Raleigh: (Sub)urban

My final destination before heading home on my road trip was Billy's new house outside of Raleigh. I stopped for a splendid lunch with Sarafina Saturday afternoon at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Durham, where we lingered over White Gourmet Pizza that hit the spot. After briefly meeting her dad and some of his friends, who were all extremely polite and friendly and gave me a generous slice of lemon pound cake for the road, I continued on.

I arrived to a boisterous greeting from Cotton, the yellow Lab, and then, of course, said hello to my boyfriend. Saturday night, Billy and I went out to eat the the Twisted Fork, a local Raleigh favorite that I very much enjoyed, myself. We then checked out the Barnes and Noble. Sunday, we slept in, and in the evening, he, his dad, and I all went to Bonefish. Later that evening, the girls came back from WV, sans Michelle, who was at band camp, and plus one of Kristin's friends, and even later, Billy and I went to Baskin-Robbins.

Honestly, my time there kind of blurs together, because I lost track of time during the course of my trip. The days that Billy and I spent together consisted of a lot of food preparation, Cotton-petting/walking, and Xbox-playing. Billy gave me a driving tour of his subdivision as well as the town. We enjoyed the community walking trail and pool - especially the water slide. I originally had planned to leave on Sunday evening or Monday morning, but they all convinced me to stay until Wednesday morning (their persuasive powers never cease to amaze me.) We all went to The Cheesecake Factory - yum! - for dinner (and dessert, of course!) on Monday night, and Tuesday, we watched the better part of a Carolina Mudcats game in Zebulon and then played a rousing game of hide-'n'-seek in the new abode.

I really enjoyed my visit there. Their new home is very nice, as is the surrounding community. Of course it didn't feel like home to me, because I doubt it even feels like home to them yet. Nevertheless, my accommodations were very nice, and my days were filled with fun activities. I am so grateful that I got to spend time with Billy and everyone before I embark on my transcontinental adventure!