A Little Perspective

Well friends, we've reached the end of our journey in Charlotte! My recruiter called me last Wednesday to give me the news that my contract was cancelled two and half weeks early. "That's it then? I can go home?" I asked. I sat there for a few minutes, dumb-founded. Here I was, mentally prepared to stay longer and maybe even extend my contract, and it was over. Then the realization hit me that I was free! Free to finally see my family after almost three months! Free to find a new job (fingers crossed)! It's a bittersweet feeling though. Teddy and I made so many unexpected friends in Charlotte. We spent a lot of time in the lobby, chatting with the staff- they always gave him too many cookies. Not to mention his daycare pals who spoiled him like crazy!

Somehow I fit all our crap in my tiny corolla and we hit the road Monday, stopping in Asheville, NC and Nashville to get in a little sight-seeing and eat a ton of delicious food! The Thai peanut chicken tacos at White Duck Taco in Asheville are crazy good! They have the perfect amount of spice and are topped with little mango chunks for an extra pop! We drove past a spot in the city usually used as a drum circle and saw plenty of hippies, much to my delight. Nashville was a little bit scarier to drive through, but the fried chicken and mac 'n cheese at Hattie B's more than made up for it! I also picked up some of Five Daughters Bakery doughnuts to share with my family. How I didn't eat the whole box on the drive home is a miracle.

My dad suggested Teddy get badges for each city/state we traveled through. He really is an awesome adventure buddy! I'm still in awe of getting to see the ocean on the East coast, driving through the mountains in NC and Tennessee, and crossing all the rivers in the Midwest, but nothing will beat getting home. I'm so excited to see where we go next, but for now, I'm going to drink coffee with my mom every morning, play video games with my brother, make my sister do yoga with me, and go fishing with my dad.

Stay safe!

Emma Grace and Teddy