Texas highlights  

Almost one year to the date of graduating from college, I went back to my "alma mater"...
Highlights of my trip to Texas (in no particular order):

• Lunch w/ Brenda and Ryan...I wish we had a McAlister's!!
  
• QT with two families: Brian/Brooke and new baby Briley! AND Chad/Sherene and kids
• Mexican food - especially hot and fresh flour tortillas at Papacita's
• Having a table of 15 people at dinner Thursday and looking around to realize I deeply love (and miss) each person at that table
• Visiting my old apartment - 15B, even though it was sad
• Driving down Noon Day Rd in Hallsville near sunset... one of my favorite country drives
• Seeing my future husband and planning our wedding (and no, I don't have any news for you)
• La and Em taking off work early to spend time with me
  
• Making dinner with my friends two nights in a row
• Bonfire in the country
• Breakfast with Christa, just like old times (except it was lunch back then)
• Watching the Office with 7 people on a couch
• Somehow having catch up time with WAY more people than I thought I'd be able to!
• Beautiful weather on Saturday
• Em and I making Jason's grad card on the hood of her car on the side of the road out of blue poster board
• Benny trying to kill me with the frisbee.... multiple times....during our late night sports outing
  
• The boys participating in a walk-off. And Jason winning.
• Pillow talk w/ Em and Lolly
• Naps on the Bean
• Tornado sirens
  
• Seeing some of my Texas parents (Brenda, Judes, and La's mom & dad)
• Getting to fill people in on my life and through that verbal processing, realizing just how much God has blessed me (new job - especially this, house, friends, etc)
• Coming home to a dinner date at Jason's w/ Lauren...I would be lost without that girl
  

Lowlights?

• Didn't go to Bodacious but I did have homemade TX BBQ at Jason's party
  
• Realizing I am one of the few of our group of friends that cannot still hang out whenever I want.
• Small amount of drama... we're working on this.
• I was reminded how fun college was. Growing up isn't always as fun. BUT, I do recognize the need to move on and start this new stage of life.
• I'm missing Texas friends a LOT right now. I'm especially missing the level of comfort I feel with all of those people. They KNOW me. I sometimes feel like people here still don't. How long does that process take? I'm tired of being close acquaintances... I want deep friendships (in Orlando). I have a few and some are growing for sure, but I realized that it is hard to replace what friendships I had in Texas.

If you are reading this and are a Texas friend, know that I miss you a lot and I really treasure your friendship. If you are an Orlando friend, don't take this to mean you aren't important. Because you are, and I'm so thankful that I have had people surrounding me to help me through the transition from college to the real world. You all are special and you definitely play a huge part in my life. This weekend was a good reminder that life changes. And change is good. But treasuring the important pieces of your past is OK too. We learn. We grow. I know I have been for the past year.