Somehow every work trip of mine has a theme song. First work trip to dc was Regina spektors Eet.

This time it is vampire weekend's horchata.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUQ-OBazbc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I think if it came down to it I'd really enjoy living there. I know fun people. There are interesting things at every turn. I'd get homesick as hell, but I think it'd be a wise move for me.

Headin homeward. Totally exhausted. But feelin fine.



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Wtf.



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We are staying an extra night in the city bc we didn't get out of work until 6pm. The closest govt rate room? The ritz carlton. I feel underdressed and everyone is snooty. However for as much as these rooms cost it's not that exciting. I order room service. I may go meet up with Brett here in a bit out of boredom. And bc I was asked to do this:

Doin the Carlton in the Carlton.



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So. Tired.






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At hour 10.5 we are done with meetings. That doesn't mean day over, still have much to do this evening. But first, Thai food is going to happen.

Here are some pics from random things near work.















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Fact. If you ever get to go to an Ethiopian restaurant, you should absolutely go. We went to one this evening and it's delicious. A lot of the same spices and flavors used at the Kenyan cafe at home. But the presentation is Awesome:



That is rachael housing some of the food. It's presented in this spinning dish. Thr bottom layer is this spongy bread. Then in the middle is your meat (we had lamb) and around it are your veggies and dips. There is corn kale potatoes peppers onions chickpeas and other things I don't remember. Spicy sauce. Mustardy sauce. Etc. and they serve it with more of the spongy bread:



I will say this once and you will never repeat it to my mother, but the rolled up bread feels like a flaccid penis.

Once you get past that fact, you tear off bits of the bread and use it to pick up the meat/veg/whatever. No utensils. And holy crap it is delicious. All fresh and spicy and wonderful.

And here is my hotel room with two beds all to myself:



I will sleep in the other bed tomorrow night so that you don't feel like your tax dollars are bein wasted, ok?

For now, I gotta sleep. We have to be at hQ stupid early (check in, metal detected, computer check stuff, etc.) so I'm going to bed now. Luckily we don't have to be as early thurs and will be able to go out tomorrow night.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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And this is why I love my intern. This was from last night After thr poor lamb hurt his knee.

(this drive is boring)



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Convo with my trainer that cracked me up:




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Calypso has made it to top ten on the photo contest with the lottery. If I haven't badgered you yet, get on the wv lottos Facebook page and vote for her please. She may not be smart but she I pretty and sweet.



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I had a really great weekend and am now say to be Sittin alone in the apt while it storms outside.

Saturday I got to have lunch with kellie Chris and Shainna. It was really great to spend time with everyone and catch up on life. Kellie took off to ny today and I hope she is having a great time. :)

We got everything ready at Shainnas new house for her housewarming party. I like their house very much. It looks like my aunts old house in Milton, so I felt very at home. And hey, I even have my own room! The only bad thing was I forgot to pick up allergy medicine and her and Bryan's four cats really really wanted to be my friend. Lol. But it was great to see everyone and just be able to relax. I'm not sorry to say that I am jealous of them and their life. The house, spouse, and baby on the way. I want that. I know I chose the route I'm on, with working my way up the corporate ladder and all. But. I'm tired of climbing the ladder and ready for this new adventure. I'm hoping it will happen for me.

Today was mammaws 76th bday party and it was... Well. Out of the ordinary but when has her parties been ordinary? #70 was roller skating after all. This one was mom and dads bluegrass "jam band" playing and eating cupcakes and Icecream floats. It was really great. I can only hope to be as strong and compassionate and loving as my Mammaw has been in these 76 years. She had experienced more good and bad than I can even imagine. She is my hero.




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I'm only awake bc my sinuses are kiiiilling me. And also bc I'm being bribed with breakfast foods.

I saw that I had a reader yesterday from Taipei. I always wonder how ppl find my blog and what exactly they think of it/me. Probably that they have stumbled upon one seriously deranged person.

