Over the past week, Matthew and I have been all around. Like I mentioned in my last post, he had a conference in Myrtle Beach and while he was there, I spent a few days in Virginia with my dad and step mom. I had such a great trip! I enjoyed relaxing at their house, celebrating my birthday (a month early) and eating at restaurants that I miss frequenting. I also enjoyed the shopping (more like browsing) I did while I was in Roanoke. With the luggage restrictions (and additional cost) on airlines, we always have to be careful about the items we pick up during our trips. I was able to see several friends during my visit. 
I had lunch with Melissa, Logan and Lea. I can’t believe how much those kids have grown up. L and L are so well behaved! Happy belated birthday to Lea - she turned 1 on Sunday.
I also met up with my friend Dawn (her husband was my youth pastor) and her kids (Madison and Harrison) and we had dinner together. Mark was at the same conference Matthew attended. It was so nice to see them – it’s been a while! Dawn and I had fun catching up and I enjoyed hearing what her kids are doing in school – impressive.
After leaving Roanoke, I drove through NC and got to see my cousin Emily. Her house is beautiful! We did some catching up and then went to eat lunch at a wonderful restaurant – one of her favorites. She and her husband just announced that they are going to be parents, so I was able to congratulate her in person. They are going to be wonderful parents!
My road trip ended in South Carolina and it was great to see Matthew – this was the longest we’d been apart. We got to visit with his parents and celebrate an early Thanksgiving. The meal was wonderful! Props to the turkey chef! It was the best. We had a wonderful time with his parents and sister. Unfortunately, we didn’t take any pictures. They also celebrated my birthday (YAY!) since we won’t see them again until Christmas. We have a wonderful family.
The night before we left, we got to catch up with some friends at Starbucks. This year each couple (excluding us!) has added a member to the family. I hadn’t met little Addison yet, so I got to hold her – she’s so cute! Chase is growing up and he’s as handsome as ever. We really enjoyed meeting up with Josh and Brooke and Ryan and Jessica. 
Our trip was busy, but I’m so glad we could see some friends and family. Anyone who lives several states away from friends and family knows how special a short visit or meal together can be. I appreciate our family for making our trip so special! Since our flight was delayed out of SC, we were routed through Detroit instead of Memphis (shorter flying time). While we were waiting for our flight in Detroit, we saw some snow flurries and it made me excited about seeing snow (hopefully soon) in Omaha. Who knows, maybe we’ll have a Thanksgiving Snow!
