Remembering

Two weekends ago, before we left Tallahassee, we had a really fun Sunday. The day after my friend Lynnae's wedding, Tim and I kinda took it easy before we had to fly home to NY that night. So we spent the morning at the Maclay Gardens. It's a state and botanic garden, one of the few things I actually had on my Tally to-do list. It was gorgeous. It was actually just what I needed to fill that southern hole that was left in me after moving up north. You never realize the things you take for granted until they are gone. I experienced that sensation pretty much the whole day.

On the surface, the garden really didn't seem that spectacular. (I mean, I am a member at the NY Botanic Gardens which just oozes with flowers.) But to a girl who hasn't been "home" in several years, oak trees covered in spanish moss, wide brick pathways sided with liriope, azalea bushes (yes - even those) and ferns, that woodsy sticky smell, and the sounds of crickets chirping is pretty much just like heaven. Really. Throw in a couple of southern critters, like armadillos, chameleons, and tadpoles, and it really is heaven. And it was me and my guy all alone, strolling down these wide sweeping paths. I felt like Scarlett O'Hara.

After that, we met up once more with one of my dearest old friends, Rachel and her hubby Chris, for lunch. Since Rach and Chris moved to South Africa, we really haven't been able to spend any time with them like we used to. We hadn't even SEEN them for two years! It was a little bit more of that "food for the soul" kinda time, like the southern garden experience. It's really tough being worlds away from someone you love. (Someday though, we plan on having houses right next to each other and we'll sit on our rocking chairs on our porches and hoot at each other. You'll see.)

Well, we had a great mexican food feast lunch with a waiter who liked to twirl things (almost as much as Chris does) and then we went to Tallahassee's Fun Station (ahh yeah) where we played water boats. We didn't realize it was going to be such a dripping wet excursion. The boats were all equipped with water pistols. And yes, I was seriously regretting my choice of wearing a white t-shirt. Chris got sopping wet (and he HATES being wet) so we all laughed at each other until I got the hiccups and they had to leave.

Tim consoled me with losing very graciously at mini golf (he didn't lose on purpose - I'm just that good...) and taking me for a spin on a go-cart track. I'd never been on a go-cart track, so I really had a great time. I laughed so hard that my tummy hurt. And I think I am still picking pieces of rubber out of my hair from that ride; either that or I have freaky black dandruff.

After that, we hit the road and made our way to the airport. We had a safe and not too eventful flight home.

Anyway, it was such a good Sunday that I wanted to blog about it so I could remember how nice a time we had.