Also, with regard to the work move, bc shit is always just a giant question mark, I could move in a month, six months, or never. I was asked yesterday if hypothetically I could be ready to work there by may 1. This is of course two days after being told the June day isn't happening and to shoot for sept/oct. uhhhh. I've decided to just not worry about it until I see a piece of paper with a contract and dollar signs.

In other news, my parents have recently gone the way of thr smart phone, which is fun to watch. They have us cellular (AT&T crap service here in the sticks) so they have phones I'm not familiar with yet I was expected to show them how to use things. Mom is super concerned with apps. How to get them, how much they are going to cost (but can I get that one for free?) and whether it's a recurring or one time cost. I sold her on the couch to 5k app yesterday until she realized the music didn't come with it and that I don't know how to put my music on her phone. Side note: she really seems to enjoy kanye's new album. Dad had picked out a smartphone but decided it was too big to carry around and was going to continue to use his obsolete flip phone for calls and thr smartphone for web searching and gps. It took Michael over a day to convince him how stupid that was, and they apparently went back to the store and found him a smart phone that he liked and would actually carry. The man is even learning to text which is horrifying to me. I'm convinced this is just one of many midlife crises.

At any rate. Food is calling. And then a nap. And then off to charleston to see the Pickens'. I'm going to see if I can meet up with kellie Marie as well but I know she's pretty busy as She is leaving tomorrow for some training in I believe NYC. I get to spend three days of this week in our nations hub of activity and greed (dc obv). Who knows, maybe this time in a little over a month I may actually live there? I hate things beings so up in the air. But. Patience is something I needed to work on I guess.

Much love to everyone!


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Running in gravel is 4642135x harder than pavement.

Gratuitous pic of the dog:



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Time is still embarrassing. But getting better every day.



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I had a nice long dinner and life catch up with Erik this evening. I'm goin to help him edit his grad school thesis and we wanted to meet up and talk about it. It really genuinely was good to see him. I still consider him a friend even though we dated off and on for two years and he's now married. I think for the most part I have been able to stay friends with exes, the only two I don't still speak to are Nate and zach. I wouldn't mind catching up with Nate to see where his life is now.

But it was good to catch up input families and what's been going on these last several years. I told him my seven sentence version of this last year (I've perfected the story into seven sentences. Maximum impact without drawing it out) and I think he was more than a little shocked. Take a number, my friend.

But. Even he says he cAn see such a vast improvement in me and my outlook on life and said he was proud of me. And that really truly meant a lot to me to hear.

I did Zumba and weight lifting this evening and my arms already are sore. Tomorrow is more run/walking and possibly some arms. I have to do this. I can't slack off.

I hope everyone had a good day today and enjoyed the nice weather.

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These sum up my day:








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I hope you got to spend time outside today, because it was just wonderful. Again, can't say how thankful i am for beautiful weather and good friends. I had a fun morning with Shainna before she headed back down south, having a lovely breakfast of biscuits and gravy at cracker barrel. as if i'd let my unborn godchild starve.

I went to brandon's family's house this afternoon/evening for a big family/friends dinner. First off, I forgot what a BEAUTIFUL drive it is out the kingwood pike. the views out over the mountains are just breathtaking. if you ever have a nice day and some free time, head out the pike and take a camera.

dinner was awesome bc brandon's mom does not go minimalist on food. four words y'all: home made fried chicken. and pasta salad. and some crazy cake that was amaazing. it was good to meet more of his family and friends and get to talk to his mom some more. she told me i have to "help brandon not fuck up with aimee" which i thought was pretty damn adorable. they are all good people. this pic is me just relaxing the afternoon away at the picnic table.

in other news. rachael has talked me in to participating in the Warrior Dash in MD in May. I'm telling myself i've got plenty of time to train. that I can totally do this. that my weenie girl arms can be strong by then and that my legs can get me through fire. i can do this. what i want all of you to do is help me. and by help me i mean nag me to death. not sit on my ass. gotta move. tomorrow starts training, and i wont lie, i'm pretty scared. i dont expect to win anything, i just want to finish. help me stay strong so i can do this.

i hope everyone had a great weekend and got to spend time in the sun. much love!

