Hello there loyal readers 🙂 I can’t believe how many of you still check this blog regularly, even though I haven’t updated in over a year. Well I’ve got great news for you… I’m baaaack!

After reflecting on the past year, and reading my last post from January 2009, I can’t help but recall Barack’s mantra when he was on the campaign trail — “Change is coming to America.” Well CHANGE certainly showed up in major ways in my life, and anyone who has gone through a significant life transition knows how time-consuming that can be. 🙂 I started a new job in January 2009, that has taken my career on a totally unexpected, but wonderful, arc. I’ve shacked up with my beau, and am enjoying my first adult relationship while discovering the joys of domesticity and cohabitation. My nearest and dearest are procreating, and I’m getting ready to join them. 😉 And I am on the verge of making MAJOR moves in regards to my writing career (stay tuned!). Yes, these definitely have been exciting, transformational times.

Now that the proverbial dust has settled, I’m ready to return to my hobbies and joys, and writing is definitely one of my greatest joys. In addition to reviving this blog, I’m happy to announce that WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH will soon be available for purchase! Definitely more on that later. 😉

Well, I’m excited about my return to the blogosphere. As Jay-Z would say, I’ve got Big Things Poppin’. Stay Tuned!

My apologies to everyone that’s been waiting (oh-so-patiently 🙂 for me to upload my wedding pictures… Faby and Mark’s wedding day came and went without a hitch, and I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to. I’ve never been a big fan of “weddings”, but when the two people are so obviously in love, and so obviously made for each other, its hard not to get swept up in all the joy and giddiness. It was a truly beautiful event, with the most stunningly beautiful bride, and I can’t even tell you how honored I am to have been a part of the forging of this blessed union.

Special shouts go out to my fellow bridesmaids for making everything so FUN and to my awesome boyfriend for picking up all the slack when I was just shy of losing my mind 😉 You guys are the BEST!

And to Faby and Mark, my deepest and most sincere wishes for a long life filled with more love and happiness than you can handle. You both deserve it, and I’m so glad you found/have each other!

Here are a few of my favorite pics, and of course the full set can be viewed over at Flickr 🙂

In one week, one of my bestest and dearest friends, my beloved Fabiola, will be marrying the man of her dreams. It’s so exciting! A couple of weeks ago, me and my fellow bridesmaids threw Faby a Bachelorette Party. We started out with cocktails and games in our suite, before hitting the town VIP style. Wicked hangovers all around the next day, but it was worth it. As we get older, life phases naturally shift. “Girl’s Nights Out” become rarer and rarer as everyone settles down, has kids, etc. But the flipside of these changes is that when we all DO have an occasion to get together and hit the town, it’s a party like no other. I’m telling you, I could make my own documentary on “married girls gone wild” LOL.

Me and the Bride-to-Be

Bridesmaids!

The Awesome Trio Reunited — Go Slugs!

The full set of Bachelorette pics (minus the shots from the after-party 😉 are available on Flickr!

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.
-Anonymous

Those that know me, know that for years I’ve fantasized about owning a Toyota Tacoma. I guess that’s just the cowgirl in me. 😉 Two cars ago, I wanted to get my truck, but talked myself out of it, thinking – “But I plan on having a baby soon, and I can’t transport a baby in a truck!” That was seven years ago and I still haven’t gotten around to having that baby, lol.

Two years ago when my Geo Prizm broke down in the desert, once again I wanted to buy a truck… But unfortunately at that juncture, circumstances didn’t provide me with the time to really shop around, so I went the practical route and got a Corolla. Not that I regret buying the Corolla–that car got me across the country and back, the perfect road trip vehicle. But it wasn’t my dream car.

Baby time is once again approaching, but I find that my desire to be a truck owner has not waned in the slightest. Last Friday, I went to the mall to pick up a few items for Faby’s Bachelorette party, and they were having this huge car sale in the mall parking lot. I ended up strolling through the lot, not intending to buy a car, but curious about how much I could get for mine as a trade-in. Then, halfway down the aisle, I see her. My dream Tacoma. Nice, clean, extended cab, A/C, power windows, power locks, CD, and most importantly, a CASSETTE deck (LOL). And after a couple of hours of deliberations, I said, screw it, I want my dream truck. I deserve my dream truck. So I went ahead and bought my dream truck.

