Catch-up

"And the thing they thought was going to destroy them, turned out to be the thing that saved them."

I was devastated when I had to cancel my Alaska trip. I put off canceling the tickets until the last possible minute, hoping that by some miracle, my broken foot would heal and I would leap up well again. Obviously that didn't happen. After some serious self cross-examination, I made myself realize that giving up on the summer would be extremely detrimental to my health. The summer heat coupled with a summer funk would only let me simmer until I went postal on someone. It got a little too hot for a minute, but I grabbed the summer bull by the balls and am well on my way to completing my summer goals. Let me also say, that "summer" for me started when it got hot in April or May and will go til September or October when it isn't hot any more.

Here's a quick recap of what's happened lately.

Late June: Mama and Daddy came to visit. It was so good to spend time with them. It had been six months since I had seen them. They made sure I had plenty of good food to eat. We went to the WWII Museum, the French Market, and for a nice drive down Highway 90 to Mississippi to get a nice view of the country. We also saw some base camps where oil spill cleaners set out.

July 4: I spent the fourth of July in Gulfport, Mississippi. We managed to get some beach time, even though the waters may or may not have been closed. I swam anyway. There was no visible oil, and other people were swimming, so I didn't feel bad about it. We spend most of the afternoon bumming around the pool at the bed and breakfast that we stayed at. Imagine three 20 somethings staying at a b&b that served formerly as a retirement community. There were alcoves every 50 ft so you could sit and rest, handles, in the bathrooms, and the room set up clearly hinted at (and slightly smelled like) a retirement community. Regardless, it was awesome. There were peacocks roaming all over the place like they owned it.

We missed most of the fireworks which made me pretty homesick. We headed up to the Hardrock Casino for hot dogs and burgers (everything else was closed!), and had the best foot long hot dog I've ever eaten. I won $10 on the nickel slot machine (which I promptly lost), and settled for winnings of $3.50.

We closed the night down at a bar called EO's with a Mississippi blues band that knew how to break it down. How is it the blues take you out of your funk, whatever it is, and make you feel alright again?

(I've been listening to a lot of Tab Benoit lately, and I suggest you should, too.)



Last weekend's destination: Georgia. I've never been to Georgia, so I took up my friend Caitlin's offer to go visit her fam. We stayed an hour north of Atlanta in Canton, GA. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, rolling hills, trees, cattle and horses. Aside from the big houses and new developments that were coming in, it looked a lot like I pictured it. My favorite spot was at a turn off a highway. THere was a tiny house surrounded by flowers. Flowers on the porch, flowers hanging from the ceiling, flowers on every inch of yard surrounding it. It was called Corner Flowers or something like that, and it was right across from a general store called the Corner Store. It was lovely.

It was great to spend sometime with a family: cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, everybody. It was much needed. The whole family was so gracious and I felt right at home.

We went out in Atlanta on Saturday. It felt a lot like Chicago...but not like Chicago. It was strange. I suggest if you aren't afraid of bars where your shoes stick to the floor, and I mean REALLY stick to the floor, you go to the Clermont Lounge next time you're in Atlanta.

Well now you're caught up on everything. More soon. Love.