A quick rundown

I made it to England safely and it felt like I had never left.

First things first. Sunday roast.

Clara, her boyfriend Tom, and flatmate Adam were happy to oblige and so we went for a meal shortly after my arrival.

I fell asleep early that night with a full tummy and plans to meet Sofia the next day. I woke up and have realized how awful and discomforting it is to wake up and no concept of the time. I got up, got ready and turned on the news and saw it was 6:45 a.m.

Four hours later I met Sofia and we visited a Movieum (movie + museum) walked along the south bank of the Thames and ate delicious crepes.

Returning to Clara's I got a little lost but eventually found my way back.

We left that night for Pisa and arrived early the next day. The tower was amazing and I, of course, took the obligatory pushing-the-tower photo. We then hit the beach, splashed in the warm ocean, worked on our tan then came back and joined others at the hostel for a meter and a half of pizza.

Today we headed to Florence and there are so many details I'd like to share, but they will have to wait for my return, when I have more time and a few less glasses of wine.

Ciao!

Travel buddies

In just a few short days I'll be boarding a plane off to see an old friend and make a new one.

By friend, I mean England (old friend) and Italy (new friend).

Two years ago when I came home from a year spent living in the U.K., I told myself I'd return in 2009, but I wasn't sure how to make that happen. But as fate would have it, it's happened and the plane is booked and plans are made.

But then as the thoughts of England were twirling in my head, Italy whispered in my ear. It took no convincing to get my friend Clara to agree to holiday in the boot-shaped country.

So things came together better than I thought they would and I put it out of my mind so I wouldn't explode with excitement.

But then June came, then July and now it is only a few days away. I think about other things, but then it pops back into my head and I get as giddy as a school girl.

Yipeeee!!

I'm really going to make an effort to update my blog and post my pictures while traveling, but if not, I hope to have some great stories to share upon my return.

Ciao!

Whooosh! There goes July!

I haven't written in ages, but honestly it hasn't felt like that because July has been a blur.

Never has such a period of time flown by so fast and filled with so many ups and downs, but thankfully, will be ending a heck of a lot better than it began!

July began in with my dad in the hospital. The events leading up to his quadruple bypass were a miracle in that they discovered he needed it before anything serious happened, i.e. heart attack or death. While it was emotional, exhausting and terrifying, I can joyously say it was a success and he's home, getting healthy.

I went from being off of work (while Dad was in the hospital) to being at work all the time. This is much of the reason that the month disappeared before I could grasp it. Thanks to a myriad of reasons, I ended up being the only one of several that do the same job at work. So that meant I was clocking in at 4:30 a.m. and clocking out at 6 p.m. Now I know what my editor does every day and am I so glad it was only a short period of time that had an end on the horizon. Also on the horizon is a fat paycheck with loads of over time pay that will arrive in just a few days!

I also helped a friend and co-worker pack-up for a move, got to spend the week with my sister and nieces and nephew, had dinner with my Bible study, and went to friend's going away party at a llama farm, where we stood in a pasture of llamas and I even petted one.

And now it's only a few days until what I've been looking forward to all July - the end! (Because I'm going to Europe, but I'm saving that for another blog.)

Good-bye July and hello August!

Goggles and profound thoughts

While at the lake last week, I was savoring the hot day and the cool water. I swam a few laps, read a book, and thought about writing this blog.

There weren't a lot of people at the lake. But there was a large family. (Not large in size, large in number.) Among them were two little girls, who I'm pretty sure were sisters.

Well, one sister was using a pair of goggles and the other was not so patiently waiting to use them.

Their mom told Sister One she had five more minutes. And instead of using those five minutes, she was just begging for more time.

"Mommy! Twenty more minutes! Ten more minutes!"

All to no avail. And while Sister Two nagged her and laughed at her, she just cried and pouted, instead of using her precious five minutes.

I realized then that I must be getting older or more like my mother, because I thought, "You're wasting your time. Just enjoy them while you can."

And then a more profound thought hit me.

How many people in life are always asking for more, and while doing that, are wasting the time they have with what's right in front of them?

