Augusta, GA

It's been a week since we came back and I am finally finding time to sit down and tell yall all about our trip. We had such a great time! It was so hard coming back last Monday! I wish we could visit every month but that would require lots of money and vacation time; two things we don't have much of.

Breaking the trip up into two parts on the way down was perfect. The traffic was great Tuesday night and the last leg down went by quickly on Wednesday. Auburn refused to lay down because she was so excited! I finally got her to relax on a pillow in my lap but every time we passed a truck she would pop her head back up. Ha! The hotel was a nightmare! She pooped on the bed, growled all night, and escaped out the door the next morning (chasing her down the hall was a circus!). We were exhausted by the time we left.

(Side note: if you need a tattoo removed, go to the Red Roof Inn in VA. The water pressure in the shower will take care of that for you. And any unnecessary skin or body parts!)

I did good and packed everything we needed. Only forgot one thing... shower curtain rings. Easy fix thankfully! Once we got there and unpacked we went over to the old neighborhood to see our neighbors Andrew, Kylee, and Jordan. It was so good seeing them again. (Thanks for letting us hang out at your house all weekend!) Jordan drew us another picture to hang on our fridge. We cherish her art! And yall know where the next stop was... MONTERREY! Oh yeah! I was nervous that it would taste different but it was exactly how I remembered it. DELICIOUS! After that we went and hung out with Ray and his family at Logan's then back to Andrew & Kylee's where the "Buzz" (video trivia game) battle begin. We got to meet our renter and see inside the house. Man was it weird. It was our home but with someone else's stuff in it. Hard to explain but it was strange. By the time we got in bed we were exhausted. And it was like that the rest of the weekend.

Auburn LOVED the big empty house and fenced in backyard. She would run and play, sniff and eat. Ha! I can't wait to get out of the apartment up here and back into a real home for her.

Thursday we got up, ate some Hardee's, and went by and saw my old boss at his new job. It was so great catching up with him and seeing how better our lives were now that we were not working at First Bank. I am so happy I left and am thrilled for all the others who followed suit. It's amazing how much stress weighs you down and how much better you sleep. We did a quick trip to Kroger for supplies then headed to lunch with Ray at Mellow Mushroom. I went just for the Greek Salad and it was amazing! We then went and picked up Andrew and Jordan and headed to meet Robby & Mandy at Academy. We did a little shopping then hit up Pizza Joint for happy hour. I had to leave early to get my hair cut (blog coming soon) and then we went home to get ready for Monterrey (2nd trip).

I invited everyone we knew to eat with us at Monterrey and we had a great time! It was so good seeing our old co-workers and great friends. The time passed too fast and I did not get to visit with everyone. Thanks to everyone who came! It was so good getting to see you and we can't wait to see you again! After dinner we headed back over to Andrew & Kylee's to hang out. The tradition of hanging out outside lasted until the mosquitoes came out. Then we headed inside to play Buzz!

Friday we hung out at the house for a little while and then I met Ashley, Michelle, and Joyce at my favorite burrito place, Barbaritos. (I forgot to take a picture which pisses me off so much!) The spicy chipotle ranch sauce is the BEST! We use to meed there almost every Friday for lunch. It was great bringing the tradition back and catching up with everyone. After that Ray met up with us to do a little shopping and then we headed to Adventure Crossing for some hot, sweaty putt-putt with Andrew, Kylee, & Jordan. We played a (long) quick game then headed into the A/C to win some tickets so Jordan could get a prize. After all our hard work we rewarded ourselves with some Monterrey (yeah I could eat it everyday and never get sick of it)! We picked up Auburn and took her over to Andrew & Kylee's that night so they could see her and Jordan could play with her. Auburn DID NOT like the big doggies or her butt getting sniffed. She sat in Brandon's lap for most of the night. Such a wanker. She needed a dose of "You ain't all that!" Ha!

Saturday I woke up to Nathan cutting grass. Man do I not miss yard work! We got ready and met Brandon & Jessica at Cracker Barrel (no toll or 2 hour drive to get there!!!). The food was amazing like usual and so was the company. I rarely get to talk to Jessica so it was great catching up with her and talking about wedding bells! From the sounds of it we will be visiting Augusta two times for weddings (maybe next year??!! for Robby & Mandy and Jessica & Nick). To kill some time we went to Target and I found the cutest orange and blue dress with an orange cardigan to go over it. I am so excited to wear it in October to the game!

Saturday night was our most anticipated night of the trip, dinner at Sara & Wes's! For those of you that have been with the blog since the beginning you know she is the one who started my blog, has two children (Trenton & Addison), and became my bestest friend. I found out she was pregnant with Addison right before we left so it was my first time meeting her (she is the one I had the Tennessee outfit made for). Wes made us a Low Country Boil which was amazing! I would write on about how great it was seeing them, how it was just like old times and not awkward, and how much I love her but I think Sara did it best in her blog
http://wessaraellis.blogspot.com/2012/07/heffer-and-who-that-other-man-trenton.html

Sunday Mom & Dad came over. I owed Dad a trip to Shane's BBQ (his most favorite place to eat besides Jim Bob's) for Father's Day. We got a chance to visit but poor Doug was on the phone the entire time with our renter and property manager because the air conditioner was messing up again. After our big lunch we headed to the mall to walk it off. I was so excited to find my Auburn coasters I had been looking for.

(Side Note - I saw more Auburn shirts & decals than I did GA or SC. Watch out! We are taking OVER! War Eagle Baby!!!)

They had open house all afternoon so Ray took Auburn (thanks again) and we bee bopped until it was over. Then we went back to the house to start packing and hang out. This gave Auburn and Dad some great play time. Mom is getting much more use to Auburn and is playing with her more. Auburn loves her Grandpa Nathan. I really think she would leave us for him! For dinner we went to T'Bonz and stuffed our faces. It was so good! And then we headed to Mom & Dad's hotel to hang out. It was a great day spent together. Before we went home we stopped by Andrew & Kylee's to say goodbye. Just like last time, Jordan cried and made us feel horrible for leaving.

Monday was a long day full of driving. Auburn did better and slept on her throne of pillows in the backseat. I think we were all exhausted from an eventful weekend. Once I took over driving we hit storm after storm after storm. They were so bad I could barely see the car lights in front of me. After we hit the third storm, Doug made me pull over to switch back and we made it home safely after that. Figures! It was good to be back but we missed  our friends. Going down I felt like we had been on a long vacation and were going back home. Coming back, it was more like going to our temporary home. It does not feel like we were gone for a year! It was more like a month. The best part about the trip was how little "catching up" we did. It was like everything just fell into place like old times. Our normal routine, our normal routes, our normal nights out, and our anything but normal friends. The trip was amazing and we can't wait until the next one. And we are holding everyone to their promise of coming to see us! I will plan your perfect vacation, give you a free place to stay, be your chauffeur, and cook you dinner almost every night. How can you say no to that?!

(please see Facebook for pictures as there are just too many to post in the blog)