Jiggity Jig

Home again, Home again.
We had a wonderful time in Colorado with Dillon's family, who spent the entire weekend trying to convince us to move to Boulder. It's not a tough sell. Boulder is gorgeous and we love the idea of living in a college town, but I'm looking forward to a break from the snow and frigid temperatures. We headed out west on I-70 through the Rockies (beautiful!) and into Eastern Utah, stopping for the night in Green River. Tuesday morning we faced the longest leg of our journey, planning to arrive in Reno that night.
Let me say this: The settlers who traveled across this country to find new life in the West, were tough as shit. I got scared driving these long stretches of road, sometimes over 100 miles where there were no services offered, no gas, no lodging. Vast expanses of nothing except beautiful landscape. We headed into Nevada by way of Highway 50, also dubbed 'The lonliest road in America', and I'm so glad we decided to take the scenic route. Nevada is beautiful. Mountainous. Clean. Untouched. Stunning. I've called this place home for many years and never realized it's true beauty until now. I can only wonder how frightened and thrilled the settlers must have been as they crossed into lands they could never have imagined existed.
I'm so lucky to have the means and way to experience this for myself.
I think the Village People said it best: GO WEST!

Chewed up and spit out

Free at last!
Free at last!
Thank God almight, I am free at last!
I cut my finger over a month ago at work and the wound has since healed, except for a small spot at the tip that was still very painful. I've been picking at the spot for weeks, determined to excavate this 'piece of glass' I insisted was living in my middle finger. This pain has inhibited my ability to catch a frisbee, use the turn signal while driving and flip the bird to unruly motorists.
It's been days since I picked at my wound, and was begining to think I was crazy, that perhaps a severed nerve was the reason for this discomfort or that maybe my threshold for pain just isn't what it used to be.
While on the Kansas Turnpike this evening, I thought I'd give it another go.
After about fifteen minutes of picking, squeezing and, according to Dillon, funny faces, my body decided to release its hostage. I had finally negotiated this month-old chunk of glass from my hand. And it felt AMAZING! I will not let this moment pass, though, without recognizing one of life's great metaphors:
A chunk of glass cut me, got under my skin. I thought I could live with it in there, but try as I may, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I finally sat down and picked at that glass until I forced it up from my skin and out of my life. And in Kansas of all places. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

Good Times, Great Oldies

We FINALLY got connected to some high speed internet, so I'm sitting at the Webster U libarary (a building that didn't exist when I was here) enjoying the newness of it all. It's strange to be here in Webster Groves. Seven years have passed since I graduated and although I recognize the place and the people, I can't remember the feeling.
Sitting at Front Row last night I remembered it was where I spent my 21st birthday. We've had Einstein bagels, went to the Arch, visited the Turtle Park, had Ted Drewes and Fortel's Pizza Den as well as the obligatory Schnucks run. We visited the Budweiser Brewery and I even ran into a few Nerinx sluts at the local Starbucks (which used to be a DIY pottery studio).
My feeling is one I'm sure many people have after years of growth and change; I just don't know who that Jacquie is anymore. Of course I'm still me, still making gross noises to get attention, still acting like a jackass and still eating my feelings. I love that Jacquie, the chubby girl with short hair and braces. But it feels great to be able to look back at her and see how far I've come. Not so much physically, but in my heart and soul. Growth is incredible. Change is a blessing. I truly feel in this moment that my life is all I've dreamed it would be. And it feels amazing.
Our time in StL is coming to an end. We're off to Colorado tomorrow to spend the weekend with Dillon's family. Looking forward to the Mountains..... and just looking forward!