I’ve been missing my parents lately, since I hadn’t seen them since a short layover back in February. My mom and I have our second annual girls’ trip coming up next month, but I probably won’t see Dad again until the holidays. After we realized a Wednesday 4th of July trip wouldn’t be possible with the travel time/PTO for Eric and I both to make a long visit this summer, I found a cheap weekend flight and decided to make a quick trip on my own.
I took the early bird flight on Friday and Mom picked me up from the airport so we could grab brunch and do a little shopping during the day. After Dad got home from work, we went out to our favorite local Mexican restaurant for a catch-up and a margarita.
The weather was beautiful Saturday, so we decided to take the train into DC and check out one of the Smithsonian museums I haven’t been to – the National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibits are gorgeous and I think the history is nicely told by people of the nations. It was humbling to spy our old hometown of Rossville, GA mentioned several times in reference to Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation. We left feeling very awe-inspired, but it felt like seeing a piece of home as well.
On Sunday morning, we went to a little chain restaurant that was always our favorite family stop in Atlanta back in the day, Le Madeline’s. We headed to the movies after brunch for a matinee showing of Won’t You Be My Neighbor. My dad taught me one of the greatest bullying lessons I ever received using an episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood when I was a kid, so the show has held a soft spot for me ever since. When I saw the trailer for the movie online, my first thought was how much I would like to see it with my dad. I cried through most of the movie and the whole theater clapped when it was over, even though it’s been out for a few weeks. I thought it was beautiful and brilliant.
As we were walking back to the car, I got a text that my flight home in a few hours had just been cancelled… which was unexpected and a new travel challenge for me. After a few hectic minutes on the phone with the airline, I found a new flight home through Nashville that would get me home before work in the morning. I packed back up and said goodbye to my parents, sat in airports a little longer than I wanted, got home much later than I wanted to, but it was a great weekend spending time with my parents that is hard to come by.
Living several hours away from family for the past several years continues to be really challenging in a lot of different ways, but man if it doesn’t make me soak up every minute of it like a sponge when I get to see them. Plus my parents are cool people and are fun to hang out with.
