And here it is. The end of AYNA. Wrapped. Finished. Over.

(By over, I mean almost. I’m the last man out on Monday. Stupid copier p/u…)

It’s been… interesting? Unexpected? Stressful? Surreal? Weird?

It’s been a number of things. I never thought I would find myself in a real job traveling between Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. There were things that were great, things that were terrible, people I loved and hope to see again (soon?), people I’m not terribly sad over the saying of goodbye. I’m gonna miss my North Carolina.

This week was mostly work and stress and then the relief of reaching the end. Brandon and I did stumble across the amazing Thelma’s Chicken & Waffles. They have fried apples there. And grits. And chicken and waffles. And a hostess who occasionally breaks out in Gospel. They will also deep fry your turkey for Thanksgiving as they tutor your kids from 5-8 on Thursdays.

Gotta love the South.

I really do mean that.

People here are so nice and open for conversations. There are plenty of things wrong in the South, you can see it a million tiny ways, but there are also plenty of things wrong with most of our country. Here there’s also warmth and charm and really, really good food.

I’ve been enjoying my time outside of work, can you tell?

Tuesday is the resumption of the road trip for real. Depending on when everything wraps up at the office on Monday, I may try and hit the road then. Not planning on it though. Tuesday morning (probably painfully early) works too. I’ll just make sure to get a giant cup of coffee.

I’m heading down to South Florida for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with family. I’ll drive 15 hours, hang out for four days, and then meander may way back up the state. After Florida I think I may make a second stop in ATL before I move the direction of Nashville. I did make it to TN on this trip, yes, but I haven’t made it to Nashville yet. I really want that to happen!

So that’s where I am. This is where I am. A little cold, a little sad, a lot relieved, and ready for the next big thing.

Hanging out in the Barnes & Nobles.

I’m also gonna go see Harry Potter tonight. Yes!