I LOVE my truck! It makes me so happy, every time I walk out the front door and see her sitting there. Yes, some will accuse me of being rather impulsive, but I’m promoting this new life attitude — Don’t Postpone Joy. Too often, we defer our dreams because we ”don’t have time” or “can’t afford it”. But the fact of the matter is, if you want something bad enough, you find a way. There is always a way. I’m tired of waiting for things to be “just right” to start living my dream life. I’m going to CREATE my dream life as I go along. I encourage each and every one of you to do the same. Life is short, people, Don’t Postpone Joy!!!

So I’ve been home for a couple of weeks now… Slowly reintegrating back into the “real” world. This past weekend was actually my first full weekend home since July 1st, and it was a little strange. Strange because, by the time Saturday evening rolled around, after a full day of lounging around doing nothing, I started to feel restless and bored. Like I just had to get out of the house and do something. Now I refer to this as “strange” because the old me LIVED for her downtime. Two full days with absolutely nothing to do was my idea of heaven. The ultimate homebody, the words “bored” and “home” would never get strung together in any sentence I might utter.

It appears my five weeks on the road has triggered a shift in lifestyle that is turning out to be more permanent. All I can focus on these days, is where I want to go next . I daydream constantly about returning to Sedona and the Hot Springs, the itinerary for next summer’s road trip, and if its too early to make my hotel reservations for BEA in New York. I’ve even been kicking around the idea of taking a cruise in the Bahamas… After I get back from visiting KC and the kids in Maui…

I’ve got issues.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this newfound itch to travel… Aside from being financially unreasonable (if not downright irresponsible), the more I reminisce about how good it felt to be “free” this summer, the more I want to just up and quit my day job so I can immerse myself in a carefree, nomadic existence. Oh yes, that sounds SO practical! That fits perfectly into my well-thought-out five-year plan. WHO THE HELL AM I?!?!?!?

Apparently a woman in the midst of an identity crisis.

I do not want to be held back by anyone or anything right now. Freedom is essential. There are so many places I want to visit… There are so many places I want to live. Seriously, I’ve browsed the real estate listings in Sedona several times since I returned home. I never thought I could live somewhere outside of California, and now I’m fantasizing about changing my address every three months and homeschooling my children so they can move around with me… I don’t know what is going on with me.

Needless to say, readjusting to the day job has been rough. Oh how I hate punching a clock, lol. I need to liberate myself from this monotony as soon as its financially possible. Really. And in the meantime, change my scenery as much as possible. Last weekend I left the house on Sunday to spend the day with two of my favorite things – my nephew Devin, and RENT, lol. I guess Bill and Jes saw RENT a few weeks ago when the show passed through SF, and Bill, demonstrating yet again that he is indeed MY brother, lol, fell all in love with RENT. Went out and bought the DVD, and was watching it when I got there. It was awesome. Though I must say the BEST part was when we got to the end and about half an hour later he goes “I think I’m gonna start RENT over again.” That’s what I’m talkin’ bout! So we all watched RENT like a happy little family, making sure to cover Devin’s eyes during Mimi’s stripper scene at the Kit Kat Klub, LOL. Good times, good times.

Ah well, I shouldn’t be pouting and lamenting the loss of my endless summer just yet. One more trip. This weekend I get to go to VEGAS for the last stop on the Soul2Soul Summer Tour. So much fun on the agenda, it’s gonna be off the hinges! This is just what I need to send this summer off in style – the open road, my girls, Tim and Faith, and SIN CITY (aka one of Steph’s favorite places in the world). I love Vegas. I love it even more when Tim is there. So excited am I.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone!

