Just exactly this time last year I was feeling this same way...about to implode. My whole family was coming here for my birthday; everyone from Oregon (my mom, sister, nephew, niece and her husband and baby) and my oldest son, Lucas from Texas. It was the first time we'd all been together since Maya and Eder (niece and hubby) had gotten married and our first time all together without my dad. First time Justin and Paul met Ben, Maya and Eder's baby and the first of our newest generation of family. I was about to burst more and more as the time got closer. And the plans were for my mom and I to drive to Nebraska for me to attend my first Silver Bella workshop on the heels of the family returning home. Then we were going further west to see where her parents were born and raised and both families had gone back many generations in Nebraska; my first trip to that state. Well, as you may recall from the posts, all went very well and it was a soulfully wonderful time. I thought nothing could get near it but here I am feeling the same way. First Stacy, my college roommate, above doing her magic match trick (you had to be there and be...ummm...altered, no, not as in altered art although we did have it down to an art!) which still sends us into hysterics. The matchstick was stuck to her glove...we must have laughed hysterically for half an hour...did I mention that you had to be there and be...umm...altered? 
Fun, did you ask if we had fun during those years, durrrr? Wow, and 32 years later we are still bff's. We did okay with the guys too as you can see; these were just drops in the buckets. So, my point is here somewhere...oh yeah...Stacy is coming to town on Monday!!! We've not seen each other since we went through Houston on our way moving from The West Coast to The East Coast 12 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. We keep in pretty close touch thanks to this wonderful invention called the computer. I'm not usually into the latest electronic thing; I'm the only one who doesn't have ear buds or wi-fi on my phone; but this computer thing I've loved for years. Anyway, the implosion is brewing as I can't wait. She's flying into DC and we are spending two nights in McLean, an urban suburb of DC. I promise to take lots of photos and post all that I can without getting anyone arrested or in trouble.
Then, as you know, unless you've never been on this blog or met me, I'm going to Silver Bella again this year, driving by myself but going early to see the ancestors AND the friend I've had the longest in my life, Julia, is meeting me there with a friend of hers!!!! I know that the term "bff" has been way overused but this is a time when it's so true. We've been friends since grade school and have been in touch almost all this time. She just did a post on her youngest turning 18 and if you go on her blog you can read my funny little story about the timing. Anyway, it's been over 18 years since we've seen each other; I CANNOT BELIEVE IT, and I'm bubbly bursting about seeing her the most but at Silver Bella is almost more than a girl can stand!
Here we are two hotties as freshmen in high school.
As you can see, Julia, left, looked way more normal than me even then except for that big dot on her forehead-truly not a pimple- just a little boo boo on the photo. She'd already gotten her braces off but I still had mine...smiling funny so as not to show them. Below we are part of the large cheer group, The Lasso's. "Lasso's"? The Lasso's what? Never noticed that before...I've got some calls to make, excuse me...
See what I mean? Is this amazing or is it just me? I don't care if it's just me, I'm over the moon to see them both and both within a month's time. I'm telling you that I can barely contain myself. Of course there will be mega-photo ops in Omaha and beyond so no need to worry but you'll be seeing Stacy first. Until then, like Christmas, I just want to get really drunk on eggnog and sleep until Santa's been here. Can a person do that for three days? I think I'll just try to get through it the way a person's supposed to...I have to make some calls...
