One week from today I'll be driving a U-Haul trailer through Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia with ALW and landing in Charlottesville. My last day of work approximately 4 weeks ago, and while I obviously need/want a new job, let's just say that this extended vacation has not been the worst thing in the world. It's been a bit of a whirlwind.
I spent a week at Horton's Bay on Lake Charlevoix with some family friends so close that it would be more accurate to drop the 'friends' and just call them family. Meals were cooked, books were read, games were played, and my abs ached from all the laughter. We tubed, swam, caught a fish named Louis and threw him back. I got a tan.
The following week was spent catching up with friends. Golf games, new babies, bike tours of gardens, strolling the Art Fair. My parents bought me a new sewing machine since now I won't be able to borrow my mom's. Curtains, pillows, mending, and obviously more T-shirt quilts are in the works. I even packed a little.
We learned that Jillian Drow, a girl who went to school with my sister and who invariably touched so many parts of the Chelsea and U of M communities, died when she fell hiking in the Grand Tetons. My heart still aches for her family. It's the closest I've ever come to praying, and they are never far from my mind.
Last week Brittany and I took a much anticipated trip to California (LA) to visit Jen and Jeff. This was more than just a vacation. My heart is lighter, my soul is happier, and I don't think I've laughed so hard in the past year. I got to spend a whole week with some of the best friends I could ever, ever dream of having. And I got to see other amazing friends and family, eat some fabulous food, and even ride a bike down Mansfield Ave. The sun setting over the foothills of the Rockies defies explanation.
Which brings us to this week. More packing, and more catching up with friends. My braces are finally, happily, off forever. I shared a carafe of Cafe Habana's finest sangria with my sister and her BFF. A decisive kickball victory last night rocketed the Notorious P.I.G. into the playoffs. On Monday, we'll start cleaning and packing the U-Haul and seeing still more friends.
I suspect the next month will be just as interesting.
