Almost

The bags are packed. The dollars have been exchanged for Euros. The carryons are stuffed with snacks for the 11.5 hour flight. Contact numbers have been sent to all. Dog has a dog-sitter. House has a house-sitter and various people gonna come visit it!

Now we wait...

Usually we have a morning flight. Our flight to Spain leaves at 6:30 p.m. lands at 2:22 p.m. tomorrow Spain time. We are in no-man's land waiting for when it's time to leave for the airport.

The world is on fire near us. 5,500 acre fire burning across the freeway. Winds sent it away from us, not toward us. Ants have invaded the kitchen with a vengeance.

It's all a little unsettled.

Spain!

It has taken years of nagging, but the Spain trip is finally happening! There are hotels and AirB&B flats reserved. We have reservations at museums, cathedrals and The Alhambra.  The countdown is on!

Goodbye My Friend

     My friend Lisa Kim Bach died this past week. It’s been almost too much to even speak aloud. 
     We went to college together, edited the Daily Collegian together, read poetry and debated authors, argued copy editing and newspapering rights and wrongs. She stood by my side when I married Dean Yerem. 
     LKB and I took a Belles Lettres class that last year of college, and though we’ve spent years physically apart the sharing of prose and poetry continued. I’ve been reading quotes and sections we passed back and forth. I’ve dug out old books, just to feel her presence. I can hear her infectious laugh and I can see the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She was quiet, but she could be the best kind of trouble. 
     I wanted to post a poem as a tribute, but nothing seemed good enough, right enough… And then yesterday in Barnes and Noble, my youngest son, Neil, surprised me by picking up a book of poetry and reading a poem out loud to me. It was a poem about basketball so I won't be posting it here (though I'm sure LKB would have loved it.)
     Maybe it doesn’t matter what poem I share in honor of Lisa. Maybe it just matters that I remember how Lisa loved the written word – a poem, a book, a story to tell – and she shared it with those around her. I am just so very thankful and honored to consider her a friend. 

The passport photos have been taken

We had to show Neil what a passport looked like. We have tickets to Spain and passport photos... There is hope.

Neil's turn to make mom cry

Neil made honor society at junior high. And it was exactly like this. You would think I would have come to grips with kids, memories, and parenting. I haven't. It's just Neil's turn. Two awesome boys who attend the same schools I attended. It's odd and sentimental sometimes. We are definitely a Cowboy family, bleeding green and gold... Dean's school with their sailors and circus history classes didn't stand a chance.