General News, November 2007
Day 21 -- Home again, home again
Home! I'm home!
I dragged Jay out of bed before six, and we were on the road by 6:30 this morning. It was foggy all through Oregon, but we didn't hit rain until we got to our home state. Of course. We couldn't go straight home, since we had a rental car, but even with the drive through the city and a swing by the airport to switch cars, we were home by 3:30. All of the animals seemed glad to see us, and I was most happy to see them.
The house was sparkling clean when I got home. Our house sitter, Monica, is welcome to move in fulltime! ;-) She said all went well with the dogs, though Aslan made his displeasure of the situation known by taking everything she owned outside and depositing it by the front gate. He missed his mom!
The trip was a resounding success. I enjoyed every single leg. Meeting Lynn and Adam was incredible -- so glad to have them in my life -- and I'm ever so grateful to have gotten to see Christie. Sincerely, I can rave about every leg of the trip. I saw so many people and had such great experiences. I simply couldn't imagine a better trip.
Thanks to all of you for reading along and for dropping my notes and phone calls along the way. Your support means more to me than you possibly know!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Day 20 -- Beginning of the end
We started our two-day trip home this morning. I got us up about a quarter before six, and we were on the road by 6:30. It's over 1300 miles between Vegas and home, so I wanted to get an early start!
I have done phenomenally well navigating on this trip. Until this morning, the only wrong turn I had taken was missing the driveway to McDonald's during a lunch stop. This morning, though, I shot right past the first turn I was supposed to take -- the one right outside of the hotel. We were never lost, but we did a fair amount of driving on Vegas surface streets before we finally got on 15 South.
The drive today, despite the inauspicious start, was phenomenal. California is long, straight, and boring -- and that's good for this kind of driving. Just point the car and go. And no snow! Beautiful sunny weather. Our goal was Redding, which is roughly the halfway point. We got there at 6:30 this evening, but I wasn't remotely tired, so we continued on. I crossed the mountains -- I repeat, NO SNOW! -- and we're settled for the night in Medford, OR. Less than 500 miles to drive tomorrow.
The only bad thing about continuing past Redding tonight is that we missed some of the most beautiful scenery on the trip. Dark on the way down, and now dark on the way home. Oh well, like I told Jay, if I'm choosing between pretty scenery and seeing my dogs sooner, my dogs win every time!!
Home tomorrow. Finally!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Day 19 -- Vegas, day two
Any pretense I had of eating reasonably well was completely shot today. Oy, what food! If there's any saving grace it's that Jay and I split everything.
Breakfast was at House of Blues. We had sweet corn and banana fritters, hashbrowns smothered in bacon, cheese, and onions, and "Cajun pigs in a blanket" -- chicken andouille sausage wrapped in corn cakes served with maple butter.
Lunch was at Nathan's Hot Dogs. I had a plain hot dog, and we split an order of bacon cheese fries.
Dinner was at Tao. It's sort of a pick-and-choose, by the piece, kind of place. We had a sashimi tuna appetizer, four kinds of tempura (onion, sweet potato, asparagus, and avocado), and a wasabe-crusted filet. I had about a third of a cup of chai for dessert. Jay made an offhand remark about being married to me for ten years, and the waiter assumed it was our anniversary. He surprised us with a glass of plum wine. I drank mine to be polite. I very much appreciated the sentiment, even if I don't like wine.
The rest of the day? Pretty much just as decadent as the food. We started with a massage. I added on a scalp massage, which is done with a peppermint oil, so it's a bit of aromatherapy as well. We went to the north end of the strip and walked around the Bellagio and the Venetian, and we gambled a little, and then I went back to the hotel for a nap.
Speaking of naps, have I raved about the bed here? Best bed ever. Seriously. I sleep like a log and I haven't woken up stiff or sore a single time. I'm madly in love with it, and desperately want to recreate it at home. I wonder if the hotel will tell us what they "made" it from.
This evening we went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. It was amazing!! Since it's a permanent show, they can do incredibly technical and elaborate sets. It's such a great play with such amazing music.
And now the day is done. We've packed, and we'll be up early tomorrow to check out and begin the trek home. It has been a terrific vacation, but I'm ready to go home now.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Day 18 -- Vegas, day one
Where to start, where to start? Might as well start at the beginning. We woke up early... sixish. Before sunrise -- saw nice color as the sun rose. We got dressed and ventured downstairs early. A hotel staff person recommended a restaurant called "Raffles" for breakfast, so that's what we did. It was pretty and overlooked the Mandalay pool area. One of them, anyway. I had a yummy egg white omelet with chicken, spinach, tomato, and basil. (Hashbrowns were mediocre, but that's a good thing because I didn't want to eat them anyway.)
After breakfast we went walking. We walked through the Luxor, the Excaliber, New York New York, and MGM Grand. My favorite, by far, was New York, New York. Really well done theme. It captured the idea of New York really well. At some point I got a little hungry, so I got some soft pretzel sticks with cream cheese to dip them in. Nice snack that turned into our lunch. (So it wasn't as decadent as it sounded.) The casinos were interesting, but I'm not as much of a people watcher as Jay is, and I'm not a shopper.
