. What a sweet, sad parting. We enjoy church with our friends, and a pizza party afterwards. Even managed to get me a gluten-free, dairy free pizza. After my friend and her daughters packed up, we headed back to Jacksonville.

Along the way, we stopped at Jekyll Island. It’s just off the coast of Georgia. It’s so beautiful. They took us to a beach where there is lots of driftwood. Alyssa Knight even put our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. It was chilly, but still not as cold as Lake Michigan. She wants to have her senior pictures taken there. We may have to arrange a summer vacation there in a couple of years.

Leaving that place and as people is very hard. I think we may have found the place where we want to be snowbirds when we get older. Alyssa and I enjoyed their hospitality so very much. They were so kind and warm to us. We really appreciated it.

I hope this hasn’t gone on too long. It must be like sitting through somebody’s vacations pictures. Actually, it is sitting through my vacation pictures. Anyway, I wanted to share with you the very special weekend that I had. I honestly think it will go down as one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever taken.