Reunion in Bloom: A Long Overdue Trip to My People

I’m packing more than a suitcase - I’m packing years of stories, laughter, overdue hugs, and the kind of inside jokes that only get funnier with age.

In June, I’m headed to South Carolina to see my girls. My constants. My people. It’s been over seven years since my feet touched that red clay, but their love has never felt far. Life has a way of stretching time and distance, but never the bond.

This trip isn’t just another weekend getaway - it’s a big one. It’s #5 on the 50 Under 50 list. A promise I made to myself when I started simplifying, shedding, and returning to what really matters. And these women? They’ve always mattered.

They’ve come to visit me twice now - braving my winding Appalachian backroads and the potential of crossing a bear like champs. And you know what? They fit right in. They didn’t need a GPS to find their place in my life. They’ve always had a map to my heart.

I don’t know what it is about girlfriends - real girlfriends - but they hold a different kind of magic. The kind that doesn’t fade with time. The kind that doesn’t care how many miles lie between you or how many gray hairs show up in your group photos. These are the women who’ve seen me through heartbreak and healing, motherhood and mayhem, reinvention and restarts.

And now, I get to go back. To them. To where some of our best belly laughs were born.

I don’t need a fancy itinerary. Just some time on the porch, a bottle of wine (or three), and stories that pick up right where we left off.