This afternoon we got a hot stone massage. HEAVEN. Oh my God, I want a massage like that every day for the rest of my life. We both loved it so much that we made an appointment for another massage first thing tomorrow morning. They have a full gym there, and they offer personal training. What I wish I'd thought to do was sign up for an hour of personal training before my massage tomorrow. Man, that would feel good!!
After the masssage, we spent an hour or so in the casin playing slots. I lost money, and Jay made it back up, which is how it always works. I have lousy luck in a casino, and he has great luck. Is it any wonder I don't really enjoy gambling? And Jay wondered why I took only a fraction of my gambling allowance downstairs and pocketed the rest.
Next we had an early dinner -- seafood at RM Seafood. Man, it was elegant and scrumptious! I had a spicy hamachi appetizer that included hamachi sashimi, avocado, and grapefruit. For dinner, then, I had dover sole stuffed with truffles, served on a bed of pureed potatoes, with a light herb sauce. Incredible!
Then it was off to Zumanity, the "adult" Cirque du Soleil show. It was funny and entertaining and not nearly as "alternative" as I'd thought it might be. We sat very close to the front, but we were in the middle of a row and were fortunate enough NOT to get picked on by the performers. It was fun though!
Oh, and before I forget, here's a picture of the ring Jay gave me (and the lovely rose I got at Zumanity):
Tomorrow we're doing the north end of the strip.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Day 17 -- Driving to Vegas, part two
I woke up in a bad mood because of the snow. We listened to the news and found out quickly that we had made the right decision when we chose to stop in Tucumcari. There were tons of accidents the night before between Tucumcari and Albuquerque. It would have been a LONG drive had we continued on. I'm glad, however, that I didn't know how much further it was to Las Vegas, or I probably would have foolishly continued on. Finding out that we had over 700 miles to drive today -- and that we weren't leaving until after 8 local time -- did nothing to improve my mood.
By the time we left, there was snow on the ground, but the roads were bare. They were sometimes wet, sometimes dry, and sometimes icy. I white knuckled it for half an hour or so, but eventually there was more dry than wet, and the icy patches were few and far between (except in Kline Corner, but we were warned about that). Then we got to Albuquerque and suddenly... no snow. We crossed the mountain and BOOM, nothing. Nothing except the first and only sign warning of winter driving conditions. Aaarghhh.
Once we hit Albuquerque and the winter driving conditions were behind us, my bad mood evaporated. The drive became easy from that point, and the skies were clear and sunny. I pegged it at 80, and we made great time.
The drive proceeded well until we were on 93 about 10 miles from Hoover Dam. We had been told there would be a 15- to 30-minute delay. Um, try an hour and forty-five minutes. Sigh. It wasn't hard, but it did delay our arrival in Vegas (and we were hungry).
My first impressions of Vegas? Um, crowded. Overwhleming. In some ways underwhelming. The hotel is okay. I don't love the decor in the hotel room, but oh well. Nice TVs though. (They charge $12.95 a day for internet access. <eye roll>)
I've accused Jay of not proposing to me, so in honor of our ten years together, he surprised me with a ring -- a cool pink plastic ring! He wanted to buy me something special, but he knew I wouldn't wear real jewelry. I'll wear this though. For a few days anyway. Or a few minutes. We'll see. I appreciate the thought (and his wisdom in not wasting money on a real ring).
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Day 16 -- Driving to Las Vegas
Snow SUCKS. I despise it. Evil. Devil spawn. No redeeming qualities. Notice to all who travel with me -- In good weather, I'm an angel. When it snows, I lose my pleasing personality FAST and become a raving bitch.
Have I mentioned that I HATE SNOW?
We had a great morning. Breakfast at Jay's parents' house, and then a visit from his cousins Clint and Jenny and their two children. A few family pictures...
Jay's aunt, Barbara
Jay's cousin, Clint
Clint's wife, Jenny
Joyce and Robby
Clint and Jenny's son, Zach. I didn't get a picture of Seth, sorry!
We hit the road around noon, planning to drive to Albuquerque. Before we hit the Texas panhandle, though, we hit SNOW. Evil snow. Visibility went to nothing, and the road was covered. It lasted about 50 miles, and then we broke out of it. Snow was on the ground the rest of the day, but we were mostly out of precipitation at that point. Eventually the road got dry again, and my pleasing personality was back. It hadn't affected our time tooo much, so we still planned to go to Albuquerque.
Unfortunately, it didn't last. Right when it started getting dark, we hit more snow. It wasn't bad, but the road was getting wet and the temps were dropping. I rolled a car on black ice many years ago -- I don't do ice. So we decided to stop in Tucumcari. It's supposed to snow tonight, and I'm going to be driving through snow ALL ACROSS NEW MEXICO tomorrow.
This is the desert. And there's supposed to be a drought. WHY THE HELL IS IT SNOWING ON ME??? I am not amused.
