the thin line between optimism and delusion…

When my plane landed in Denver, I had to catch my breath as  nerves started to build inside my chest.  Already things were not working out as planned, Libby missed her flight in New York and consequently I was sitting next to a man who was not interested in sharing the armrest instead of Libby.  Burger King did his best to cause me to miss my flight as well, but airtran in the ATL is a little more forgiving than airtran in LGA. 

I don’t know why I was nervous, because I hadn’t been to Grand Lake in over two years and because I have very strong feelings about the place.  It is like an ex boyfriend.  Colorado in general shakes me up and makes me feel unstable to a certain degree.   I even gush about it sometimes. 

Friday was not the day I was expecting.  After taking the shuttle three hours to Grand Lake I got into Tommy’s car (I had intentions of taking Matt’s car, but whatdoyaknow, I’m not skilled in the stick shiftness)   and drove back to Denver to pick Libby up – she didn’t get in until 10 that night.  I actually really enjoyed the drive both ways.  Saturday, Sunday, and Monday all exceeded expectation and made up for anything that was lost on Friday (which I think was very little). 

So, wanna see what my trip looked like?  Yeah?  Click on the thumbnail if you want to see it bigger.

We hiked up to Bowen Lake in the Never Summer Wilderness.  I’m on the right, and I’m standing next to our new best friend James, and the guy on the left is Tommy, Libby’s brother. 

 
Libby and Andy found some pretty sweet visors for a dollar in town. 

More later, I gotta run. 

Right now I am sitting on Cristina’s bed in the ATL.  I got my hair
cut today.  Kinda short.  I can’t tell if I’m devastated or if I love
it.  I always do this – this tragically dramatic haircut thing – only
because I can’t be bothered with getting my hair cut on a regular basis
– and as such, I have to get it cut a lot when I do finally get around
to making an appointment and manage not to miss the appointment. 

But
this is the shortest hair I have had in about a year.  Last October I
had really short hair, and it isn’t that short, but it is above my
shoulder short.  Cristina says she likes it.  She thinks my hair always
looks good.  Except during exams (shut up Cristina). 

Cristina’s
Spanish Great Aunt is in town.  She is going to sleep in the bed I’m
sitting on right now.  She is a nun.  She doesn’t speak english.  I
don’t speak spanish.  But she got her first pedicure today, so I can
tell we are kindred spirits. 

Tomorrow I am going to Colorado
with Libby.  I can’t even talk about it I am so excited about seeing
her.  It has been months and months since I have seen her and I miss
her to pieces.  I also really excited about seeing the mountains in the
summertime.  Hyper-ventilation is in full effect. 

I’m taking
requests and suggestions about what I should do with my life.  I’m not
100% sold on the practicing law thing, and I need some back up
options.  Catherine Anne told me the other night that I need to find a
husband in the next year and then I will have a lot more opportunity
for vague endevors.  Maybe I should start holding try-outs for
husbands. 

As Scarlett would say – I’m not going to think about
that today, I’ll think about that tomorrow (or actually, I’ll think
about that next week). 

love y’all. 

I had a wonderful week in Costa Rica.  It was kind of rough, the showers were anything but hot, and I mixed concrete on the ground with a shovel all week, but it was an awesome experience.  The other people on the team were wonderful and I made some exceptional friends.  It was so beautiful and the people of Costa Rica were friendly and inviting and great.  And I got to do a zip line through the rain forest!!  It was amazing!

I can’t tell you how much the voicemails and emails meant to me when I got them yesterday, it made me feel so loved and special.  It is so awesome just to get a voicemail that says – I miss you and I just wanted you to know that.  I should call more people and tell them that I miss them. 

But really, if you want to chat I’ll be around the next couple of weeks.  I’m maybe making plans for this weekend, but I’m not sure.  We’ll see.  Right now I’m going downstairs to see what I can find to eat and then I’m going to watch prime time in the daytime.

Sidenote:  Not only was there no internet access, I didn’t see a television or a newspaper the whole week.  But Kallie sent me this – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8592305/ – Kusadasi is one of the towns in Turkey that Kallie and I visited last summer.  Apparently they are targeting tourists in the Aegean.  Which is terribly scary. 

I am going to the ATL tonight with my brother, and Sunday morning my dad and I are flying out to Costa Rica for a mission trip.  I will be gone for a week.  I know that y’all are going to miss me a ton, and I will be thinking of you, and if I am able to get internet at any time, I promise that updating this will be the first thing I do.  Please pray for us and our group – I am looking forward to every aspect of this trip, and I think it will be unbelievably rewarding, while at the same time I hope to be useful as well.  We are going to be in the mountains in the north, supposedly near the volcanoes.  I’ve never been, so this is exciting. 

In other news, Libby and I just bought our tickets to go to Grand Lake Colorado for the beginning of August.  I really can’t express how excited I am about this.  I can almost taste the fresh cold beer and feel the cold nights and see the brightest stars.  AGGGHHHHH – it is almost all I can take!!!  I am so blessed to get to go back out there again!!!!  I miss it so much!!!!!!

Love y’all.  Be good.

So maybe it isn’t real early in the morning, but it is still morning.  I am laying in my bed, listening to my mom chat on the phone in the other room, and contemplating what I would like to eat for lunch.  Zaxby’s and Bojangles always seem to overpower every other choice, but I’m looking to not end up with heart disease at age 30, so we will see. 

This is the latest I have been in bed almost all summer.  I enjoy sleeping in the mornings more than most things.  I love to wake up, roll over, and realize that I don’t have to get up right now, snuggle back into the covers and pass out.  I think morning sleep in the most enjoyable.  But this summer I have had a hard time sleeping in the mornings.  Maybe it is because while I was in Rome I finally taught myself how to wake up at 6 am and enjoy the day (the trick here is to go to sleep around 7:30 at night), and my body clock has been damaged ever since. 

OR MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THE REASON I HAVEN’T BEEN SLEEPING IN THE MORNING IS BECAUSE THE PHONE IN MY ROOM IN AUGUSTA HAS THE MOST OBNOXIOUS RING I HAVE EVER HEARD.  I THINK I AM GOING TO GIVE IT TO BELLA TO CHEW ON. 

But the good things about getting up in the morning do help counteract the disappointment from lack of morning sleep.  Like, you can watch all the prime time in the daytime.  And when it gets to be 5 in the afternoon, you don’t wonder where the day went quite as much. 

I’ve been sitting here contemplating how I could waste my time today.  And I all the sudden had a flash on productive inspiration.  I realized I have cookies to bake.  And letters to write.  And cookies to eat.  And cokes to drink.  And I think my dad might have said something about me brushing down the pool today.  But I was trying really hard not to hear him, so I’m not sure. 

Wish me luck, it is going to be a big day.