Days 1 and 2

The cowboy and I left Lakeside, Montana at 7:00 Tuesday morning, April 8th. His dad was giving his niece a ride to Moses Lake, Washington so we trailed them there and had lunch with them. This was my second time meeting his dad and he's a quiet, laid-back type fella - not at all like the cowboy.

We then drove to our first stopping point, North Bend, Washington - an absolutely quaint and lovely little town about an hour east of Seattle. This first stop was one of the most beautiful of the trip. Wednesday morning we set out to find Snoqualmie Falls which we had heard about and were eager to see and it was well worth the diversion. A short, easy walk to the lookout and the falls are incredible. That's the falls in the picture above.

After the falls we headed to Seattle with which I immediately fell in love. Sometimes I really miss being near a big city with all its attendant energy and chaos. We had a few tense moments maneuvering the 5-speed pickup truck along the very steep streets near the waterfront and finding a space to park. We actually parked in one space and were then confused by the signs about whether it was a legal parking space. We asked two or three passerby hoping they might be able to help us figure it out - but no one could! The signs made absolutely no sense. Another space came open that had no signs so we moved to it and no sooner did we move than someone snatched up the space we had been in. Remember, this is all taking place on a VERY STEEP STREET with a Montana cowboy not used to driving in the city. Did I mention we were in a 5-speed pickup truck? This is probably about the time I started my "road prayers" which would continue almost unabated the entire trip. They were short and sweet. "Please don't let it hurt." Trust me, if it hadn't been for my knee making the clutch an impossibility for me, I would've taken over driving at that point, post haste! To be perfectly honest, the cowboy's driving makes me nervous under the best of conditions. Good thing I didn't know some of the terrain we had yet to travel.

We spent the afternoon exploring Pike's Market which I found fascinating and fun beyond all reason. The colors, textures, smells, sounds and sights were a delight to the senses. I wanted to spend so much money, but managed to get away with only a couple of packages of dark chocolate linguine. Yes, dark chocolate linguine. Dessert linguine. I bought the packages as gifts, but I may have to hold onto one for myself. It's just too sexy and divine. And speaking of divine - we had lunch on the pier at Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar. One thing I really looked forward to was eating some good, fresh seafood and I sure got it here. We had a mixed seafood grill in a saffron and coconut milk broth. Shrimp, crab, mussels, fish and bananas! It was a true gastronomic treat, but the crab was still in the shell. Do you know how hard it is to crack a crab that's covered in broth? A little messy, but well worth it. Below are some pictures of the market

We then drove to Shelton, WA where we were to meet up with some of the cowboy's friends for dinner and to spend the night, but we missed our connection with them and stayed in some nondescript hotel that even now fades quickly from memory.

Packing for the Trip

I knew I was going to be away for quite some time - at least two weeks - and that I would be encountering much different weather than is found in NW Montana at this time of year. I also knew I would be riding in a pickup truck and that the less I could go with the better. So I packed as lightly as possible.

I managed to pack for the longest trip I've been on in my life with an absolute minimum of baggage. I didn't realize it at the time, but along with less physical baggage, I also packed a lot less emotional baggage for this trip. You have a 50/50 chance of guessing which served me better.

I had to shop for short-sleeved blouses due to the warm weather we eventually encountered, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually, I packed just right. It was an absolutely incredible trip, but at every turn I was faced with situations that in the not-too-distant past could've ruined the entire thing. I was stuffed in the cab of a pickup truck with the cowboy for hours on end; I was meeting his entirely lovable, but pretty much totally neurotic family for the first time and I was distanced from every element that makes me feel comfortable, with no recourse. I knew when I left it could go either way - to hell or to heaven, and I knew that I was perfectly in control, or not, as to how it would go.

As is usual in life, it was a little bit of both, but the heaven far outweighed the hell. I think if we can get to that point in our lives, where we know it's up to us which way the shit flies (to be just really crude about it), we've accomplished something. I've accomplished something. Hope you'll stick around for the details.

I'm Back!

The cowboy and I rolled into Polson around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 15 days and 2500 miles from the day we left. It was a grand trip, highlights of which are to follow in upcoming posts.

It's nice to see folks checked in with me while I was gone. I plan to catch up on all my blogging buddies this weekend. It's amazing how much there is to do after being away for two weeks - starting with sweeping the floor and loving up on a couple of kitties! And luckily for me I was able to resume my part-time job immediately, with the distinct possibility that it may become more in the near future.

My knee fared well as did the relationship - two things that were questionable at the beginning of the trip.

It's good to be home and back at the computer.

Roadtrip!