One good thing today though. We stopped at a McDonald's and the car next to us had a curly coated retriever (like Pax) in it. His name is Cobalt, and he recently got his first three-point major (and he does agility and obedience). Lovely boy, and I got lots of kisses from him and his chocolate Lab buddy. I missed dog kisses!
Tomorrow more snow hell. Grrrrrr.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Day 15 -- Thanksgiving in Oklahoma
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Got dressed in my turtleneck <cough>, and we headed over to Jay's parents' house (Starbucks in hand) around 8:45. Kay fixed a wonderful breakfast, and then Jay and I zipped out to the airport to pick up his brother, Robby, and his wife, Joyce. So nice to see them! This was actually the first time I've met Joyce, since I'm lame and don't get down here very often. She's a sweetie!
The whole family gathered in the kitchen, of course. Those who weren't cooking sat at the island and chatted and picked at the food as it came out of the oven. Finally it was all ready, and after the blessing, we sat down for a feast. Everything was fabulous, but I must say Kay's cranberry Waldorf salad was divine.
After lunch we lazed around. I got a foot massage from my darling husband, and then I napped while the rest of the family shuffled off for their second trip to Starbucks. When everybody got back, I dragged my butt off the couch, and we had dessert. Pumpkin, cherry, and pecan pies. Pecan is my favorite, so guess what I chose. :-)
I married into a game playing family, so after dessert they pulled out a card game called Rummy Royale. We dug out all our change and tossed it in the pot, and then we had several hours of fun. I did well, which means I blew all my good luck today and will have none in Vegas this weekend. Sigh.
Not many pictures today, but I did snap a shot while we were playing rummy:
When the game was over, we sat down and hit the leftovers for dinner, and then we headed back to the hotel. We'll be back here tomorrow morning, and then we're off on the first leg toward Vegas.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Day 14 -- Drive to Oklahoma
My streak of good weather ended today. I woke up to lots and lots of rain. Ick. I got on the road early, early this morning. Before I hit the highway though, I had to run by Starbucks and upload yesterday's blog, and I had to run by the gas station and grab a bag of ice. Then I braved the rain and Memphis traffic and hit the highway.
The weather in Memphis and West Memphis was AWFUL. Hard rain, thunder and lightning -- impossible to see the road. Add a ton of traffic, most especially fast-moving 18-wheelers, and the early part of the drive was nightmarish. After West Memphis, though, the rain lessened, and by the time I hit Little Rock, the sun was out.
There wasn't much rain for the rest of the drive, but there was wind. My hands and wrists were killing me by the time I got to Oklahoma City because I had to physically hold the car on the road for so much of the drive. On the plus side, there wasn't nearly as much traffic as I had expected.
I got to Oklahoma City around three and went straight to my in-laws' house where my husband awaited. We spent a quiet afternoon at the house (which is newly remodeled and gorgeous), and then we had Memphis barbeque for dinner. It was an early dinner, and I'm glad, because I'm absolutely wiped!
Pictures tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Day 13 -- At long last, Christie
Today was the day the whole trip had been planned for -- the day I got to see Christie, my best friend since preschool. Christie and I have been friends FOREVER. We've lived in the same city relatively little time in our lives, but we stayed in touch and stayed best friends regardless. It was so, so, so good to see her again, and I'm so happy we got to spend a whole day together.
Christie's grandmother, Dottie, invited me and my mom to join their family for an amazing lunch at a restaurant in Collierville. I knew Christie and her family would be there, but I was thrilled to find that her brother's wife, Ericka, their son Jack, Christie's aunt Kit, and her cousin Mary Catherine were attending as well. I was bummed that Christie's brother, Paul, had to work, but I got to see him tonight.
I have no pictures from the restaurant -- hopefully Christie will send me hers -- but I took pictures at the park we went to after lunch:
Me, Christie, and Ericka
Mary Catherine and Christie
Christie and her sweetie, Mike
Ericka
The grownups... (L to R) Mike, Christie, Mom (in the red), Kit (in yellow
sitting on the table), Dottie, and Mary Catherine
Okay, I didn't manage to get decent pictures of all the children, but
I got one of Jack, Christie's nephew. Isn't he gorgeous?
All the kids playing together.
Kit -- Isn't she photogenic?
After lunch, Christie and I came back to the house and just hung out and chatted and laughed and acted silly. Eventually we piled into my car and ran a couple of errands and then headed to dinner. Marni was going to join us, but she bailed on us. Never fear, we ate enough sushi for her and the French army. Yum! After dinner (and ice cream), we drove to Paul and Ericka's house.
Paul Michael is Christie's little brother. Since I've known him since he was in diapers, he's pretty much my little brother too. He and I are absolutely crazy about each other. I adore him and always have. I forgot to take my good camera with me, so all I have is this lousy shot from my camera phone. Christie took a couple of shots of us though, so hopefully she'll send them to me.
I adore him. Have I mentioned that? Ericka, you're a lucky, lucky woman!
Tomorrow I leave at the crack of dawn and drive to Oklahoma City. It has been a TERRIFIC visit.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Day 12 -- Monday in Memphis
I can hardly believe I've been on my trip for twelve days! Only two days left until I join my husband. I might even miss him a little bit. (But I'd never admit it!)
