Friday
Friday was a fun day - we went to the mall to go shopping (obviously) and I got some amazing clothes both for my trip and for back-to-school. We stopped by Victoria's Secret PINK and I picked up some yoga pants that have LSU tags on them (TIGERS is on the fold-over lip, and there's a tiger head underneath the PINK label on my left thigh). Then we went to lunch (we had Raising Cane's - it was superb, as always). We hit up New York & Company because they had a super cute sundress I was hoping to wear to my grandma's tea party that she's hosting (I'm the guest of honor), but ended up walking out with two pairs of skinny jeans (that is also the new store I will buy jeans from) and a button-down top (sleeveless, brown pinstripes, and ruffles at the collar) that should be good for travelling, school, and maybe even the tea party. We finally stopped at Delia's and I picked up a new Out of Print t-shirt (Pride & Prejudice - I love it) and two other graphic tees (a dinosaur one and a penguin one).
Saturday
We lounged around in the morning (I believe) and then in the afternoon we went to visit Rosedown plantation. It was absolutely gorgeous. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner - delicious. We dressed nicely, which was definitely a good thing because we saw a ton of really cute guys. No complaints. We also went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. We cried. A lot. As in, more than I'd like to admit.
Sunday
It was rainy all day, so we just relaxed. We hung out on our computers and sang along to music. Laughed, giggled, and overall just had a nice day. Went out for one last lunch (to Times, one of my favorite restaurants down here) and had a great chat about everything and anything under the sun.
Monday
Today we drove Lizzie to the airport and then my mom and I went to the dollar store to pick up some things she was looking for for her classroom. I ended up getting some wall decals for my dorm room, a laundry hamper, and a Winnie the Pooh coloring book with crayons. It was a pretty successful trip. After that, we've just hung around, enjoying having some much-missed mother-daughter time, and making sure Lizzie made it through her flights alright (first flight delayed, almost missed her second one, which was then delayed (almost cancelled) around 4 hours). She's back home now.
Overall, it was great to see Lizzie again. I guess I didn't really realize how much I truly missed my friends in the north until I saw one of them. Sure, Skype changes a lot of things, and it's nice to stay in contact via Facebook and texting, but it's also nice to be able to hug one of your best friends. Or have a second (or third) opinion while shopping. Or just be able to belt out random lyrics and random times and have her understand you.
I'll miss her. But I also know that it's only 3 weeks until I get to see everyone. I can't wait.
Warning: Personal
That's not to say you can't read. But I know that some people shy away from some of the more personal stuff that I write. I thought it was only fair to give a warning. This is something I just wrote for Tumblr, but I thought it might be nice to put it here too. Just some late night musings.
So I just spent about 20 minutes going through one of my Word documents that holds some of the conversations with people I never want to forget; there are text messages, facebook chats, even some blog posts. But each one is special to me, and for whatever reason I want to always have it with me, not just in my memory.
Looking back, I can see who has truly cared about me. Whether it's my cousin who sent me a five word text that has changed and inspired me ("Dear Claire, I admire you.") or a blog post from one of my best friends about how to make it through a rough time or a facebook chat with my on-again-off-again crush asking me what the "fat man" gave me for Christmas, all have been saved. Including a fair amount of conversations between me and him.
Yes, I realize that going through this document may not necessarily let me truly "let go" of anyone who isn't in my life anymore. But no, I refuse to delete things out of this document. It's like an unspoken ... or unwritten ... rule. Never delete. Only add. I can change the format, I can rearrange the order of things, but I can never, and will never, delete any message. Because sometimes it's not the message that's important, but it's the moment in which I thought it was that is important. It's not that I wanted to get a slurpee with a friend, it's that it was at a time when my wishing for the North was at its peak - it was when I wanted my life to return to "normal," whatever that was.
But going through the document tonight has made me realize just how much my life has changed in the past year. This time last year (almost to the date), I had a conversation with one of my best friends (who actually just left to head back to Michigan today) in which I was begging to go back to my hometown. I exclaimed "this isn't my life" and "I want to come home."
I didn't accept my reality. It was my life, and always has been. And this is home now. It's strange to imagine a time that I was yearning to go back to the place I now shy away from (for the most part). That the place I've been alienating once held such an important place in my heart. Yes, I can remember, and yes, it makes sense. My hometown in Michigan was all I grew up with, it was where my friends/boyfriend were; it was where my belongings were; it was where my history was, and where I hoped part of my future would lie. It was home.
But with everything that has gone on in the past year, college, moving, the break-up, the loss of friendships, and so much more, it's no wonder things have shifted.This is where I call home. This is where m family is, and my belongings. This is where some of my most treasured memories are (plantation tours with my dad, pool water fights with my brother, library trips with my mom, even quality time with my grandma). No, most of my friends are still in Michigan, and yes, my history still lies there as well. But my history doesn't have as much of a hold on me as it did last year.
And as much as my former self would hate to admit it, I'm overjoyed that I have finally left "the bubble" and have started a new chapter of my life.
I'm glad that I am home.
No comments:
Post a Comment