This past week I spent 8 whole days in Atlanta. Since I’m not working full time, I found a cheap set of midweek flights on either end of Memorial Day. When you have the money you don’t have the time and when you have the time you don’t have the money, so I just said screw it.

I came home feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation (LOL!) but it was more than worth it. I got to see Maya and Sunny in the same place for the first time since my wedding. Capping off the reunion was Sunny’s high school BFF who didn’t got to GT, but tagged along on many of our college adventures. It. was. AWESOME! I didn’t realize how much I’d missed having my squad, however small. Since G and I are moving to a house in a couple months, we’ll finally have room to host some get togethers and the girls can come through.

I got some quality time with my family as well. I got to help my sister and brother in law with house hunting, play referee between my dad and brother (more on that in another post), have a mother/daughter movie date and see my grandparents. That last was the only dark spot; grandma & grandpa are 84 and 89 and their age is starting to manifest health issues. Grandma was diagnosed with dementia last year and I can tell it’s progressed even since I saw them in December. Grandpa’s mind is sound, but he’s using a walker and recently fell on the way to the mailbox. Not to be morbid, but realistically, I’m not sure how much time they have left so they are my first priority every time I go home. I’m notorious for not taking pictures but I did get one while I was there.

Overall, though, this visit refreshed my spirit. It was nice to escape the grind of part time work, side hustles, and job applications and have some fun. It also made me realize that it’s friends and family that make a place feel like home, and Houston will never be that unless I get proactive about making my own friends here. I’m a homebody by nature and usually content to stay in what I call “the love bubble”. But I’m going to make an effort to curb my introvert ways and do something social at least once a month. At the end of last year I finally made my own friend, Bianca.* We get along great but nothing is worse than a clingy friend with no life so I need to branch out. I’m reaching out to get active with a Zeta grad chapter again in the fall and actually make an effort this time. I’m pretty awesome and I need to share it with the world!

*Bianca and her husband, Bernard, are vegans and quite passionate about animal rights. Plus, she grew up in France and they actually save animals. They are literally the human versions of The Rescuers.