I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!

Who does a body need to talk with to find out exactly how long it takes to get from Maryland to Omaha, Nebraska? I guess there is some sort of intervention going on because I might never crank the truck engine if I knew exactly how long it takes. Last year my mom was with me and we kept up somewhat but did a lot of side trips when we left Omaha (in case you've been living under a rock for a year) so we weren't right on top of it. MapQuest says 16 hours, Google said 18 hours. Wednesday I drove 11 hours (actual drive time) and yesterday I drove at least 12 (actual drive time). I'm not Stephen Hawking but that's doesn't add up to 16 or 18. Okay, than was then, this is now. I'm here, and having had a good night's sleep, I'm headed out into the world they call Omaha; some known some unknown. Hobby Lobby, check, numero uno, it's what kept me going in the dark and tired last night not the Metallica concert across the street at the QWest Center. I know, totally uncool, but for me HL rocks way more than Metallica. Again, sorry to offend some folks' sensibilities. Tomorrow is onto Stromsburg for five days-yahooooooooooooo. This trip also marks the start of a deep spiritual journey I've decided to undertake. More on that later...gotta get to you-know-where.

Leaving Las Vegas, I mean Maryland

Photo courtesy of Teresa McFayden; used with permission.

Off I go tomorrow at dark-thirty to Nebraska!!!! And on my 51st birthday no less and the morning after the election no less and by myself no less. Sooooooooooo much still left to do but sitting here doing this and chillin' with Andre', my oldest adopted son, with piles of clothes ready to levitate themselves into suitcases, still gotta vote and have birthday lunch with Janine (we have the same birthday, remember). So I'll wrap it here and update when I can, probably the first chance will be in Omaha on Thursday or Friday before I get to Stromsburg where I hope they have something I can plug into since I'll be there five days playing with all my ancestors and recharging my soul-oh boy!!!!

Still looking for a new adjective...

Plethora, gravitas, portacaches, existentialism, ubiquitous. I've learned some new words in the last few years but I can't come up with a single adjective that can come close to describing my time with Stacy in McLean. Amazing, surreal, deeply spiritual, intensely private, hilarious, soul cleansing, and loving and healing. Stacy has always been an amazing person but just grows more amazing with time. She's never ceased to have a life-altering effect on me and this visit was no different. Above, I wanted to snap a photo of a very moving moment between us and, like trying to get a photo of a deer in the forest, my movements were slow and quiet so I could stay in the moment but also capture it. If you would like to click onto it to enlarge it you will see her tears; she had just revealed something very personal and moving to me. But seconds later is below...

...we were back to reliving 1976 in our dorm room and that's just how our time was together...we laughed, we cried, we loved being together. She POURED love on me like it's never been poured before and I let her. I needed it but it took some effort to not think about whether I deserve it or her and why me and all that but I let her in the end. I'm still working on not questioning why I get my own personal angel to sweep in and give, give, give, love, love, love, and help me clean up my act and, and, and. I'm just going to try to live as she does-through love, gratitude, and compassion-in the moment, only the moment. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, just now. She's my angel and my Oprah (she has no idea what that compliment means). I thank all the higher powers and Freddy Mac for her visit here and for her friendship always. When I posted that Stacy was coming, it was under, "How Lucky can One Girl Get?". Well it's not at all about luck it's nothing short of a miraculous blessing. I love you to the sky.

Announcing The Pink Cabbage Web Store!!!!!

I'm please to announce that our Karen of Glad Nest has created a wonderful web store for The Pink Cabbage. Please visit it by clicking onto: http://thepinkcabbage.com/. Just looking at it is eye candy. Although she's just started it and is still in the process of getting it going, there are items for sale on there and it will give you an idea of what's to come...fab things! Be sure and bookmark it and check back often as soon it will be a full-blown web store and great way for especially our out-of-town fans to get to us. Thanks for your support!!!!!

How lucky can one girl get?

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...