There is no place I'd rather be, then home in Dixieland with my family. Nothing makes my heart happier. It was so good to be back home with everyone in the house we grew up in. Both of my sisters were there with their families and my mom prepared all of our favorites dishes, and fixings and pies for supper every night and during the days we would go visit our favorite local joints for bbq, gumbo & fried green tomato sandwiches.
I can't begin to tell you how much food we consumed. Zeke and I don't own a scale (well now we do due to the damage we did in Georgia) so we got a little curious since my parents have one and we did the worst thing imaginable - we stepped on that scale New Years Eve. I was floored. I was so floored that I started laughing because I didn't know what else to do. With that said, right now we are on a strict way of eating because we've got a cruise in two months that we want to be ready for.
Do I regret all the food we ate? Never. It was fried, it was hardy, it was made with love and it was just right. We did the usual stops to my 'Tara' - Barrington Hall and walked the grounds & gardens of the Plantation on Christmas day. I always have to visit and say hello to her. I never miss the chance to do so. Barrington has my whole heart.
My mom & I did the usual antique shopping and I always get lucky and find a piece of home to take back to California with me. My sisters and I stayed up very late in the night and made snacks and just chatted & played games with our husbands and on occasion we'd sneak out and drive to Waffle House in the middle of the night like the old days.
I love being home with my parents. My favorite way to spend my time is in the company of my parents. I love being with them. They have the best stories and they make me laugh. My whole family does. I love every single one of them so much and this Christmas was so very special to me. Of course I cried in the airport on the way back, not to mention it was New Years Eve and I'm already always emotional on this holiday. Im horrible with change and New Years Eve is just another reminder of how fast time slips from you. Another year down and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sob. Whenever I watch the ball drop on tv in Times Square I get emotional because I love watching all of the people gathered together, celebrating and embracing one another with love and unity - strangers or not. Then the tears keep rolling down my face. So - I'd rather just order a pizza, sit in my pajamas and watch a scary movie. But instead, I flew out of dixieland, the only home I'll ever really know, said goodbye to my family and made it back to Los Angeles just in time to watch the ball drop and I cried the entire night.
I don't mean to end on such a sour note but though I was emotional and sad, I realize through it all how much my family and home mean to me. I am so very blessed.
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