Sometimes things work out in a way you couldn't have planned as well yourself. This is one of those times. The cowboy's mom lives in Redding, CA and she has a couple of kayaks in her

garage that aren't being used, so he and I are going to go fetch them from her. Exploring Flathead Lake on a kayak has been a dream of mine for a couple of years - ever since I kayaked with my sister on the lake my parents live on in Georgia. Looks like I'll be doing some of that this summer now.

And for five years, since I first moved to Montana, I've dreamed of visiting the Oregon Coast. We've decided to go to Redding by way of Seattle and then the coast! I've never been to Seattle either and I'm looking forward to exploring that city for a day or two and then on to the cute little villages along the Coast, hopefully some whale watching and definitely taking in a lighthouse or two along the way. My knee will probably prevent me from getting to the top of the lighthouses, but, hey, you never know. I'm pretty pumped! I admit to being a little nervous about traveling that kind of distance while I'm still experiencing quite a bit of pain, but the cowboy assures me we will stop every couple of hours along the way and make sure I stay as comfortable as possible.

Now, if that wonderful employer of mine hadn't laid me off when he did, this trip wouldn't be possible. And if I weren't still out of work due to the surgery it wouldn't be possible. So those two things, which seemed so awful at the time, have cojoined to create this incredible opportunity.

We'll be gone 10-14 days and I will probably not have computer access, but I look forward to checking in with all my favorite bloggers when I get back. I've been having computer problems lately as well and haven't had the patience to wait for pages to load, so once again, I apologize if I haven't visited you in awhile! I hope to have many great pictures and stories to share with you when I return.

Roadmap to Holland - The Release

Gosh. I guess it's been 2 1/2 years since my friend, the Practical Vampire Slayer, invited me to join a writer's group that was getting started in our little community. She and I were working together at the local newspaper at the time and I had just begun writing after, oh, about a 30 year hiatus. That's where I met Jennifer. Jennifer had begun work on a book of her experiences with Avery, her son born with Down's Syndrome.

I'll never forget that first writer's group. My nervousness soon disappeared when I realized that the lovely woman with the golden curls would be "overseeing" us and that her heart was as golden as her hair. Jennifer is the kind of woman that immediately puts you at ease; she's soft, but her softness is encased in a strength that naturally draws others to her.

While a few people dropped out right away, we have maintained a core group of writers that meet once a month for going on three years now. I remember many a night when our whole group sat in silence and tears after hearing Jennifer read something from her "work in progress".

That work in progress is now a book: "Roadmap to Holland" has just been released by Penguin . I think everyone in our writer's group is as proud as if it were our own book - which Jennifer would probably tell you in a way it is.

Another member of our group has been blogging up a storm lately and I think you'll enjoy reading Julie at Alley-Grazer.

Congratulations, Jennifer! We love you!

A Copy of a Copy of a Copy

I wanted to wait and resume blogging when I actually felt something positive to write about, but it looks like that may be awhile down the road so I decided to just jump back in right where I am.

Did you know that lack of sleep can make you suicidal? Homicidal even? At the very least severely depressed? It's true. Just in the past month both 60 Minutes and Oprah have had segments about insomnia and how it affects the human body, brain and emotions. It's been almost six weeks since my surgery and I'm still hurting enough at night that I don't sleep through. I have gotten up to sleeping about four or five hours at a time which is a vast improvement from the night's I haven't slept at all, but it isn't enough yet to counteract the ill effects. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I were like that one woman on Oprah who gets up and cleans the house and bakes cakes when she can't sleep, but about the most I can do is wander around in a daze or do a little reading.

I've developed a lovely little syndrome called patella femoral pain syndrome. It's a common complication after ACL surgery, especially for women. The PT and I are working on it with some exercises, but so far it still hurts like a . . . . well, like hell.

In a way, thank god I was laid off right after surgery because I know myself and I would've pushed myself to get back to work as soon as possible and I think if I actually had to be somewhere every morning at 8:00, someone probably would be dead. As it is, I'm doing my little side job three hours an afternoon and even after six weeks, that's about all I can handle. Of course, some days and nights are better than others and there really is light at the end of the tunnel.

The positive side to all this is that I've been forced into an exercise routine that was sorely needed and I've lost a little weight to go along with it. Oh. Did you know that lack of sleep can also cause you to gain weight? Honestly, it can wreak a lot of havoc in a person's life.

I've discovered a lot about myself in these past weeks. I think the most important discovery is that I seem to have acquired some faith somewhere along this life path. I have faith in my ability to care for myself, faith that this is all perfect timing and faith that the universe is unfolding exactly as it should. And I have faith that I will soon be pain-free and asleep for a full 8 hours. I absolutely get that this is a just a tiny blip on the screen and that each day is a gift and an opportunity. Of course, I actually slept for five hours straight last night.