I was just laying here in bed and it hit me that yesterday was st pats (which I knew, but) and how the events of last years holiday completely changed the entire course of my life. It's so bizarre. I don't like it and all, but I'm still convinced that it sped up the process of a downward spiral that was inevitable. But I've always been one of those ppl who think, if this hadn't happened, would x,y,z,etc. it's just crazy to me really.

However. I'm convinced that this upcoming year period, this is MY year. I feel good about it as a whole. Do I sometimes get lonely and panicky, absolutely. But I feel like... Things are going to happen that are again going to change the course of my life, and they are all going to be for the better. I feel like my big adventure is coming, one way or another. Of course I feel incredibly impatient. Bc that's just how I am.

Now to get out of bed and go see if Shainna is awake and start this day.

Good things will happen, everyone. I just gotta believe in them and you gotta believe in them for me. But I believe with all my heart that this time next year, we all will be thanking God that zach did go to that bar and cheat on me with that slut and then proceed to go batshit crazy. That's a tall order. But I anticipate the hell out of it.


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i've had such a good day today. it's so good to see friends i've not seen in awhile. i've not seen brandon in nearly two years, which seems like forever. i know it was when crazy zach and i still lived out at lockwood, if that tells you anything.

i took everyone to golden finch to eat, and i believe no one was disappointed. we then went shopping, as you saw earlier. brandon and aimee had to go back his parents house, so shainna and i continued shoppin and then went to dinner with amanda at Puglionis, as that's shainna's favorite place in town and she hasnt been there in over four years now. which seems like even more forever. shainna and i have ended our lovely day watching Saved by the Bell and listenin to my drunk neighbors across the street.

i say it all the time but i'm so lucky to have such great people in my life. i know i dont get to see everyone as often as i would like, as people are spread out all over the place, but i know that they are there for me any time day or night. and i hope they all know that i am the same for them.

it somehow came up with brandons gf that i was previously engaged, and then i had to tell her the whole story. and having to tell it to a virtual stranger just makes me feel disgusted with myself. i know i thought i was doing the right thing. you do stupid shit when youre in love, what can i say. but as shainna is very quick to remind me, i dodged a very big, very crazy, very drunk bullet. i sometimes miss the companionship, and sure i sometimes miss the zach from the beginning. but having to relive the last year to this girl, i stopped and wonder what exactly it was i was even thinking. live and learn though i guess. plus, i'm told that in his facebook photo that he looks incredibly fat. and call me spiteful, but that feels good, especially bc i've recently dropped another five pounds (go me!) and am actually getting some muscle tone in my arms. those effing push-ups are doing their job.

it is wonderful to see brandon so happy, and i wholeheartedly approve of aimee. and its wonderful to see shainna so happy and excited about the upcoming sprout baby. am i jealous, sure. absolutely. but i'm so completely happy for each of them, that it completely surpasses any jealous feelings. i know my day will come and i know they'll be just as happy for me as i am for all of them.

as for now, i'm going to go to sleep so that tomorrow can be another excellently fun day with great people. i hope everyone is having a great weekend (the weather! it is so nice!!).

love and sunshine :)

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today I went shoppin with Shainna and Brandon and Aimee. So glad we could introduce Aimee to the wonders of gabes. Lol. I bought this hat and feel awesome. And it was only $7.




And i found these awesome shoes



And then we went to Kmart.


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happy birthday rotten dog. I'm so glad I adopted you. You've seen me through the worst and best, and still seem to like me anyway. Today, you get a corndog you don't have to share.




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I figure if she's making a blog about it, then that means I can tell you. :) :)


i may or may not have already started buying Sprout books. BC YOU CAN NEVER START TOO YOUNG.

I'm going white water rafting on Friday the 13th. I think its time to write that will...


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after yesterday's sad news I was feeling so blue and worried and just awful. Today though I woke up to some very amazing news. News that I can't tell you yet and it's KILLING ME. It's very very good news. Not directly involving me exactly. But exciting none the less. It doesn't erase the bad from yesterday, but it gives hope. Lots of hope.

I'm still very worried about barb and Landon (the other twin). I'm
Hoping he will thrive. It's all so very scary. She won't talk to anyone.

So still send good thoughts her way. Try to keep general good thoughts out there in the universe regardless. Everyone needs good thoughts.


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one of barbs twins, Leland, who was the weaker of the two babies has passed away. Please keep barb and the whole family in your thoughts and prayers. I'm afraid she will completely shut down from this. :(


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Queen of the mountain (or tree stump) at the dog park.






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Also, I forgot to mention, Laura designed and made me these awesome personalized stationary cards! How excellent are they?! She does such amazing work with design. She did lisha and Jason's wedding stuff and they are super cute. You should hire her for your next graphic design needs. :)




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I had such a good weekend with Laura and Weezer puppy. I miss them already! Weezer and calypso play so well together and that just really motivates me to find a place to live with a yard so that I can get calypso a friend. I think her separation anxiety would be a lot less.

Laura didn't get here until pretty late Friday night. Well. Technically Saturday morning. She picked up calypso on her way through Braxton and I was so glad to see my crazy dog. We got to talking and realized it was really late, when my phone rang. At 2:30am.

Our cousin Kyle was also in town with some buddies goin out downtown. Bc those boys are idiots they spent over a grand, got kicked out of two bars, and then somehow got separated. So we trekked downtown to get Kyle. And one of his friends tagged along. I've dealt with drunkards before but this was hilarious/ridiculous. We tried to take them back to where they were supposed to be staying only for them to realize they were locked out and their buddy was still somewhere downtown. By this point it was after 3 and I gave up and brought them home, after threatening bodily harm. I think I finally got to sleep a little before four. And then the friends alarm went off at five and I lost my mind. They did however buy us breakfast so that was nice.

We took calypso and weez to thr dog park thinking that'd be a good way to wear them down. Calypso spent the whole time smelling pee trees and Weez hid from some six pound westies. ER clearly failed there. Haha.



So we dumped the pooches and did what we are best at. Shopping! All thr clothes are so brightly colored this year. I bought some most excellent red pants. Laura got a super super cute dress. We done good.

We met up with Amanda and went to Finch for dinner since that's all I talk about to everyone. It was good as always. We shopped some more and then came home for a but bc ER planned to go downtown for a show at 123. However. This happened. Haha



Yes we are old ladies. But we had next to no sleep so it's ok.

Today we had aunt Beth's cinnamon rolls for breakfast which is like Christmas in your mouth. It made me miss home actually.

And then they left a little bit ago and I got overwhelming sad. I hate that I don't get to see her and mark often. I keep saying I'm going to go visit them, but just knowing zach is there in Lexington, with the latest in his string of naive fiancés, it makes me sick to my stomach. I'd spend the whole time worrying abt running into them and probably wouldn't have much fun. However, Laura and mark may be moving to Richmond this summer, and I'd absolutely go visit then there. I'll prob try to go to lex though at some point. Can't avoid a whole city because of one person. Plus, if I did see him he'd see how fit I'm getting and that would be a nice spiteful thing. But like I said. Who knows. I just hope mark gets this job.

This is going to e a busy week at work which is nice actually. Then Brandon and Shainna are coming in for the weekend which means another super busy fun time.

I honestly do not know what I'd do without all the wonderful people I have in my life. They've seen me through so much and remind me every day that things are going to be ok and that I dodged one big crazy bullet.

I've been chatting with a couple new individuals lately but haven't agreed to go on a date with anyone yet. I want to make sure I'm 100% ready and am not going to prematurely judge any new person by all the fuck ups zach made. Which is goin to be hard, but I know logically everyone deserves the benefit of thr doubt. But you can best believe I'm screening them by how often/how much they drink. I'm not getting involved in a mess like that ever again.

At any rate. I have had a great weekend and the sun is shining so I'm going to meet Amanda and Munza and his new wolf puppy and go to thr dog park. It should be a fun time.

Love and sunshine to everyone. Especially Laura, my best cousin and friend. ;)

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helping set up at a house party, as I pour everclear into a tub of fruit and orange soda, a young child of 21 asks me if I've ever been to a party in Morgantown.

Oh child, I said to her, I've forgotten more parties in Morgantown than you've ever been to. I just wanted to pat her on the head and send her on her merry way.


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i've decided that from here on out any time i am in a bad mood i will take THIS approach toward life. to the tune of the song. probably in my underwear, bc lets face it, if i'm at home i'm probably too lazy to be wearing real pants.

things

1. did you go outside today? you should have. bc it was beautiful. when i left work i came home, opened all the windows, and took off for awhile. there is a reason sunshine makes things grow. i am one of them.

2. my exercise pants are finally too big, to the point of falling off my butt when i try to run. these are the spandex-y ones with a tie front, and i cant tie the tie any tighter (say that five times fast). i know this is one small victory for my waistline and ass, but hey, i will take it thank you very much.

3. work has been so busy the last few days, but a good busy. i've been working on the project i lead, and the power has gone to my head a little bit. it's kind of a good, but wicked feeling.

4. i thought about sitting down and counting all the books i've read lately so i can update my Goals list, bc i dont remember the last time i counted. but i know in the last two weeks i've read four. all chick lit, mind. but entertaining none the less.

5. i couldnt sleep for shit last night with the weight of the world on my mind. so my plan for this evening is to curl up with the next book in this series and fall asleep whenever i fall asleep.

6. i 'liked' the PetHelpers page on facebook and that has been a huge mistake bc I want to go adopt every dog on there. there is one that is an adult golden retriever/something mix and he looks like such a good dog. i want a big dog so badly. and a yard. someday, i will make that happen.

I read an article about how they did another one of those studies to see which state is the most miserable, and of course WV was numero uno. and i think that's crap. yes there is a lot of poverty and old people here, and those two things take into account the majority of the people they counted for these studies bc they are the only ones home during the day (though obv some of the info can be taken directly from censuses. but reading the article, the hipster hillbilly in me got all fired up. (note: that will be the title of my first bluegrass beat poet album). and i stubbornly want to address some of the points they made. maybe my friends and I aren't the norm for this state, but i think it's important to point out that:

1. there are a lot of us with more than just high school diplomas. there are a lot of us with more than just undergraduate degrees. hell, i consider PhD's, MDs, PharmD's, etc etc etc among close friends. There are smart people in this state, we just had to work extra hard to get the education we deserve.

2. We aren't all on welfare. Pharmacists. Doctors. Teachers. Hygienists. Safety Managers. PR Specialists for Univ departments. Therapeutic Consultants for those with disabilities. Validations Assistant for the Lottery. Engineers. Nurse Practitioners. Accountants. Youth Pastors. Pilots. Cancer Researchers. Government Fucking Contractors in all business sectors including IT, Writing, Management, etc. We busted our hump to get here, and we done good. and bc of this we aren't only not on welfare, but most of us make more than the median household income. So suck on that, Hawaii.

3. We aren't all obese. I'll be the first to admit i AM a bit overweight. But I'm not obese. there's nothing wrong with having some meat on your bones though, it means you appreciate food and dont live your life eating boiled chicken and steamed broccoli. We have gyms. We have awesome nature trails. We have farmer's markets.

4. off the top of my head i can only think of one or two smokers i call close friends. and i think that says something. we aren't sitting around using out foodstamps to buy smokes, instead we're using our hard earned paycheck to buy nerdy electronics (can i just say i want the new ipad without drooling here?)

5. i will concede that we have a good deal of cancer. but hello. a lot of that is genetic, and when hundreds of years worth of generations cant get out of these mountains, what exactly do you think is going to happen? plus when you add in the chemical valley and being downwide from some really bad industrial shit, we are fucked for ways from sunday.

6. 75 years is the average life expectancy. you know what? i'm totally ok with that. i dont want to grow to be 90 and lose my mind and not know anyone i'm related to and think its 2010 again. if i can live a full life by 75, then i'd be more than willing to be taken at that age.

i know i'm not the majority in this state. but i get so sick everyone making us out to be backwoods trash who pop out a new kid every year just to stay on welfare. yes, there ARE a lot of people who do that and i pity them. but there are a hell of a lot of us out there who are also making something of ourselves. and i think my well-being score is much higher than the 62.3 average given to us. Sure, a lot of WVians have depression. and a lot of us are medicated. but you know why we're medicated? bc we realize there's a damn problem that just telling ourselves to 'suck it up' and having another beer wont fix. so we take care of it. and we move the fuck along.


i dropped the eff bomb a lot tonight. but i am proud of my home. i love it and its mountains and its friendly people and its delicious homecooking and its messed up weather. i know i wont always live here, but while i am i'm going to make the most of myself. and i think i've done a pretty damn good job of it too.

here is where I shamelessly plug a website bc I got an excellent pair of glasses for $20. No, not kidding. Google Coastal Contacts. I think they are mighty spiffy if I say so myself. Please ignore scary gym hair. I did core and Zumba tonight



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fact. Wings totally had the dream within a dream within a dream thing down before inception. Antonio needs to get some royalties for that.

I wrote a post on the craft blog about this flower arrangement thing i made for leah. i really enjoy our craft blog, even if probably no one reads it. haha.

i decided today that things are still good. this is how things are supposed to be in my life. even if i hadn't let zach go to the bar with the guys on st. pats last year (how he met his now ex-wife) that at some point he would have still gone off the deep end and we'd still be where we are now. there's nothing further i can do to help him, and it sounds like a lot of other people have given up trying too. his mom tried to tell me he was an alcoholic the whole time we were together, but i thought she was just being a paranoid mom. i should have listened to her. so, thats that. like i said before i do wish him well and hope he gets better and that the latest in his string of fiances actually sticks and is the one for him. i've got to look out for myself. you cant help those who wont be helped.

i didnt say it before, but when i said that the doctor took me off one of my meds, he said i could go off both. so i have. and its been long enough that its more than out of my system. and you know what? i dont need it. even through this latest nonsense, i dont need it. and i think that says something. it says i'm stronger than i thought. stronger than he thought. hell, probably stronger than you thought, reader friend. am i sad, yes a bit. confused a bit. but fuck it. it will pass. bc i have good people in my life. and i dont give up when things get rough. setbacks sure. but i've not turned to alcohol or a string of shitty romances. i've got exercise and good fucking friends. and i think that should say something. still fragile, but better every day.

i've also volunteered to help with things for the Canine Classic 5K this year. I got talking to some people this evening who are involved and I gave them my information. I think that could be a lot of fun to help with, i know that i enjoyed participating in the run last year.

Also, dont forget to try and donate some money/goods/time to those people in KY, OH, and Indiana who were hurt by these storms.

this made me cackle and once again have a brighter outlook on my future. Love my friends.




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so. i finally told mom everything that has been going on for the last year of my life. well, i emailed it. i still cant bring myself to --tell- her. i told her i dont want to talk about it ever again and that i dont want to be coddled. theres nothing i can do about it. i feel really stupid because i dont know if i even knew the real zach and here i was planning to spend the rest of my life with him. i planned to move, have kids, the whole enchilada, and since that time, while i thought we were working things out, he got married, divorced, and engaged to a totally different person. what does that make me exactly?

a bleeding stupid heart for one, bc i'm still so worried about him. i cant even fathom what is going on in his mind right now. i dont want to. would i ever want to have kids with him now, no. but would i help pay for him to get professional help, yes. maybe thats silly of me. but i still care.

speaking of caring, i'm told that some of the towns worst hit by these storms were West Liberty and Saylersville, KY. so if you hear of any charities that are doing work in those areas, check them out. i know Red Cross is doing work there, so that text number i mentioned is important. help out those who have nothing left. things might be bad for you, but remember that there is someone out there who is having a worse experience. thats what i'm trying to remember and to do whatever i can to help them.

i would be lying to you if i said that i didnt still have love for zach. for the zach i thought i knew anyway, for the year we were together. and i dont know if that means i dont know what love is, since i loved a lie, but i did the best i could. i dont know what this means for future dating for me. i really dont. i wont let anyone ever hurt me like this has hurt me again. i just. i cant even fathom what is going on in the world right now, on so many levels. mostly personal ones.

i do wish him happiness. if this new fiance makes him happy, gets him to stop drinking so much, and gets his life in order, then she will be the best thing to ever happen to him and i will be glad for it. that doesnt make me any less sad for the way things have happened.

two steps forward and one step back. i gotta just take two more steps forward and remember that things may be hard now but they'll get better someday.

if you text Red Cross to 90999 you can donate ten bucks to the red cross (obviously) and it'll help with all the people who were hurt in the storms and tornados this weekend.

You should do that. People need our help.


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we are still two-ish hours out from home. But I wanted to post some things I just learned. Bc ppl tell me things.

Zach is already engaged to thr girl he started seeing at new years. His friends have distanced themselves from him bc of all he is doin.

It makes me sad but mostly bc more and more I realize I didn't know him at all. And bc I worry about him a hell of a lot.


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I'm the only person awake, which frankly is unheard of, and I figured I'd write more about the opera.

I'm sure most everyone has heard of the Tragedy of Carmen, so I don't need to tell the plot. This version (directors vision, whatever) was very simplistic, one act of an hr and a half, kinda dirty (I mean, she is dirty anyway as a gypsy ho, but set on a circular dirt stage so that there is dirt etc flying during the fights etc). Leah was the star. Her voice has always been awesome but so much of this show was about facial and body expression and that has always been her strong suit. It's hard to explain if you weren't there. But the mini orchestra section did great and everything felt very real, intimate, exciting, whatever.

In all about 25 friends/family came to support her and it was just so nice to see that kind I love. Her grandad made us all cry when he told her how beautiful she was and that her grandma would be proud of her. And it's true, nunnie would be so proud. Hell that just made me tear up thinking about it.

All in all I'm glad we braved the crazy storm to come. I'm not looking forward to the drive home but it should be ok. We are taking a different route home, so hopefully the gps will actually get us there.

I won't lie, being only an hour from Lexington has made me think a lot about zach. I still wish i had had the opportunity to talk to him face to face in all this. But. That was his choice to do what he did. I can't help but get jealous when I watch Leah and Lucas together. They are so strong and in love. They have to live everything day by day with his cancer having come back for a third time. But they love each other and support each other so much and it's good to see that. I hope I could find someone even half as strong.

Anyway, I think I hear people. I hope everyone out there has a good day. I noticed my readership goes down when I'm not super depressed, but I take that to mean you all aren't as worried about me. That's a good thing. I think.

Much love to everyone out there, no matter who you are.


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Leah did so amazing tonight. Now to get drunk wv style :)



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cincy looks so much like Pittsburgh. I love the old buildings.



















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I love having friends that even if I havent seen them in years we can stay up all hours of the night catching up like we never missed each other. I also love that they all offered to do some sort of bodily harm to certain people who have failed at being human in my life. And mean it. That's a real friend. Hahah


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So I hear the weather is crazy everywhere. I think we passed through the beginning of it but managed to miss it all bc it was sunny and clear once we hit cincy. There was a couple places though that I was getting pretty worried. We did hear thr storm sirens. But we are safe and sound and full of pizza and watching crime shows. Basically my perfect evening. I hope everyone else is safe though. I know it was bad in Lexington and I hope everyone there is ok. I hope everyone everywhere is ok. Prayers and thoughts.

The drive took longer than it should have bc the gps kept changing directions. Not even lying. We lost an hour and made probably six u-turns (not all legal) in total.

I'm excited to see the actual town and things tomorrow. What little I saw On the river side looks a lot like Pittsburgh. I'm already dreading getting back in the car on Sunday for the drive home.

Anyway. Love to everyone. Hope you're safe and sound.


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almost to cincy. This has been one bass-ackwards trip. Hearing tornado sirens aren't helping y'all. Calling for 2 inch hail. Mammaw keeps callin to see where we are an to remind us to find a basement. Milford looks like a lovely place to fly off in a bathtub....


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