catching up.

Since we got back to the States from Europe, I feel like all I've been doing is trying to catch up. Catching up on sleep, catching up on work, catching up with friends & telling them all about our trip.

Today I decided to take a day-cation to Greenville, SC to see three of my closest friends. Since college, we've been scattered across the Carolinas, California, Washington state, & even South America. I am thrilled to be spending the day catching up with them, and in between my time with them, I'm taking a moment to catch up on my blog.

Our trifecta of a trip to Europe was unforgettable. The landscape of Ireland was gorgeous: miles of green dotted with sheep that came to a sudden halt & drop right at the ocean's edge, mountains and beaches intermingled with pastures. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

London was a blast. Caleb & I spent our days roaming the city, hopping on & off the Tube, eating Indian for lunch, sightseeing & people watching. Our evenings were spent with the Sattaripour family, who opened their lovely home in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea to us. We enjoyed great ethnic food & evening swims in their underground pool. It was like a dream.

And the dream only continued as we arrived in Normandy, France where we spent time soaking up the history and beauty of the beaches and all that they meant and still mean to France, the Allied forces, and the world.

And now, back to the reality of the daily grind, I'm struggling to feel like I have a grasp of life. Our house is a mess, there's always someone we love to go see or something we love to go do, and my body is exhausted. Do things ever slow down? The older I get, the more I realize that the answer to this question is a resounding no. Life doesn't slow down or wait for us to catch up, but it's important that we don't get too caught up in the "catching up."

As I sit here in Greenville on my friend's couch, the couch that was the centerpiece of our college living room, I realize that it took getting out of Charlotte for me to slow down and realize just how quickly time can pass. It's important to soak up the moments that make up the years, and to give up on the catching up every once in awhile so we can enjoy where we are now.