Where Do I Start?...

I've got so many stories to tell from my trip I don't know where to start! It's good to be home but I will miss my family & friends so much. I will also miss the street lights that dangle from wires, the smell of the ocean with a hint of Coppertone & Hawaiian Tropic that have permeated everything over the decades, kudsu coiling itself around trees, moss dripping from old oaks and peanuts boiled on the side of the road. Oh yes and Ruth's pimento cheese! When I was 15 I ate that on toast every morning before heading to the beach to get that perfect tan that only the locals had and the tourists envied. I brought a few containers home with me. The boiled peanuts I bought didn't make it to Atlanta. haha I'll also miss silly signs like this one in Conway, SC...

I call my mom and sister nearly every day. In my 33 yr marriage my husband has occassional told me what the phone bill was but has never complained about it, not once. I have to give him props for that. Once in a while I'll be talking to my sister and she'll say "I gotta go water my plants." I'll say ok and hang up, thinking how long could that take? HA! I get it now! You should see her place! She has a nursery! I had no idea! While it takes me 5 minutes, if I even do it, it has to take her a few hours! She has tables and tables of seedlings and plants she's propigated and her yard has to be one of the prettiest in Pawley's Island. She sells & swaps plants and seeds on Ebay and other gardening venues. So I helped her start a blog while I was there. I think making a post on my blog really motivated her. She also has about 50+ birds. Please check out her new blog Sandy Petals. I'm really proud of her!

I still haven't completely unpacked or cleaned out my car. I was completely exhausted Wednesday & yesterday. Tuesday I got up in Willcox AZ at 4:00am and got home at 4:40 Wednesday morning. I stopped in Phoenix and met a nephew that our family just recently learned we had. When he finally found us he had to learn that my brother, his father, had passed away. Seeing him was very emotional. He looks so much like my brother, who I miss every day, it was hard to hold back tears at times throughout our breakfast. He's a great guy and has a lovely family. When I got back on the road it was 100 degrees. ugh. I did make the occassional pit stop and slept for about an hour in a Denny's parking lot approx 60 miles from home! I couldn't hold my eyes open anymore. I made it home safely but will never do that again! Good thing I love to drive, however, my days of staying up for 24 hours are over!

I didn't sell anything while I was gone but my husband had a lot of gigs and worked a lot of extra days. So this weekend I will be painting like crazy, relisting & listing new things on Etsy and Ebay. Some will be art inpired by my trip. My mom is doing great and my visit did us all a world of good. It renewed all of our spirits and the time spent with my family and son was priceless.