A few weeks ago, while we were still in the States visiting family and friends, I decided to roadtrip four hours south to see some of our best friends in the world. After I kissed Elliott goodbye and sent him back to Sicily, I packed my kids in the car and headed to Durham, North Carolina. It felt crazy to do this all by myself at the time, especially as I’d spent the entire day in the car driving to the air terminal and then the entire afternoon and evening at the airport waiting to see if Elliott could get out on a military flight. My kids were amazing, though… by which I mean they slept almost the entire way. Like I mentioned here, my new life strategy is to roadtrip at night!
The Arthurs, our wonderful friends from Sicily, moved to Durham in August, and we were eager to see their new life, catch up after their big move, and let our kids play together. And let me tell you… those kids were ecstatic to see each other again!
As an extra bonus, my friend Becca is uniquely able to move into a place and discover all the best spots there. Durham was no exception. I got a grand tour with Foster’s Market, the Duke Gardens, the Duke University campus (where Josh is in school), and the Q Shack BBQ. Readers, thank you for all your suggestions in this post, btw… thanks to you all, I have more reasons to go back and visit!
We ate lunch at Foster’s Market our first day there. I loved the food and the environment. The kids ate grilled cheese, mac ‘n’ cheese, and potato chips… lunch from a dream for a child.
This was half my lunch… and the other half was a delicious Greek grilled cheese sandwich with tons of fresh veggies.
I love our little Gil Garber.
The mamas let the kiddos play outside while we shared a ginormous slice of coconut cake layered with lemon curd.
Four-year-old Caleb took our picture! Sometimes I look at photos like this and am amazed that this is me… a mom with two little kids, hanging out with another mom and her kids. I still feel like I’m a kid play-acting at being an adult most days! When will I feel like a legit grown-up? Ever?
Caleb, Lucas, and Lena… so happy to be reunited!
Another afternoon we took a picnic to Duke Gardens, which are absolutely magnificent and too large for me to enjoy on one visit. They reminded me a lot of the Botanical Gardens in Singapore, where my siblings and I spent hours upon hours as children. Becca also visited those Botanical Gardens when she was young… while I lived there, but we didn’t know each other then.
Kids in a giant magnolia. Lena ate one of the bright red magnolia seeds, leading me to call Poison Control for the first time in my life. No worries, though; they are non-toxic. Whew.
Bright purple prickly pears and a very cute little Eden.
My beautiful friend. In the springtime, the gazebo behind Becca is covered in purple wisteria blossoms.
Goodbye, sweet Arthurs! Thank you so much for hosting us and loving us. We can’t wait to see you again soon!
Gil’s expression in the first pic! I can’t handle it! hahaha
I know, me either! He’s all like, “I ain’t got time for no pictures.” *cool guy squint*
Ah, Fosters Market. We had one less than a block from my house in Chapel Hill. Great sandwiches. And a good place to study, too.
Less than a block?! I would be there all the time. There were clearly lots of students there, and the desserts… OMG.
Sweet, sweet memories! Where in the world will our next visit be?!?!
Maybe DC? Maybe NYC?! Maybe your new home after Durham?? Who knows where the Lord will lead us in this next year!