More money, more time, more stuff, some things are just never enough.

I decided right then to make a conscious effort to make the best of whatever situation I'm in.

Because when time's up, I don't want to be wishing for those five minutes with the goggles.

Check engine

I hate to say it but I'm one of those stereotypical females that ignores the check engine light on my car.

Once it goes on, I just ignore it, hoping it goes away. It never does.

My check engine light had been on for about two months. Naively, I told myself it was just the gas cap that hadn't been tightened enough, thus triggering the light.

Or it was just a ploy by the car makers to get me to spend some money. They must have set it to go off after x-amount of miles.

Well, they aren't going to fool me.

So I pretended it wasn't there. I drove to Los Angeles. I drove to Sacramento. The light was still on, but my trusty car got me to and fro.

Then I made the mistake of telling my dad.

"You need to get that checked out," he said.

Ugh.

Yesterday, I took it to a friend's who has that trusty device that tells you the problem. And of course, the book didn't have the code. So he just reset the light and I was off.

I drove to work, happy. I drove home from work, mad. That pesky little light was back.

I had done some Internet research, and turns out the code wasn't a small thing. It was rare - yay me. But expensive.

So naturally I over react, imagining I'm going to have to promise the repairman my first child.

I scream how I hate my car and I never wanted it in the first place.

But today, I made some phone calls, took my car in. Had the computer replaced. And didn't pay anything.

Now I feel a bit foolish about panicking before I knew the results. But I also feel relieved! Hooray!

My car and I definitely have a love-hate relationship. Yesterday I hated it. Today, I love it.

Kind of.

Thursday

Here's a blog for blogging's sake.

I'm wide awake and really should be trying to sleep, since I have to work super early tomorrow.

But for some reason I can't.

Maybe it's because I can still hear the kids next door playing outside.

Maybe it's because it's not dark outside.

Or maybe, maybe, it's because 8 p.m. is just too early to go to bed, not matter how early you were up this morning and have to repeat again tomorrow.

Spider-man

Have you ever taken the time to think of all the people you've ever known in the course of your life?

(If you haven't I encourage you to do so.)

It's incredible how many people come into our lives. Some you may forget, even though you promised to be friends forever. And with others, forever may have ended, but you'll always wonder about them.

One such person who was in my young life is a man I only know as "Spider."

Spider became a friend of our family after meeting my mom at the restaurant where she worked. He was a regular and soon he was a regular in our lives.

When asked, he told my sister and I he was called Spider because he wasn't afraid of anything. And after the time he put our goldfish on his tongue, we believed him.

I remember he liked to eat the french toast sticks from Carl's Jr. And I remember one visit he brought me a watermelon pencil case. We have an old picture of him on a boat, so I guess he liked sailing too.

I'm not sure when we lost touch with Spider. Maybe when we moved.

But years and years later, I saw him again.

It was Christmas Eve and I was going to college in Los Angeles. My roommates had chipped in and bought me a plane ticket so I could fly home for the holiday.

On the way home from the airport with my dad and grandpa, we decided to stop for some fast food.

I recognized him right away. He was sitting at a table. He was dirty and didn't look very healthy. But I knew it was Spider.

It was confirmed when my dad said, "Hello, Don."

He hugged us and we began to catch up on all the missing years. I could tell he was happy to see us.

Then he showed us how he had made the camper on the back of his truck into a nice home. He was very proud of his work.

Soon it was time to go and so we hugged him again and my dad gave him some money. Spider wanted to give us something too and so he gave us a big bag of shredded cheese. He also gave us his mailing address.

I wish I hadn't lost it, or at least used it before it disappeared.

Once we got into the car, I called my mom and the tears started flowing.

She tried to console me, explaining that that was the life he wanted to lead.

And maybe he always had and I was just to young to comprehend it.

I still think about him often and that fateful Christmas Eve. I wonder how he's doing, if he's healthy, or even still alive.

I wonder if I ever went back to that fast food restaurant just off the highway, if he'd be there.

Eating french toast sticks.