last weekend i cruised west of atlanta to visit my dear friend sarah over in carrollton.  we were long overdue for some girls’ time, and since phillip was occupied for a couple days, i insisted i come into town.

the quick drive on i-20 led me to a few more turns and a relaxing whirl through her stomping grounds.  i pulled up to her humble abode and nearly jumped out of my car, i was so excited to see sarah and her home!  she came answering when i came knocking, gave me a quick tour of the house, and tried to keep her sweet pup maggie from attacking me with kisses.  i can’t say i minded the last one at all; everyone knows i’m a dog lover!

now, this visit wasn’t just about sarah and me catching up – it also was about getting to see her family.  her parents and siblings just have hearts of gold, and it wouldn’t be a complete visit to west georgia without seeing them, too.  so, sarah and i met up with her mom, dad, sister jenny, and other sister katie at a local antique shop.  hugs and stories were exchanged among us all as we perused the aisles and shelves in search of a hidden treasure.  although there were plenty of refurbished dressers and chairs i would love to have had, i knew phillip would kill me if i came home with another piece of furniture!  the condo and our storage unit are at maximum capacity!  i couldn’t leave the store without a souvenir from the weekend, though, so i found a lovely little rosemary mint candle from a darling little shop called uncommon scents.  the smell is subtle and relaxing and perfect to light for an hour or so before hopping in bed.

we all piled up and after shopping through another antique store and a local book shop, we met up at little hawaiian right near downtown carrollton for some dinner.

this restaurant is roomy and bright and ready to serve.  our group of six was waited on right upon entering and we were quick to put in some orders.  after the water was poured, we were brought a basket of rolls that were quickly scooped up, and jenny was fast to demand another basket; she was all about that bread!  soon the sangria was also brought out, a perfectly refreshing drink on a beautiful march evening.  the warm rolls set a good tone for the rest of the eating we did that night.  between explosions of laughter we had bites of the green tomato appetizer, buffalo shrimp, teriyaki bowl (which i highly recommend with brown rice, shrimp, chicken, and mushrooms added), and the noodle bowl.  this family dinner wasn’t complete, though, without dessert!  we might have been stuffed from appetizers and entrees, but there was plenty of space in our bellies for the chocolate cake with cocoa nibs, strawberry cheesecake, and coconut cake.  talk about an awesome dinner!

sarah’s parents might have been headed back to roopville, but that didn’t mean us girls were ready to turn it in just yet.  there was a whole night ahead of us and plenty of mischief to discover!  how does a night of mayhem begin?  with a trip to the local hobby lobby, where else?  it has kind of become a tradition (and by tradition i mean we’ve done it once and this time was the second) that we tie dye when we visit sarah.  last time it was kyle, kari, and me who were visiting sarah, and i might have gotten in trouble because i used most of the blue color.  and by most of i mean i used nearly all of it…and you know what that meant?  my shirt turned out awesome!  hehe.

sarah chauffeured us back to the house and, of course, was the ultimate dj for us.  she put on some classic girls’ night jams and then topped herself with “butterfly” by crazy town.  took me back to my middle school days with that one!

we eventually got back to the house, turned up the tunes, and got into crafting mode.  maggie was bouncing around, happy to have us home, and the energy was high.  we poured the wine, covered the table, mixed the dyes, and got to work!  i’m sure you can imagine the fun we had:  katie was making it up as she went, sarah’s designs were spontaneous and unique, jenny took her time with her artistic eye, and i was a mix of “where are the suggested designs?” and “imma just do whatever speaks to me.”

after all the bags and aprons and shirts were heavily saturated with color, we (mostly) cleaned up our mess and sat down to play the game utter nonsense.  i can imagine this game was designed by those creators who gave us cards against humanity, but that’s just my guess.  in utter nonsense, you have to read outrageous statements in a specific accent.  at first we were all a little hesitant and unsure of how to proceed, but after a couple of rounds, we were in the groove of things.  the bad accents made us laugh just as hard as the good accents, and it was a ton of fun.  apparently these are all the accents i can do really well.  who knew!

eventually the night came to an end.  we all cozied up for a good night’s sleep and spent the rest of the night in sweet dreams.  we awoke sunday morning to maggie pawing at our faces, begging us to get the day started.  eventually we obliged and slowly rolled out of bed.  we’d slept in a little bit, which meant it was lunch time by the time we finally got out of the house.  lunch time in carrollton means one thing:  the corner cafe!  this restaurant is a must when you visit this town, and sarah was just as eager as me.  we found a booth to share and promptly ordered the spinart with bagel chips.  the spinart, like the tie dye, is also a west georgia tradition.

as we ate and drank and relaxed, sarah and i caught up on anything and everything life currently had for us and what we hope it holds this year.  we’ve been friends for nearly ten years now, and i know we share the kind of friendship that will endure no matter where we go or what we do.  i mean, i think it’s a pretty special thing that we’re regular pen pals, despite the fact that we only live an hour apart.  that’s a neat thing to me, at least.

after stuffing ourselves full on delicious dip and homemade sandwiches, we made an impromptu stop at the local clarie’s for me to get second holes pierced in my ears.  i’ve always thought it would be a fun thing to do, and considering that sarah was with me when i first got my ears pierced back in college, it only seemed too appropriate that she would be with me for the next time.  and because she’s such a good friend, sarah kindly captured each moment of the process.  thank ya, girl!

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after the fun at claire’s, we decided we needed to walk off our lunch.  we swung by the house, grabbed maggie, and took a nice leisurely stroll along the carrollton greenbelt.  we really could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon under the sun and clouds and surrounded by the breeze.  maggie dragged us along the path as she smelled everything to smell and sniffed everything to sniff.  it was exactly what we all three needed.

it was time for sarah to get to her chores and me to get back to the city, but neither of those things was going to happen before we cooled off with a snicker’s ice cream bar from the nearby drugstore.  if you haven’t ever snacked on this heavenly dessert, you’re missing out on the best of life.

back at the house i packed up the mazda, waved goodbye to the girls, and set off for home.  although never enough time when we are together, sarah and i can always pick right back up from wherever we left off, no matter how much time has gone by.