Today I had the treat of meeting my dear friend Mr. Wilson for lunch. Mr. Wilson was my art teacher in seventh and eighth grade. Even though I changed schools after that, I kept going back to see him, and we've remained close. I can't believe how many years we've known each other! He retired a few years ago, and now he signs his e-mails with his first name, but I told him I'll never ever be able to call him by his first name. He'll always be Mr. Wilson to me!
We had a good long chat, and it was great to get caught up. He looks terrific! I'm so, so, so glad I was able to see him.
In the middle of the afternoon, Mom and I ventured out. Today became my "favorite foods of home" day. I am madly in love with a little Mexican fast food joint called Pancho's. There used to be tons of them plus several sit-down restaurants, but at this point they're down to just three fast food places. They sell their fabulous cheese dip and "special dressing" in the grocery store though, and I'm going to get some to take home. Pancho's has the BEST tacos ever. Theirs was the first taco I ever had, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's still the best taco I've ever had.
This evening we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I know it's a chain, but it's southern cooking, and I love southern cooking. I wasn't hungry after eating Pancho's in the middle of the afternoon, but I still got to taste favorites like Vidalia onion rings, fried okra, and dumplings.
Tomorrow is my Christie day. Yay! Christie and I have been friends since preschool. We're more siblings than friends, and it was because she was going to be in town that I decided to do this trip in the first place. She has three children, and I haven't met any of them! Last time I saw her, she was pregnant with her first. It'll be so good to see her!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Day 11 -- Sunday in Memphis
Fabulous day! Had breakfast at the house with Mom, and then did laundry. I still had loads of clothes left -- I sooo overpacked -- but I was running short of short-sleeved clothes, and it has been a very warm Fall in the South. Then at 12:30 I met my friend Marni for sushi.
Marni and I worked together at VMC in Redmond, and then her significant other got transferred to Memphis. Or something like that. Not sure exactly how they ended up here. But end up here they did, and she lives in the town I lived in from age 2 to 7. Of course it is MUCH bigger now -- not the same place at all -- but it's still fun to chat with her about it.
The sushi was incredible, and we ordered wayyyy more than we should have. It occurred to me too late that I should have taken a picture of all the food before we started eating it. As good as the food was, the company was even better. We had a great time, laughing and being generally irreverant. On the way out, I snapped a picture with my camera phone...
Not a great shot, but better than nothing. I wish I'd brought my regular camera, because she looked terrific! It was just so good to see her.
Oh, before I forget, here's the picture of Loris and me I promised:
And here's a picture of my brother and my mom. I didn't take it, but since I forgot to snap a picture of him while I was in Atlanta, I'll just pretend this was from that trip. :-) This picture totally cracks me up because my mom looks like a tiny doll he's holding.
After lunch I went back to my mom's, and I totally planned to just laze away the afternoon. Instead we decided to check out this new mall nearby. It really is very, very nice, and since I was there, I stuck my head in Lane Bryant. Big mistake! This store had COMPLETELY different clothes than the one in Seattle. So I bought another pair of jeans, a couple of turtlenecks, and a leather jacket, and my mom brought me two more cute tops. I'm really just loving the styles this year!
After the shopping trip, we went back to Mom's apartment, and I called Jay. Oy. He had told me that one of his work friends was coming over to cook something today. Uh huh. Make that SEVERAL work friends. He's having a party. In my no-real-people-allowed house. I'm totally humiliated and will never face these people again. Bad husband.
On the plus side, while I was sitting on the patio chatting with Jay, a little neighbor kitty came to visit. I'm rather animal-starved, and this was a friendly, playful fellow. So I got some kitty snuggling to make up for the abject humiliation.
Finally today I met my friend Melisse for dinner. We were going to go to Owen Brennan's, a Cajun restaurant, but it was closed. So we went to Ruth's Chris instead. Oh my God. Heaven on a plate. We split a fried green tomato appetizer and two sides -- au gratin potatoes and asparagus with hollandais, and then we each got an entree. I got a petite filet (which I ate about half of) and she got crab cakes. Heaven, heaven, heaven.
And great company, of course. Melisse is the greatest!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Day 10 -- Drive to Memphis
Before I forget -- T-Mobile people don't despair. There *is* a picture of Loris coming. Stephanie snapped one, and she's e-mailing it to me. I'll post it when I get a chance.
I left Atlanta bright and early today and made the trek to Memphis. It's Saturday, but I still wanted to get on the road early, so I wouldn't have to deal with too much traffic on the Atlanta freeways. Turns out I really could have slept later. I made excellent time and got to Memphis shortly after 12 -- but my mom wasn't due home until around 2! So I called my friend Melisse, and we hung out for a while.
