I've Moved!

Please follow my new blog at:

jennreklaw.blogspot.com

I have moved all my posts over there.
Thank you!

Paris??

I should, right now, be on my way to Paris for a wonderful 11-day vacation. Instead, I am sitting in the Charlotte airport eating nachos and drinking Diet Coke. Our flight was delayed (probably cancelled) and after sitting on the runway for 3 hours, they towed the plane back to the terminal and told us to stick close in case we get to leave at 10pm. It doesn't look like it's going to happen though. In fact, we probably won't be able to get out of here until tomorrow. US Air is flying in a "part" from Atlanta...I can only imagine how this flight is going to turn out.
But, you know, it's not all bad being here in the airport. Thank goodness Bob brought his laptop. Not only that, we have met some really nice people: A kid that just graduated from Orme who is going to Paris with his mother- what a great graduation gift! A man and woman from Phoenix that are spending a month in Ireland and Scotland. And don't forget the 50-year-old man that looks 35 who is going to "find himself" in Southwestern France and practice his French kissing.
If our plane leaves at 10 tonight, we will get to Paris around noon and will have had a good rest on the plane. Otherwise, Bob scheduled us on a backup flight for tomorrow at 2pm.

Oh...just heard that the flight cancelled. WTH. More tomorrow.

First trip of the summer!

We are back from Costa Mesa and fortunately we were able to squeeze in some fun while there. We took Andrew to The Rainforest Cafe at the mall across from our hotel. It was his first time there and he was in awe when the animals "came to life".

Bob took a bunch of us out to dinner on Sunday night after a visit to the beach at Corona Del Mar. Andrew, Bob, Lillian, Rick, Erin, Jamie, Carol, and I went to the beach and then met up with Sam and Ty at Romeo Cacino in Laguna Beach. I had never been to this part of California before and it was just so beautiful. I had ravioli (my favorite), