Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Halfway There
Well, we're almost halfway to our new home. Our new destination. The next chapter in the book of our life. We're spending the night in Richfield, Utah.
We are all travelling just fine. The kitties don't like going into their cage, but they don't chatter too much once we're moving. I think they just settle down and go to sleep. They were glad to get out, though, when we got to our hotel room. (and glad to get some foodies!) Dave and I stopped for lunch at Village Inn, and got back on the road.
The best part is that we drove 487 miles and didn't have to stop for fuel! I know I haven't mentioned it much, but we bought a new Toyota Prius. It's a hybrid. It gets stinkin' awesome gas mileage. As we crossed (and tunnelled through) the Rocky Mountains, this beautiful piece of engineering brilliance got 50.1 mpg. At, what, $3.00/gallon, that's about $0.06 per mile. Suwheet! And it's a comfortable car, too! We were also able to get all our travel stuff (luggage, cats, other purchases) into the car without too much trouble (without too much rear-view-visibility, either...).
The drive has been pretty boring for me, though. We've got music, but there isn't much scenery. I didn't take a picture of the Welcome to Utah sign - sorry. :-( I did take some other pictures, though. Utah has some vast scapes. You can see for miles and miles and miles.
I'll write another blog for our Utah-LA leg of the trip.
We are all travelling just fine. The kitties don't like going into their cage, but they don't chatter too much once we're moving. I think they just settle down and go to sleep. They were glad to get out, though, when we got to our hotel room. (and glad to get some foodies!) Dave and I stopped for lunch at Village Inn, and got back on the road.
The best part is that we drove 487 miles and didn't have to stop for fuel! I know I haven't mentioned it much, but we bought a new Toyota Prius. It's a hybrid. It gets stinkin' awesome gas mileage. As we crossed (and tunnelled through) the Rocky Mountains, this beautiful piece of engineering brilliance got 50.1 mpg. At, what, $3.00/gallon, that's about $0.06 per mile. Suwheet! And it's a comfortable car, too! We were also able to get all our travel stuff (luggage, cats, other purchases) into the car without too much trouble (without too much rear-view-visibility, either...).
The drive has been pretty boring for me, though. We've got music, but there isn't much scenery. I didn't take a picture of the Welcome to Utah sign - sorry. :-( I did take some other pictures, though. Utah has some vast scapes. You can see for miles and miles and miles.
I'll write another blog for our Utah-LA leg of the trip.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sweet Reunion
8 Years, one month, and two days. That's how long I've been a married girl.
We took a week-long honeymoon to Ecuador (cool, I know!), then returned to "our" home in Atlanta, and Dave woke up the next morning and returned to his home in Ohio. Over the next three months we saw each other only three or four times. Then he finished his job there, and moved to Atlanta to begin his tail-whoopin' Masters degree at Georgia Tech.
The next summer, he spent in Albuquerque doing research, while I stayed in Atlanta. I went out for 3 weeks, but he was gone for 3 months.
Then we actually lived together, like married folks, for the next 4 years.
Which brings me to September 2004. He drove away one Monday afternoon, towards Baltimore, where he would eventually board a plane to England. I would board a similar plane a month later. That was a busy month apart for both of us as he was beginning his char-grillin' PhD program and I was wrapping things up in Colorado Springs (and waiting for the "Pet Transport Scheme" timeline to complete so I could take our 2 cats and 1 dog to England without quarantine).
Together again, until May 2006, and we made another jaunt to Albuquerque for more research. We spent another month apart then. It was broken up because I went back to the States for a little bit, too, but it was a total month apart.
Flash forward to September 29, 2007. This time I was the first to leave, and come back to America early. A whole month early. To leave Dave alone so he could finish up some of his work un-interrupted by a wifey. :o)
That's about 9 months in our 8 years that we've been apart. I know lots more folks spend time apart. Dave has, thankfully, never been deployed. He doesn't have the kind of job that takes him away for 6 months every year, or even for regular periods throughout the year. He really doesn't travel to conferences, much. So, mostly, I've got nothing to complain about, right?
But he's here now! I picked him up at the airport last night. And he's here now. We're on the same side of the planet -- hopefully for good this time! I know he'll have to go back to England a couple of times in the next 6 months, but that's okay because he's not going to be gone for weeks and/or months at a time. :o) Only days.
My reasoning for telling you about all the times we've been "separated" is for pity, and sympathy. :o) No, it's just that, to me, remembering the times apart makes the reunion that much sweeter. It helps me appreciate the time that much more.
The relaxed reunion stops on Monday morning, though, when we load up the car and start driving to LA. But we travel well together, so it will be fine.
Hope you all have a great Halloween week!
We took a week-long honeymoon to Ecuador (cool, I know!), then returned to "our" home in Atlanta, and Dave woke up the next morning and returned to his home in Ohio. Over the next three months we saw each other only three or four times. Then he finished his job there, and moved to Atlanta to begin his tail-whoopin' Masters degree at Georgia Tech.
The next summer, he spent in Albuquerque doing research, while I stayed in Atlanta. I went out for 3 weeks, but he was gone for 3 months.
Then we actually lived together, like married folks, for the next 4 years.
Which brings me to September 2004. He drove away one Monday afternoon, towards Baltimore, where he would eventually board a plane to England. I would board a similar plane a month later. That was a busy month apart for both of us as he was beginning his char-grillin' PhD program and I was wrapping things up in Colorado Springs (and waiting for the "Pet Transport Scheme" timeline to complete so I could take our 2 cats and 1 dog to England without quarantine).
Together again, until May 2006, and we made another jaunt to Albuquerque for more research. We spent another month apart then. It was broken up because I went back to the States for a little bit, too, but it was a total month apart.
Flash forward to September 29, 2007. This time I was the first to leave, and come back to America early. A whole month early. To leave Dave alone so he could finish up some of his work un-interrupted by a wifey. :o)
That's about 9 months in our 8 years that we've been apart. I know lots more folks spend time apart. Dave has, thankfully, never been deployed. He doesn't have the kind of job that takes him away for 6 months every year, or even for regular periods throughout the year. He really doesn't travel to conferences, much. So, mostly, I've got nothing to complain about, right?
But he's here now! I picked him up at the airport last night. And he's here now. We're on the same side of the planet -- hopefully for good this time! I know he'll have to go back to England a couple of times in the next 6 months, but that's okay because he's not going to be gone for weeks and/or months at a time. :o) Only days.
My reasoning for telling you about all the times we've been "separated" is for pity, and sympathy. :o) No, it's just that, to me, remembering the times apart makes the reunion that much sweeter. It helps me appreciate the time that much more.
The relaxed reunion stops on Monday morning, though, when we load up the car and start driving to LA. But we travel well together, so it will be fine.
Hope you all have a great Halloween week!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
"If You Don't Like the Weather...
...wait 5 minutes. It will change."
Or so They say.
They, who did not enjoy sunny temps in the mid-70s yesterday and then wake up, shocked, to see inches and inches of snow on the ground this morning.
They, who could probably see past the houses across the street, but I can't for all the big flakes blowing sideways for the last few hours.
They, who say it doesn't snow in Colorado until Halloween.
They, who did not plan to take the dog for a hike, then drive an hour to visit Grandpa today.
They, who probably have proper snow attire, and would probably be playing in it right now.
They, who are not likely going to spend their day in their pj's and bathrobe in front of the fire. (yeah, me!)
They, who might be more willing to go outside and get better pictures than me!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Precious Jasper
I'm living such an incredible life right now! The highlight of my weekend will surely be the call by my best friend, Angela, to come help her paint her kitchen. Her mom was in town, and I hadn't seen her in a few years, and I also thought that if I didn't go, I might just not get out of my fluffy pjs, so I said "Yes."
Angela has great decorating taste, and is much braver and bolder than I am, so I have to paint vicariously through her. Her living room is a sort of eggplant color (very nice), with light gray accents. She took that gray into the kitchen, making the majority of the walls that color, but the accent wall in the kitchen, and the dining room is called "precious jasper" -- I'da called it "guacamole". But I really like it! It's an incredible color combination, and once she gets the black tile flooring, it will be an incredible makeover!
Me? I still can't figure out how to move away from white and blue plates. Bo. Ring. :o)
But that's okay. We don't have a kitchen to decorate anyways. Dunno when we'll know. But I'm ready to know!
Dave comes home on Friday. We're both ready. He's tired of doing what he's doing. And I'm tired of him having to keep dragging it out. He's beyond burned out - he's char-broiled! I just want him done so he can relax and enjoy life a little, watch college football guilt-free, sleep-in, leave his dirty clothes on the floor, go out to dinner with his wifey, pat the phat-kitty belly...you know, normal stuff. :o) He gets two chillin' days, then we pack up the car and go west, young man. He has to sign in to his new job on Wednesday. Not much degauss time if you ask me. But he'll be here, and that counts for a whole heckuva lot!
So, with that, I bid you adieu.
Angela has great decorating taste, and is much braver and bolder than I am, so I have to paint vicariously through her. Her living room is a sort of eggplant color (very nice), with light gray accents. She took that gray into the kitchen, making the majority of the walls that color, but the accent wall in the kitchen, and the dining room is called "precious jasper" -- I'da called it "guacamole". But I really like it! It's an incredible color combination, and once she gets the black tile flooring, it will be an incredible makeover!
Me? I still can't figure out how to move away from white and blue plates. Bo. Ring. :o)
But that's okay. We don't have a kitchen to decorate anyways. Dunno when we'll know. But I'm ready to know!
Dave comes home on Friday. We're both ready. He's tired of doing what he's doing. And I'm tired of him having to keep dragging it out. He's beyond burned out - he's char-broiled! I just want him done so he can relax and enjoy life a little, watch college football guilt-free, sleep-in, leave his dirty clothes on the floor, go out to dinner with his wifey, pat the phat-kitty belly...you know, normal stuff. :o) He gets two chillin' days, then we pack up the car and go west, young man. He has to sign in to his new job on Wednesday. Not much degauss time if you ask me. But he'll be here, and that counts for a whole heckuva lot!
So, with that, I bid you adieu.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Boring Cows.
Maybe I should have named this blog "Boring Cows" instead.
Life seems so anticlimactic lately. You know, after the movers showing up a day early, moving across the planet, not finding a buyable house when I was hoping I would.
I've been doing stuff pretty much every day, but it's just nothing I feel compelled to blog about. Like, I shower every day, and I brush my teeth, and I eat, and I hike (some), and I shop (but haven't bought much more than a few t-shirts because the weather is warmer than I predicted) (about which I am not complaining, thankyouverymuch).
So, know that I'm still here. I'm just boring. Maybe my life will take an exciting, blog-worthy turn soon. Until then, feel free to snooze. :o)
Life seems so anticlimactic lately. You know, after the movers showing up a day early, moving across the planet, not finding a buyable house when I was hoping I would.
I've been doing stuff pretty much every day, but it's just nothing I feel compelled to blog about. Like, I shower every day, and I brush my teeth, and I eat, and I hike (some), and I shop (but haven't bought much more than a few t-shirts because the weather is warmer than I predicted) (about which I am not complaining, thankyouverymuch).
So, know that I'm still here. I'm just boring. Maybe my life will take an exciting, blog-worthy turn soon. Until then, feel free to snooze. :o)
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Done Due Diligence
I'm back in Denver now from a short, exhausting trip to the city of icky, filthy, overpriced and stinky houses (LA). I'm disappointed because I was really hoping that I would find a diamond in the rough. Well, there was sure a lot of rough! No diamonds, though!
I'm laying low for a week. Gonna spend Monday with my best friend, Angela. We're going to shop and eat and try on clothes and shoes we would never buy. Maybe see a movie. Big fun! :o) She gets me, and never, ever judges me. And she's about the least selfish person I know. I like that in a friend. (lets me be the selfish one, you know.) :o) No, really, just kidding. Being around selfless people makes me want to be more selfless, not more selfish.
Life is pretty quiet these days. Which. Is. Nice. There's been too much going going going going-on of late!
With that, I hope everyone has a great week!
I'm laying low for a week. Gonna spend Monday with my best friend, Angela. We're going to shop and eat and try on clothes and shoes we would never buy. Maybe see a movie. Big fun! :o) She gets me, and never, ever judges me. And she's about the least selfish person I know. I like that in a friend. (lets me be the selfish one, you know.) :o) No, really, just kidding. Being around selfless people makes me want to be more selfless, not more selfish.
Life is pretty quiet these days. Which. Is. Nice. There's been too much going going going going-on of late!
With that, I hope everyone has a great week!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Pictures of the Good
...because, even though you think you want to see pictures of the BAD housing I've looked at, I'm not going to take the time or blogger space to do it right now. Maybe later. :o) I know your curiosity is getting the best of you, but those pictures are hardly worth seeing.
So, instead, I'm going to post some "home" pictures today - because it's good to be home.
So, instead, I'm going to post some "home" pictures today - because it's good to be home.
The Cozy Kitties
My Mountain (Pikes Peak)
My Guideposts (the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains)
Ralph and Maddie on our hike
Lookout on the Mountains
My Mountain (Pikes Peak)
My Guideposts (the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains)
Ralph and Maddie on our hike
Lookout on the Mountains
As good as my little Canon camera is, it is impossible to convey to you over the web the vast magnitude of space and distance and beauty I can see with my little, less-than-20/20 peepers. If you've never been to Colorado, you've just never BEEN.
In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful while standing in a hotel in Colorado Springs looking at Pikes Peak, and the plains behind her. I am pretty sure she wrote it for me, for right now, to my heart.
Here are the words. It is a lovely, gentle, rolling hymn, and if you've never heard it, I suggest you find it somewhere on the web, and listen to it...especially if you have any fondness at all for America. :o)
Have a great weekend!
In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful while standing in a hotel in Colorado Springs looking at Pikes Peak, and the plains behind her. I am pretty sure she wrote it for me, for right now, to my heart.
Here are the words. It is a lovely, gentle, rolling hymn, and if you've never heard it, I suggest you find it somewhere on the web, and listen to it...especially if you have any fondness at all for America. :o)
- O beautiful, for spacious skies,
- For amber waves of grain,
- For purple mountain majesties
- Above the fruited plain!
- America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
- And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
- O beautiful, for pilgrim feet
- Whose stern, impassioned stress
- A thoroughfare for freedom beat
- Across the wilderness!
- America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;
- Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!
- O beautiful, for heroes proved
- In liberating strife,
- Who more than self their country loved
- And mercy more than life!
- America! America! May God thy gold refine,
- 'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!
- O beautiful, for patriot dream
- That sees beyond the years,
- Thine alabaster cities gleam
- Undimmed by human tears!
- America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
- And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Back to Cali
Three days in LA. Hard-core house-hunting.
Day 1 (today)
We have 6-8 more properties on the list for tomorrow. Pretty hard-hitting, but I hope we find a diamond in the rough.
Day 3 (Saturday)
We may or may not go see more properties on Saturday, depending on how Friday goes.
This is tiring! But the good news is that we aren't desperate. God will show us where He wants us to live - of that I am confident. He just continues to withhold the information. But I'm waiting! Got pencil and paper in hand! :o)
Tonight, it's TV in bed with a chocolate milk nightcap...it doesn't get much better than that!
Day 1 (today)
- 5 properties total- 3 SERIOUS dumps! Ho. Ly. COW!! I cannot believe the trash these people are showing at the mint they're asking!!! You could buy a niiiiihhiiiiihhhiiiice property in Denver, or north Atlanta for the price they are asking for a piece-o-horse-pucky townhouse! I mean, I know it's LA, and all. But dadgum!!!
- 2 of the 5 were nice. The nicest one is just out of our price-range, but the seller may be willing to come down some. The second one is way within our price-range, and has lots of great features (gated community, pool, quiet part of neighborhood), but it doesn't have any yard at all. No place for a sweet-little-poopy to go outside and wag its tail.
We have 6-8 more properties on the list for tomorrow. Pretty hard-hitting, but I hope we find a diamond in the rough.
Day 3 (Saturday)
We may or may not go see more properties on Saturday, depending on how Friday goes.
This is tiring! But the good news is that we aren't desperate. God will show us where He wants us to live - of that I am confident. He just continues to withhold the information. But I'm waiting! Got pencil and paper in hand! :o)
Tonight, it's TV in bed with a chocolate milk nightcap...it doesn't get much better than that!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Mama and The Girlies
My sweet kitties arrived safely last night. They had a really long journey from Papa to Mama, but they handled it with complete grace and dignity. :o)
I brought them home, and they both had a drink and a nibble and started exploring their new (temporary) home.
We settled down about 10:00, and went to sleep, and slept peacefully until about 3:30 this morning when they were both awake and active. Alley was trying to drink my water and was knocking my glasses off the nightstand. And Gypsy was stepping on all my, um, "tender parts" trying to find a comfortable spot. (THAT will wake you up quick!) :o) We talked and snuggled for an hour, and finally fell back asleep till about 6:30 when we got up for good.
I didn't know cats got jet lag, but I think it's pretty cute -- Kitty Cat Jet Lag.
They enjoyed their first day back in America, though. There was a huge patch of afternoon sun on the bed, so they were both soaking it up.
Hopefully tonight we'll all sleep all through the night. I'm ready for one of those.
(and maybe tomorrow I'll post the pictures I've been taking!)
I brought them home, and they both had a drink and a nibble and started exploring their new (temporary) home.
We settled down about 10:00, and went to sleep, and slept peacefully until about 3:30 this morning when they were both awake and active. Alley was trying to drink my water and was knocking my glasses off the nightstand. And Gypsy was stepping on all my, um, "tender parts" trying to find a comfortable spot. (THAT will wake you up quick!) :o) We talked and snuggled for an hour, and finally fell back asleep till about 6:30 when we got up for good.
I didn't know cats got jet lag, but I think it's pretty cute -- Kitty Cat Jet Lag.
They enjoyed their first day back in America, though. There was a huge patch of afternoon sun on the bed, so they were both soaking it up.
Hopefully tonight we'll all sleep all through the night. I'm ready for one of those.
(and maybe tomorrow I'll post the pictures I've been taking!)
Monday, October 1, 2007
I'm HERE!
I made it, I made it, and now I'm paying for it!
I woke up at 4:03 this morning. (grr)
At 4:32, I decided to start up my laptop and re-connect with everyone. I didn't have too many emails. I've caught up on most people's blogs, and read today's comics.
My clock says 4:57 right now. It's 11:57 in Dave's world. He should be on his way back from the airport right now because he had to drop Alley and Gypsy off at BA World Cargo so they could get on a plane and come home to Mama. I really hope he did better than I did 3 years ago when I went through the same thing sending the cats to England. I honestly do not think I have ever cried so hard in my life as I did that day. Gypsy was just yyyyyoooooowwwwwwllllling (as cats do) at the top of her little lungs. So upset! And Daisy (our sweet little peek-a-poo/Shi Tzu that has since passed away)...Daisy was climbing the door of the cage trying to get out, or get closer to Mama. And Alley, who is normally totally calm and collected (unless she's hungry - then she's a pain in the kiester!)...Alley went to the very far back corner of her crate and just faintly mewed. I knew I was doing the right thing taking them with us for the 3 year journey, I certainly couldn't leave My Girls behind...but it was SO hard! So, I wonder how they did today. One major difference is that BA allowed us to put them in the same crate, together, which the other company did not. So, at least they get to snuggle together. I get to pick them up at the Denver Airport tonight at 7:30 and bring them to our temporary home. I know they'll be fine, but it still breaks my heart when they are so upset.
Last year when I came back to the US for a visit, I didn't struggle with jet lag at all. This year, apparently, I am. I woke up yesterday morning at about the same time, and laid awake and laid awake...finally I made a deal with myself that if I was awake at 5:00, I would unpack my suitcases. Hee hee, magically, I fell asleep! :o)
I'm staying with family friends named Pam and Ralph, and yesterday (Day 1 after travelling for 23 hours), Ralph tried to wear me down so I would sleep all through the night. (no such luck, I'm afraid) At about 9:30, or so, we drove to Morrison to a little 5 table cafe called Base Camp Cafe. Yum. Meee! Then we drove up Parmalee Gulch Road to the base of what Ralph called a "baby hike". I'm sure it's a baby hike for someone who is used to living at an altitude of 6000 ft (as opposed to me...Guildford was, like 150 ft above sea level). I only complained a couple of times. :o) The weather was perfect, though! It's so good to be home. Wide. Open. Spaces. The sweet wildflowers. The junipers with their dusty-blue berries. The rattle of the grasshoppers' wings. We got home about 1:45, and I turned right around and went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. He had surgery in late July, and due to some complications, he's still in a hospital. Poor guy. He desperately wants to go home, but knows he's got to pass a few more tests before he can do that. So, we chatted, we watched (the good part) of the Bronco game (the good part being the beginning, where they were actually winning!), and then at about 3:00, I had the strong urge to lay down on his cold, tiled, hospital floor and go to sleep...which made me think that maybe, just maybe, I ought to go home. :o)
But first, I had to make the obligatory stop at TarJhay. Ah, my old friend welcomed me home with fanfare, pomp and circumstance, and some awesome clearance racks! :o) You wanna know what "hardship" is? Try living 3 years without Target. I love the font. I love the red and white. I love the marketing strategy. I love that store. I tried to restrain myself, though, and only buy necessities. (Well, considering the clearance rack, it was more like "necessi-Tees"...) $2.24 for a tank. $4.24 for a cute green t-shirt. $4.24 for some new shorts I will get to wear next summer in LA. Sweet!
Then home. I called Dave, I called my mom, Ralph called me up to dinner.... :o) And then, after dinner, I watched a little Desperate Housewives (yip-yip-yippee!). Then I crashed out. Darn tuckered after a VERY busy Day 1. Did it work? Did it help me sleep through the night? Nope. Sure didn't. Oh, well, there's always tonight.
I think my camera is in the car, so I'll have to post pictures of our hike tomorrow. For now, I'm going to try to get some more sleep. Good morning/night!
I woke up at 4:03 this morning. (grr)
At 4:32, I decided to start up my laptop and re-connect with everyone. I didn't have too many emails. I've caught up on most people's blogs, and read today's comics.
My clock says 4:57 right now. It's 11:57 in Dave's world. He should be on his way back from the airport right now because he had to drop Alley and Gypsy off at BA World Cargo so they could get on a plane and come home to Mama. I really hope he did better than I did 3 years ago when I went through the same thing sending the cats to England. I honestly do not think I have ever cried so hard in my life as I did that day. Gypsy was just yyyyyoooooowwwwwwllllling (as cats do) at the top of her little lungs. So upset! And Daisy (our sweet little peek-a-poo/Shi Tzu that has since passed away)...Daisy was climbing the door of the cage trying to get out, or get closer to Mama. And Alley, who is normally totally calm and collected (unless she's hungry - then she's a pain in the kiester!)...Alley went to the very far back corner of her crate and just faintly mewed. I knew I was doing the right thing taking them with us for the 3 year journey, I certainly couldn't leave My Girls behind...but it was SO hard! So, I wonder how they did today. One major difference is that BA allowed us to put them in the same crate, together, which the other company did not. So, at least they get to snuggle together. I get to pick them up at the Denver Airport tonight at 7:30 and bring them to our temporary home. I know they'll be fine, but it still breaks my heart when they are so upset.
Last year when I came back to the US for a visit, I didn't struggle with jet lag at all. This year, apparently, I am. I woke up yesterday morning at about the same time, and laid awake and laid awake...finally I made a deal with myself that if I was awake at 5:00, I would unpack my suitcases. Hee hee, magically, I fell asleep! :o)
I'm staying with family friends named Pam and Ralph, and yesterday (Day 1 after travelling for 23 hours), Ralph tried to wear me down so I would sleep all through the night. (no such luck, I'm afraid) At about 9:30, or so, we drove to Morrison to a little 5 table cafe called Base Camp Cafe. Yum. Meee! Then we drove up Parmalee Gulch Road to the base of what Ralph called a "baby hike". I'm sure it's a baby hike for someone who is used to living at an altitude of 6000 ft (as opposed to me...Guildford was, like 150 ft above sea level). I only complained a couple of times. :o) The weather was perfect, though! It's so good to be home. Wide. Open. Spaces. The sweet wildflowers. The junipers with their dusty-blue berries. The rattle of the grasshoppers' wings. We got home about 1:45, and I turned right around and went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. He had surgery in late July, and due to some complications, he's still in a hospital. Poor guy. He desperately wants to go home, but knows he's got to pass a few more tests before he can do that. So, we chatted, we watched (the good part) of the Bronco game (the good part being the beginning, where they were actually winning!), and then at about 3:00, I had the strong urge to lay down on his cold, tiled, hospital floor and go to sleep...which made me think that maybe, just maybe, I ought to go home. :o)
But first, I had to make the obligatory stop at TarJhay. Ah, my old friend welcomed me home with fanfare, pomp and circumstance, and some awesome clearance racks! :o) You wanna know what "hardship" is? Try living 3 years without Target. I love the font. I love the red and white. I love the marketing strategy. I love that store. I tried to restrain myself, though, and only buy necessities. (Well, considering the clearance rack, it was more like "necessi-Tees"...) $2.24 for a tank. $4.24 for a cute green t-shirt. $4.24 for some new shorts I will get to wear next summer in LA. Sweet!
Then home. I called Dave, I called my mom, Ralph called me up to dinner.... :o) And then, after dinner, I watched a little Desperate Housewives (yip-yip-yippee!). Then I crashed out. Darn tuckered after a VERY busy Day 1. Did it work? Did it help me sleep through the night? Nope. Sure didn't. Oh, well, there's always tonight.
I think my camera is in the car, so I'll have to post pictures of our hike tomorrow. For now, I'm going to try to get some more sleep. Good morning/night!
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