Melisse is way cool. :-) I met her when she was in college and working at the vet where I (all too frequently) took my Great Pyr, Satch. One day when I was paying my bill, she was chatting with the other receptionist and said, "They want me to take some classes in technical writing, and I don't even know what that is." I said, "Melisse, I'm a technical writer." I had her come by my office at AutoZone one day to see what we did, and later, when she graduated, I helped her get a job there. A few years later, after her first child, she left AZ and started a small greeting card company. That has snowballed into a terrific company called LaLaLand:
When Mom got home, I drove over there and got my first look at her apartment. (She's been here three years, but it's my first visit. Oy.) It's gorgeous! It's almost exactly as big as the house she sold, but no yard to keep up, and it's more secure. I love it.
Her VCR broke, and Jeff and I want her to get a DVR. So I took her to Best Buy, and we bought a TiVo. Now we just have to get it to work with her Comcast cable. She could have used their DVR, but she wants to be able to record two things at once. I'm hoping we can get it hooked up before I leave, but Comcast has to bring over a couple of cable cards to be inserted into the box, so I'm doubting that happens before Thanksgiving.
Laid back evening at home tonight. Mom made white beans and salmon cakes and cornbread for dinner. Yum! Home cooking. We won't be having too many meals together while I'm here, because I'm going to be running around seeing my friends. I sure enjoyed this one though!
I guess I need to wrap this up, so I can go to Starbucks to upload it. Mom has cable internet, but I can't get it to work on my computer, and I don't feel like doing a bunch of troubleshooting. I loaded my chat software on her machine, so at least I can chat tonight even though my machine isn't online.
Hey -- y'all feel free to e-mail me and say hello. I love hearing from you (even though I haven't had a chance to answer all the mail I've gotten).
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Day 9 -- Atlanta
Yet another super day. My sister-in-law, Stephanie, showed me a little bit of Atlanta today. We started with the Waffle House. ;-) Then we went to see where Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King are buried and then on to the aquarium and World of Coke. I loved the aquarium -- especially the tank where I could pet rays and sharks. There are a fair number of hands on exhibits at this aquarium, which I really enjoy.
World of Coke was entertaining. They have a couple of very fun, very well done movies that you watch during the tour. They kind of left me feeling like they needed to lay off the sugar and caffeine for a while though. At the end of that tour, we got to sample lots and lots of flavors of Coke products. We were thirsty, so that was our favorite part!
Here are a few pictures from today...
Tonight Stephanie and I went out to dinner with my friend Loris from T-Mobile. (Hey you T-Mobile people -- Loris says "Hi!") It was the first time Loris and I had met in person, but we knew we'd love each other. We ate downtown at a great restaurant called Montgomery and Schnicks. I tried to treat, but they wouldn't let me. Thanks, ladies!
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to spend more time with my brother, but he worked during the day, and he didn't want to be surrounded by giggling, gabbing women at dinner. I don't blame him!
Oh, and before I forget, here are a couple more pictures from my last day in Pottsboro...
Lynn, Jim, and Cindy
Lynn, Jim, and me
Lynn, me, and Cindy
Tomorrow I leave bright and early to drive to Memphis. Can't wait to see my mom!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Days 7 and 8 -- Pottsboro and drive to Atlanta
I apologize, but this is going to be a short, short entry that won't do yesterday justice. It's 10:30PM, and I just made an 800+ mile drive to Atlanta, and I'm too tired to write all the details.
Lynn and I had a low-key day on Wednesday. We ran a couple of errands (mine), and she showed me the huge lake near their house, but most of the day was spent hanging around the house -- which was totally fine with me. Trust me, I do not have to be entertained. I love to stay home! One of the highlights of the afternoon was walking across the street and meeting Frankie, Lynn's sweet, sweet neighbor. I just loved her!!
My Aunt Cindy drove down from Oklahoma and took us to dinner Wednesday night. I took pictures, but I haven't had a chance to download them to my computer yet. Hopefully I can get them uploaded her tomorrow! I loved meeting her, and we had a great Mexican dinner. After dinner we met Jim, a friend of Lynn's, who I also adored. EVERYONE I met was just so warm and welcoming.
Then it was back to the house. We chatted a bit, and then I got the car packed so I could be on the road at the crack of dawn -- and I was. I drove out of their house -- after lots of hugs -- at 6:20AM. And 800+ uneventful miles (and four states) later, I'm at my brother's house. I haven't been here before, and it's GORGEOUS. Truly, truly spectacular. I'm mucho impressed. Stephanie -- my sister-in-law who I fondly joke is the daughter my mom never had -- and I sat at the dining room table and talked until we were ready to fall asleep. So now I'm ready to do just that!
I'll upload pictures both from my last day in Texas and my Atlanta trip tomorrow night.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Day 6 -- Pottsboro and Dallas
What an awesome day! Today Lynn and I drove down to Dallas so I could meet Adam, my half-brother. We were blessed to have Lynn's dear friend Connie go with us. Connie is Adam's former drama teacher and second mom. She's SUCH a wonderful person, and I've officially adopted her as my Aunt Connie. This is she:
Adam works as an editor at a TV station. He's soooo creative. He acts, he sings -- loves karakoke -- and he loves music and movies. He's divorced with two adorable twin boys, Lucas and Jack. He has an awesome house. I meant to take some photos of the way cool decorations in every room, but I forgot. It's very much a guy's house, and I know Jack and Lucas are going to have a blast growing up there. And Adam is SUCH a great father. And a great cook. And a terrific hugger. And soooo sweet. And can you tell I absolutely adore him?
