Surprises, Birthdays, and Southern Hospitality

Last weekend was a special getaway trip that actually began in mid-February...

Mrs. K called several weeks ago and invited me to Catherine's birthday party. Catherine and I have become friends thanks to CollegePlus. While we met via Skype 18 months ago, we've gotten close in the past year through several student body activities (including two in-person gatherings!)...

Catherine and I in Dallas for the Official CP Texas Gathering last December

Normally birthday invitations aren't that big of a deal. But this party involved four flights and a change in time zones :) This trip was a complete surprise to the birthday girl, Catherine... Mrs. K and I had lots of fun keeping the secret (although it was difficult at times).

Finally it was Thursday -- the arrival day. After I worked a few hours, Mom drove me to the Washington Dulles airport for a 5pm flight. I texted Catherine in between flights and knew that she had no clue I was coming.

"I'm on my way 
Yes, I'm on my way" 
~ On My Way (Phil Collins)

At 10pm, I landed in Louisiana... As I headed for the exit of the Alexandria airport, I caught her eye through the glass windows -- and the shocked look on her face is one I will never forget.

Our first hug :)

Moments after meeting

We stayed up late Thursday night grinning at each other and catching up on life as the past few weeks had been pretty crazy for us both with school and other commitments.

"Hello, hello 
My, my, my, what have we here? 
What a surprise
What a surprise" 
~Hello, Hello (Elton John)

The next day started early as we were both still so excited to be together :) We messaged a few of our CollegePlus friends before rousing to make breakfast and eat with Catherine's sister, Rebekah. After our breakfast, we headed outside for a walk in the warm Southern weather. For me, it was quite a change to go from the freezing-cold, snowy Maryland weather to the mild, humid temperatures in Louisiana.

Catherine showed me many areas where she usually walks, but one of the most interesting sights was this house:

The Confederate flag is not a typical sight in Maryland :P

We ended up walking around for close to 3 hours... Time flies when you're having fun with best friends! After a quick dinner, the whole family plus me headed to Bye, Bye, Birdie that evening at the local college. It was a fun musical that elicited laughter from all of us...

Saturday became our visiting day... Both sets of Catherine's grandparents live in town and they were kind enough to allow us to visit them both for a little bit :) At one point, while Mrs. K and her parents stayed inside to talk, Catherine, Rebekah and myself enjoyed some time outside...

We also met up with another local CollegePlus student, Victoria for some frozen yogurt.

L-R: Catherine, Victoria, myself

The next day involved getting up "early" (at least for girls who were staying till midnight or later!) for church. Catherine's family attends a small gathering of believers and it was so much fun to meet more of her local friends and talk on the car on the way there and back =)

Random picture after church

We enjoyed another afternoon walk on Sunday while her family rested and enjoyed some down time... Luckily the threatening rain held off until we started walking down her street. As the afternoon drew to a close, we began to realize that the weekend was almost over :(  For our final evening, we settled in Catherine's room with a laptop and watched Trouble with Angels. We were both struggling to stay awake when it ended, but at the same time we couldn't imagine falling asleep and ending our last full day together...

"Don't say goodbye
Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight
Don't say anything tonight
If you're gonna say goodbye"
~Don't Say Goodbye (Skillet)

The next morning was full of packing, eating, and preparing to head back to the airport...

After our tenth "final" hug, we finally let go and I went through security. But in such a tiny airport, I still had twenty minutes to kill before boarding time. Catherine found a window to the gated area and we decided to have some fun :D

We couldn't hear each other through the glass, so we pulled out our phones and typed messages to each other... The weird looks from the people walking past us just made it all the more fun!

By the time I made it home late Monday night, I was tired. But also grateful for the special weekend! Catherine is one of my closest friends that I've been so blessed to meet and get to know through Skype, the CollegePlus forums, and other social media =) I can't imagine everyday without talking to her and sharing life, school, and work.

"I'm glad you have been my friend in the time of our lives..."

~Time of Our Lives (Tyrone Wells)