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Haitus.  I didn't mean to take a haitus.  I love my blog.  I love reflecting into the anonymity of cyber-space.  It's just been nuts.  The strangest thing has been that my trusty laptop, which I never leave home without, was left in Seattle - on purpose.  I got this new phone and it allows me to do most, if not more, of the same things on a miniture little screen that I would normally do with the 5-pound silver brick.  While I love the convenience of my new little gadget, it doesn't allow me to have the same relationship with my blog that I do with a full-sized keyboard and screen.  As you can imagine, a screen of only a few inches really does a number on my eyes. 

It's been an interesting trip so far.  A lot has happened: just a wedding, being a matron of honor, my husband has come and gone, I've spent multiple nights with each family, seen friends, and read so many gloriously mind-numbing magazines.  I realized last night, however, when I could barely hold a conversation at dinner with my family, that I have had little to no alone time.  That is a serious problem for me.  I need time not only when I don't have to talk to anyone else, but also when I literally do not see anyone else.  I feel too much pressure, no matter how many times I may be reassurred, that I am responsible for entertaining and being polite.  Especially when I am at home and haven't seen any of my friends or family for months, I feel rude not to be engaging someone at all hours of the day.  Can't I just tough it out?  I'm only here for a couple of weeks and then I won't see them for several more months.  Can't I just keep going for a couple of days?  Can't I just have one more social engagement?  Fit one more person in?  One more conversation or shared meal?If no one is around, however, then the pressure is off.  Finally. 

So I finally have a moment to breathe.  No one else in this big house for possible only a few more minutes.  But it's glorious.  Somewhere along the line, I will have to figure out how to convince myself that my alone time is not selfish.  And it doesn't mean that I don't love my friends and family.  All it means is that I am an introvert and that I have limits.  Shocking!  I have limits.  My limits are different than anyone else's because I am me and that's ok. 

For now, I've been thinking of and mentally compiling a list of things that I love about the South and/or things that I love about coming home to good ol' North Carolina.  Mainly, I've been doing some serious consideration of how to recruit some of my favorite folks from Seattle to move with T and I back to North Carolina.  We need a tribe.  It's something T and I talk about a lot.  And we talked a lot while he was here about what the next few years will look like for us and especially not wanting to feel alone.  So much has happened for us in Seattle - so much goodness and growth - and we want people, need people, in our lives who have been a part of that experience.

So, here are some things that we're hoping will convince our friends that North Carolina is the place to be:

• Peaches so tender that they fall apart when you eat them; so juicy that they must be eaten over the kitchen sink
• Beaches that are sandy and hot; you can actually get a tan and can actually get in the water
• Bojangles (chicken, buiscuits, seasoned fries, sweet tea), Cook Out (burgers, sweet tea, milkshakes), and Chik-fil-a (chicken sandwhiches and sweet tea)
• Sweet tea
• Swimming pools - similar reasons as the beach; T and I went to our friends' pool in Seattle and thankfully I didn't get in the water, but T did and then he got a cold
• Strangers wave at you/speak to you/acknowledge your humanity on the street
• The evening news is funnier/less depressing to watch when everyone has a Southern accent

Let me know what else you would add!  I've got a good start, but that list could really be beefed up.