Lynn, Connie, and I drove to Dallas in the morning and got there around lunch. We chatted with Adam for a while, and then he made us a yummy lunch of pork tenderloin. Heavenly! We talked and talked until the boys came home from school. Then we played pool and video games for a while. I beat both boys twice at 8-Ball. Yay, I'm a better pool player than two eight year olds. Adam beat me handily.
After the boys' mother picked them up, the four of us went out for dinner. We ended up at a Chinese buffet, and I teased then that they were a cheap date. Then we went home and took pictures. I know that's what you're really waiting for, so here you go...
Lynn, Adam, and Connie
Lucas
Jack
Lynn and her kids
Kissing Mom!
Aren't we cute?
I love my brother!
This is Pepper. Such a cutie.
Me and Lynn
And, finally, this is a face Adam put on one of the trees in the backyard.
I think it's adorable!
Tomorrow I meet my Aunt Cindy. I may not get to upload the pictures from that day tomorrow, and then I have a LONG day on the road on Thursday. So it may be mid-day Friday before I can update the blog again.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Day 5 -- Pottsboro, TX
Well, today I met my birth mom for the first time -- and I love her! Okay, that's jumping ahead. Let's go chronologically.
I got on the road about 7:15 local time. Almost immediately crossed from New Mexico into Texas and from the Mountain time zone to the Central time zone. I can't say I love west Texas. It's flat and boring and just not my kind of terrain. I passed lots of stock yards, but other than enjoying seeing cowboys on horseback, I don't get a lot of pleasure of seeing animals collected for slaughter.
The terrain changed as I moved east. Pottsboro is in northeast Texas, right at the Oklahoma border. It kind of reminds me of the Memphis area around here. It's more arid here though. This is an especially horsey area, so I feel right at home!
I got here around 2:30 or 3, local time. Lynn and I were soooo excited to meet for the first time. I also met Lynn's husband, James, who is an absolute DOLL. What a sweetheart. Lynn and James (and my sister, their schnauzer, Eve) live on a peninsula on Lake Texoma. According to James, it's the seventh largest lake in the US and has a circumference of about 630 miles. (Now that's a lake!)
Me and Lynn -- how odd to be with someone who looks like me!
We've had a low key afternoon. We've been looking at pictures, both hers and mine, and we ate dinner in. We're just talk, talk, talking! (Imagine that.) Tomorrow we're going to Dallas to see my half-brother, Adam, and his twin boys. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Days 3 and 4
Saturday...
Got up at 6, had breakfast at Denny's, and got on the road about 7:20. I was good at Denny's and stuck to protein so I wouldn't get sleepy on the road. (Okay, I had three bites of hashbrowns. Sue me. They make awesome hashbrowns.) Jenny, you'd be proud of me. I've been snacking on cheese and almonds and smoked salmon and fruit and water in the car. Nothing to make me sleepy!
The day started overcast, and I ran into a few showers early on. Jay called around 9:15 to ask where Aslan goes when he gets out. Hmmm. That doesn't sound good. Aslan's "failsafe" recall cue apparently doesn't work for Daddy like it does for Mommy. Jay had to hike all the way to the back pasture in the rain and mud to find our wayward child.
Today's drive is the boring, long flat desert of central and southern California. I'm actually enjoying it, though, because the speed limit is higher. The mountains of Oregon may be beautiful, but you can't drive very fast.
My goal today is 600 miles again. I got an early start, and I'm moving pretty fast, so I may go further. No telling where I'll stop for the night. I'm playing that by ear and just stopping where the mood hits.
I got off I-5 around 12:30, and began the trek toward Bakersfield on HIghway 46, a heavily-traveled 2-lane highway. I stopped for lunch in Wasco at the SLOWEST Burger King EVER.
From 46 you jump on 99, and then you get on 58, which takes you to I-40. The terrain on the east side of Bakersfield is gorgeous. It's different... austere. Rolling hills, but somehow different from the rolling hills in the high desert just a bit further along. I was struck by the beauty of this area the first time I drove through it, several years ago. It's some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.
When you got on I-40, there's a sign that says "Wilmington, NC, 2554 miles." Hee. Maybe I'll just stay on this and go visit Theresa!
I stopped in Needles, CA, just shy of the Arizona border tonight. I can't upload my blog though, because there is no WiFi. There aren't even any Starbucks here!
Sunday...
Up at 6:30, but I thought I'd overslept because the sun was streaming in my window. I guess it just gets light early here. I ate at Denny's again, and then topped off my tank. Gas in California is exorbitant. I've paid as much as $3.68 a gallon! Honestly, if I'd known it was this expensive, I might have rethought a drive trip.
Heh. I passed through a town called Kingman, and there's a Land Sales office. Not a realtor -- Land Sales. Just made me laugh.
