The fun started Friday night with a Triple Threat Party - a going away party for me and Jennifer, a birthday party for Curtis, and another friend Carrie was also having a birthday. Curtis reserved the Fly bar and restaurant here in Tampa which not only has a great bar scene downstairs along with amazing food, they also have one of the only rooftop bars in the city. After some really delicious food, we headed up to the rooftop to party under the Tampa moon in what turned out to be a very chilly evening for this time of year. Overall it was a great night and I was able to 'casually' smuggle in half a case of Moet & Chandon so we could all say goodbye, and happy birthday, in style. I've lived in Tampa for 14 years and the last 5 have been some of the best of my life - thank you all my friends!
The next day we packed up our luggage, and splitting headaches, and hopped in the rental SUV and drove all day to Atlanta to spend some time with my Dad and brothers and family. Eating being one of our favorite activities, Saturday night Tim introduced us to the nation's only South African restaurant, Ten Degrees South, specializing in fusion of French, Portuguese, Dutch, German, and Malaysian, all with Mediterranean influences.Sunday, Tommy and Nicki opened up their home for a bbq and after an afternoon of thick
steaks, grilled corn, mashed 'taters, grilled squash, and brownies(!), we spent the evening talking about hopes and dreams and finished the day off with a competitive game of Cranium. I haven't seen my Dad since he had quad bypass so it was great spending time with him and catching up.On Monday we packed up again and spent another day in the car driving to my Mom's house in the tiny town of Courtland, Virginia (population 1,900). We ended up having a family reunion of sorts as I flew my two daughters, Aubrey and Carley, into Virginia from up north in NY and Vermont, along with both my sisters and their families, and my brother Tim all coming into town for several days to enjoy Thanksgiving.
Saturday we shuffled Aubrey and Carley back up north and Jenny and I drove a different route home which led us through Savannah for the evening of rainy bar hopping before driving all day yesterday in the driving rain and traffic until we made it home last night back to Tampa.
It was great seeing the people we care about for the last time before leaving, but I am going to miss my family and friends more than I can describe here. A good English major would have a pithy quote for these moments, but I don't. Instead I have the double-edged sword of irony driving into my heart as I look ahead towards an exciting adventure in a far away land, while holding myself painfully still so I can pull my daughters closer to me and promise them I will see them again soon. Ten years in the military and two divorces does not make saying goodbye to your kids any easier. For me, or them.
