gang

When Stacey, Carrie, Meghan, and I all still lived in Reno, some of our friends jokingly called us a gang. As Stacey's brother Aaron put it, we would all come into church together, wearing black, moving in slow motion with Bad to the Bone playing in the background. OK. Maybe it wasn't quite like that, but we were together a lot and did have a tendency to wear all black at the same time.

When our friends Abby and Chris got married, we all drove to the wedding in California together. We didn't talk about clothing beforehand, but when we got together, we laughed to find out that we were all wearing black, except for Meg, who evidently didn't get the black memo and wore green instead.

Tomorrow our friend Alex is getting married and once again we're together. We're not quite in full force since Meghan needed to stay home with baby Ella (we miss you, Meg!). We will, however, be back in black, and I swear we didn't plan it (well, not exactly...).



Left to Right: Stacey, Meghan, Carrie, Alex, and me

beautiful summer

I have a picture hanging in my apartment of me and two close friends from Reno. The picture was taken during the summer of 2004 at my going away party a few weeks before I moved to Indiana. I love that picture. We're all full of smiles as the wind whips our hair around. I'm wearing a green tube top and have an array of tan lines from bikini tops and various tank tops.

The tan lines have always bothered me. I guess I always felt the picture would look better without them (yes, I know that's really silly). Last week I was looking at the picture and decided that the tan lines weren't so bad after all.

They weren't so bad because of wonderful memories they represented. Trips up to Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake. Sunday afternoons spent at softball games. Walks along the Truckee River. Various attempts to play tennis. Drives around Reno in Stacey's convertible. Those are all memories I wouldn't trade for anything.

It was a beautiful summer even though I knew that it was the prelude to a difficult move. I consciously made a decision at the beginning of that summer to enjoy every second of it rather than withdraw in preparation for the move. As difficult as it was to leave, I was so grateful for every second I had while I was still there.

I know that summer is still a few months off, but I wish each of you a beautiful summer filled with the best of memories to take with you when you go.

Hi.

So I'm back in Virginia after a wonderful trip out to Reno. The problem with having wonderful trips is that they always end eventually and everyday life is always right there waiting for me to return. Sigh. It's always like that.

Here are a few pictures from the trip. The rest of the pictures are on my Picasa web albums. If you have the link, go and look. If you don't, e-mail me, and I'll send you the link :)

Meghan & Carrie


Abby & Chris


Me, Alex, & Trina


Baby Peter


Daddy & baby (Brian & Peter)


Stacey & me


Sand Harbor @ Lake Tahoe


Lake Tahoe

notes from reno

I've been in Reno for 4 days now and have 4 more to go. It is, in a word, wonderful to be here. On Sunday an old friend asked if it felt weird to be back. The answer: no, not at all. Of course things have changed, I've changed, but this still feels like home.

The best part is being able to spend time with close girl friends. I hadn't realized how much I miss that. I guess it's the same when I'm home in South Dakota and can spend time with friends there. Being with old friends always just feels right - like I've never left.

If you were to ask what I've done in my time here so far, it might not sound like much. I've been to church, done a little shopping, spent time with dear friends. It's not a big, exciting vacation like some people might hope for, but it's exactly what I wanted, exactly what I needed. It has been the perfect vacation so far, and I'm so glad there are 4 more days of it :)

Oh, and Peter - Stacey & Brian's baby - is absolutely perfect and beautiful. He's a lucky little guy to have such wonderful parents :)

super burrito

Last week Friday, I was running some errands before going to work, and I suddenly had the most massive craving for a breakfast burrito from Super Burrito. Super Burrito is this tiny, hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Reno that sells the cheapest, most amazing burritos ever.

Did you catch that?

The cheapest, most amazing burritos ever.

Some Saturday mornings, Stacey and I would run to Super Burrito to get breakfast burritos. We'd take them back to the bookstore where she worked and would sit behind the counter eating our burritos and talking. On most weekends I could be found sitting behind the counter with Stacey. I was there so much that some customers thought I worked there.

So on Friday when I was seized upon by this massive Super Burrito craving, it was accompanied by all sorts of happy memories in Reno and was quickly followed by so much sadness and wishes that I were there. The beautiful thing is that in 19 days, I will be flying into the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, and Stacey will be picking me up with her newborn baby (she's due today by the way) :)

I can't wait. I don't even have words for how excited I am - just a big cheesy grin :)