Thank you for making me feel at ease. The Pooler back roads are much different than Tampa’s busy roads. The large pine trees shading the road as we drive by cows, not a person in sight. My mind felt relaxed, something it hadn’t felt in a very long time. As our 5-hour drive came to a close, we drove down a long driveway. April’s laughing as she pulls into her mama’s parking spot, saying “home sweet home.”

Thank you for making me feel like I was home. Her mama, whom I’ve never met before, greeting me with a hug and her dad saying, “Make yourself at home. If you need something, let us know. If we don’t have it. Well… We don’t have it!” I had often forgotten what home felt like in the midst of school and work. We enjoyed a home cooked family dinner, another thing I hadn’t enjoyed in a while. We said grace and talked about our lives, including boys. Her mama said, “Girls, listen. If a man don't respect his mama, he sure as hell ain’t gonna respect you.” We continued talking about life and the struggles we go through. “You are adults, you make your own decisions. I’ll just advise,” mama said. April’s mama that is, but my mama had said the same exact words just a few days before. Dinner was delicious. Phones were not insight. Unplugged, another thing my generation tends to lack. From the open backyard to the chickens clucking nearby, I felt like this is what I want home to be.

Tomorrow, we have plans to go into Savannah. She has a lot of places she’d like to show me. “Goodnight friend!”

As we leave, we wave to Jess on his fancy tractor, mowing the yard. Savannah is beautiful! Tons of small shops, filled with homemade and antique things. We visited the Mercer house from the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." I will have to read the book, so I know the full story. The gardens were gorgeous! We danced in at Forsyth Park and Wormsloe plantation, taking pictures. It was nice to be dancing again, both of us hadn't danced in a while. They were beautiful shaded areas, one with a gorgeous fountain in the center.

Today we head back to Tampa! It was a great, relaxing trip! We will definitely have to come back. Thank you to April's mama, Jess, and for her friends for making me feel welcome to Pooler, Georgia.