36 days, 23 States (and into Canada), 10,302 miles, and two hubcaps later (lol), I am finally back home in Santa Cruz. What a wild and crazy adventure it’s been! The euphoria I felt upon returning home, seeing my boys again (JJ is freaking HUGE now!), and finally getting to rest, smoke, and veg — it’s been like the cherry on top of a extraordinarily delicious sundae loaded with whipped cream… Those of you that know me know I’m a total homebody, so this whole summer adventure was quite the departure from the norm… But I feel like this journey introduced me to a whole other side of my self (a freedom-loving, spontaneous, flexible, adventure-seeking side) that I didn’t know I had… And what do you know -she’s actually happy and whole a lot of fun… I really don’t want to see her go, lol. I have to find that perfect balance between home and away, responsibility and reckless abandon…

Processing this trip and everything that happened to me will take months… But you will all be able to read a fictionalized version of this summer’s misadventures when I complete the book I’m planning to write about it, lol. After I finish WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH… Which I plan to do sometime in October (I’m borrowing Esco’s deadline, lol). 😉 That’s right, I’m not just returning to the reality of my “day job”, but also to the reality of this other dream I’m bent on chasing — launching my writing career. There have been many developments on that front in the past month, and I need to sit down with all my options and make some decisions soon… I will definitely keep everyone posted on any good news 🙂

5 weeks on the road, a good portion of it travelling sola, was quite an undertaking… Many people thought I was “crazy” (I’m assuming in a good way??? lol), others were flat out inspired by my balls and determination. But I would (and plan to) do it all over again. This has been, hands down, the best summer of my entire life. I’m not gonna be all cliche and cheesy by saying I “found” myself, but I did gain a greater clarity on my dreams, goals, and desires than I’ve ever had. I know exactly what I want out of life. And I think I have a plan on getting there. And I’ve learned that every step along the sometimes crooked path I’m going to take to get there has beauty in it if I just slow down and look a little closer. There is beauty everywhere, even in heartbreak and pain. There is a reason for everything that happens. I’m not religious by any means, but I do believe now that God (Great Original Doer), has a plan… We just get so caught up in things that don’t mean anything folks… Love yourself, love everyone around you, and don’t take a moment you have on this earth for granted — it’s really that simple. Hard, lol, but simple… But we are all blessed to be alive and breathing ya’ll… Every last one of us…

In the spirit of spreading love and giving thanks, I have to acknowledge all the people along the way whose path I crossed, who added a layer of love, laughter, or knowledge to the mission. I have one hell of a story to tell, and each and every one of you contributed a priceless memory to it that I will cherish forever… To my poet for the love, inspiration, and companionship (I miss you); Meg for being the perfect Thelma to my Louise (I LOVE YOU!); my Jackson Fam (and Cousin Doug!) for giving me the feel of family when I was so far from home (I love and miss you guys so much! I’m already planning my return trip!); dear friends I was able to reconnect with after being geographically challenged for too long (Faby, Lil Chris, Nicola, Carolina, Corey, JoJo, Berhan, Benito) – thank you for the food, shelter, and friendship… Seeing a familiar face at regular intervals refreshed my spirit in ways you’ll never know…xoxo); all the McFriends and McGrawGirls I met and reconnected with – it’s so much fun having folks to share my obession with! (special shouts out to Leish, her beautiful children (I’ll be back Rachel, I promise!), Iris, Colleen, Mama Karen and Paige…xoxo); everyone I met at the Black Writers Conference in Dallas for the inspiration, advice, and community; everyone I interacted with in the South that showed me that “Southern Hospitality” is not just a myth or expression, but alive and well; Officer Hamilton and Deputy Dyk for their compassion and caring; every random person I met along the way that extended their kindness in my direction (especially Captain Mark!); Ann, Alcide, and Leo for making sure my boys, bills, and home were well taken care of when I was gone; and everyone back home who was missing me and praying for my safe travels – I definitely felt like I had a host of guardian angels with me every step of the way.

Flickr has been updated with the remaining vacation photos… So many memories, wow. I hope I can inspire some of you to plan your own little getaways… I’m telling you life is too short to not be L-I-V-I-N…