I'm liking Arizona. First of all, it has mile markers on the highway. California doesn't, despite having LONG highways. In fact, they only recently added numbers to their exits. Arizona also has climbing lanes for the trucks. California doesn't, and that means that a truck doing 43 decides he absolutely must pass the truck doing 40, so he jumps in front of the cars doing 70+. Aaarghhh!
My friend Staci called me Friday, and she shared a philosophy she's adopting for her upcoming trip to Australia. It is basically, "Whatever person or event I encounter during my trip serves a purpose and is supposed to be there." I think it's a great philosophy, and I've been thinking about it as I drive and see things and meet people. Thanks, Staci!
My birth mom, Lynn, called around 11:30. She's excited about my visit, and I'm excited about visiting her! This will be our first time to meet in person. A couple of people have asked if I'm nervous, but really, no, I'm not. I know of people who have done this sort of thing and had it go very badly, but it seems those people went into the situation expecting the person they'd found to provide them some answers or to fill some hole inside them. I don't have those kind of expectations. Lynn and I are both happy, complete people, and we're just planning to have some fun and get to know each other.
I made it almost all the way across New Mexico before I decided to stop. I'm in Tucumcari, NM at a Days Inn. I called Jay and had him do some research for me before I got here. He found that there are no Starbucks(!) here, and no T-Mobile Hot Spots for broadband, so I had him find a motel that had free WiFi. Turns out the Days Inn isn't that much more expensive than the Motel 6, and it has LOTS more amenities.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Days 1 and 2
It's about a quarter til 8 on Friday night, and I'm in Redding, CA. I hope I get to upload this tonight, but I may not -- depends on whether the T-Mobile HotSpot is easy to find. I'm at a Motel 6, which is cheap, but it's lacking a few ammentieis -- like WiFi and a coffee pot. The former I miss because it means I have to go out to find an Internet connection. The latter I miss because I have a cold, and I really want to make some echinecea tea. I wonder if Starbucks has anything like that?
I got out of the house roughly on time yesterday, and drove in the rain about a hundred miles to Olympia. I met my friend Leslie at her barn, and after she finished her chores, we went out to Red Lobster for dinner. I know, I know, it's chain seafood, but those cheddar biscuits are to die for, and I'm a snow crab fanatic.
The picture, by the way, is Leslie with her mustang, Wiley. He was unimpressed with the flash on the camera. Yes, the picture is blurry. Sue me.
After dinner we went back to her place, and I showed her all the new clothes I bought, and then we just crashed on her bed and watched tiger week on Animal Planet. Low key visit, which was just perfect. I was sad to leave my family, but visiting with Leslie cheered me up.
Only downer was that I developed a cold yesterday, and by the time we were at Leslie's, I was practically drowning. Last night was miserable, but this morning Les gave me all sorts of herbal stuff, and I felt pretty good all day. Of course, now that I've reached the motel, my nose is starting to drip again. I'm going to stop at a grocery or pharmacy when I go to Starbucks and buy some Nyquil. I can't take cold medicine and expect to stay away during the day, but at least I can get a good night's sleep tonight!
I got up fairly early this morning, and after breakfast at Leslie's, I was on the road to Portland by 8:15. My goal was to meet my friend Greta for lunch somewhere south of the city around 11. She called just as I was crossing the brindge into Portland and suggested that we meet in the city for breakfast instead. We did, and I snapped this picture of the two of us with my camera phone. I look old and bedraggled. I'm blaming that on the rain.
I was back on I-5 headed south around 12:15. It was raining off and on, but never very hard, and after a couple of hours it actually cleared up, and I had mostly sunny skies. I made good time and got to Grant's Pass shortly after 4, and crossed into California shortly after 5. Dry roads, no snow in the passes. I forget sometimes how breathtakingly beautiful southwest Oregon is. It's a truly lovely drive. The area of northern California north of Redding is gorgeous too, but it was dark when I went through, so I didn't get to enjoy it this trip.
Only remotely scary thing happened when I was about 50 miles north of Redding. I looked down and realized that my gas light was on, and I was about to run out of gas - and I was in the middle of a national forest with no services of any kind for miles. I just crossed my fingers and kept driving. It was pitch black around me -- no lights of any kind, and not even much traffic. I did NOT want to get stuck out there, especially since California doesn't have mile markers on the road. I did find a gas station, though, so my stress was for naught.
Well, I'm going to wrap this up, and head to Starbucks (for a HotSpot) and a grocery store. I'm hoping to be on the road between 7 and 8 tomorrow, so I can do most, if not all, of my 600 miles before dark.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Almost ready to leave!
It's Thursday morning, and I'm planning to leave at 2PM today. The big day is upon me!
I've been doing a lot to get ready. I've bought tons of stuff. Jay took the day off yesterday, and we went down to the airport and picked up my rental car. Oy, what a nightmare. I originally reserved a car with Fox Rent-a-Car. Unfortunately the form on Orbitz didn't say there were limits to the "unlimited miles" -- namely that I'd be able to drive the car only in about five states. Um, no. So I cancelled that reservation and called Orbitz from a parking lot. Fortunately they were able to hook me up with National Car Rental, and I was able to zip over and pick up a Toyota Highlander, which I love. I know it isn't very "green," but I have to admit -- I love a gas-guzzling SUV.
