As I re-read my last post I can hardly believe I forgot to mention the absolutely frigid conditions I found myself in when I arrived in Tulsa. As we landed, the pilot in his closing of the flight commentary, mentions that it is 22 degrees...yes my friends 22 degrees. I can imagine that many of you are laughing at me and thinking "what do you expect, it IS winter," but winter where I am from (as of late) is no colder than 65 degrees (and that is only a couple of nights a year). Thankfully my father and my brother were also cold and ready to get back in the car and hit the road. Thank goodness for HEATERS!
After some great time with my family in Knoxville and Fayetteville, I headed to Little Rock, AR. There I caught up with an old friend from ECHO. She introduced me to her 5 month old son and her husband. It was such a wonderful time to catch up and to enjoy being outside (all bundled up, of course) and even getting a chance to see Santa.
From Little Rock I headed to Starkville, Mississippi. It was my first time really driving through Mississippi, besides the little bit along I-10. Although winter was upon the landscape, the beauty of the countryside passed pleasantly by me as I drove. In Starkville I stayed with another friend from ECHO. We had been interns together in 2003 and have remained good friends since then. Since being in Peru my friend has married and I had the pleasure of meeting her husband. Our time was filled with good conversation, games, movies and great food.
From Mississippi I headed back to Florida. 13 or so hours later I arrived in Fort Myers, where I will spend the holidays. In the New Year I will head north again and then head west. I am like a migrating bird who had lost track of the seasons. Lets hope this bird will find good traveling weather and clear roads for the next leg of her journey.