I've got most everything together, and I've whittled my to-do list wayyyy down. I still haven't packed, but that won't take very long, so I probably won't do that until right before I leave. I've still got a few things to do this morning. I need to finish my application for the screenwriting class I want to take next spring, and I need to do some cleaning to get ready for Monica, who's going to stay here while Jay is gone. I need to do a couple of things outside too -- most especially hook up the heated water buckets for the horses. I was going to put on their rain sheets, but Jay asked me not to. He's worried they'll get twisted or caught on something while he's the only one here to deal with it.
I'm driving to Olympia this afternoon, and I'm going to spend the night with my friend Leslie. Then tomorrow morning, I'm going to leave Olympia and drive to Portland, have lunch with my friend Greta, and then get on the road for real. My goal is to make it over the mountains and into California tomorrow. I'll try to take some photos. I probably won't update until tomorrow night, because I don't want to spend my Leslie-time working on my blog.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
"You're a sick, sick woman"
That's what my personal trainer, Jenny, said to me today. Hee. And it was, more or less, a compliment. When it comes to weight training, I am... unusual. I love it. Make it difficult. Make the weight heavy. Push me. Torture me. I absolutely love it. Today we did "negatives," which is a technique where you load up heavy weight, your spotter helps you lift, and then you lower the weight as slowly as your can. Repeat until muscles are jelly! It's hard, and most people hate it. I requested it, and I loved it. Hence the statement, "You're a sick, sick woman," which was followed by, "And you are so much fun to train."
In any other part of my life, I'll whine if something is difficult. I'll look for an easier way. I'll try to get out of whatever it is and not do it at all. But weights are different. I am constantly pushing Jenny to make it harder, to come up with something that challenges me. Heavy weight isn't a huge challenge. I not only carry a lot of muscle, it's strong muscle. Jenny, who was a competitive bodybuilder, said in some ways I'm stronger than her. It's not that I can lift more weight right now -- it's that my strength is God-given, and she had to work for hers, if that makes sense.
Right now my big challenge is balance. It has improved greatly recently (and mysteriously -- we're not sure why I had this sudden extreme improvement), so Jenny is having to work to find ways to make it harder and harder. Today we realized that I'm lacking in some core strength, so when I'm on one leg and I have to lean over and twist to one side -- particularly if I'm holding a medicine ball and can't use my arms as counterweights -- I lose my balance easily. So we'll work on that. I *adore* balance work, precisely because it is hard.
I am a sick, sick woman.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Update
I've been incredibly lax about updating, haven't I? You might think nothing has been happening, but really that isn't true.
September brought a great disappointment. I found out that Tory's breeding didn't take, so no puppy in November. I was really upset, because that pup would have been so closely related to Pax. Cathy has pups from another breeding due on the ground in mid-December, but that's not the right litter for me. I want something birdier, and, besides, I've got other things going in the spring.
My screenplay ended up being a semi-finalist at Nicholl this year. That's a HUGE honor, because Nicholl is arguably the most prestigious screenplay contest going. It means my script placed in the top 2.5% of the 5000+ screenplays entered this year. Not bad for a sophomore effort! I've been beseiged with requests from producers and agents and such ever since. Nothing to get excited about there, though. They make those requests of all the semi-finalists, not just my script. It's kind of neat though!
Work has been going quite well. I absolutely adore T-Mobile. They sent me to a call center in Wichita in mid-October. I actually enjoy call centers so the trip wasn't too bad from that perspective. The exciting thing about it was that it required me to get on an airplane for the first time in six years. I didn't love that part, but the flight was uneventful, and I wasn't a basket case. It isn't going to make me a flier again though. Yuck!
My contract with T-Mobile ends tomorrow, Nov. 2. I'm both sad and excited. They wanted to extend me, but I have plans during this month, and so I'm going to take off at least through the end of the year. I'm hoping I can go back in January though. We'll see. They're in the midst of a big reorg, and I'm dealing with that stupid five-months-on, five-months-off rule they have for contractors. Still, I hope we can work something out. I really like it there!
What else? Oh, I attended an AWESOME TAGteach seminar in mid-October. It was especially fun because I got to see Theresa and Keri. There was a terrific mix of people attending. It's nice to see people other than the usual dog trainers.
Because I'm not getting a puppy this month, I'm free to do other things, namely travel. I'm leaving on a big trip next week. I'm going to drive from here to Texas to meet my birth mom, Lynn. Then I'm driving to Atlanta to see my brother and his wife and to meet a work friend, Loris. Then I'm off to Memphis for a few days to see my mom and Christie and Marnie and Melisse and Mr. Wilson. Wow! That's going to be a full visit! From there, I'm driving to Oklahoma City, where Jay is going to meet me at his folks' house for Thanksgiving. He's going to drive home with me from there, and on the way we're going to stop in Vegas for a couple of days. Quite the trip! I'm planning to blog about it on here, so stay tuned.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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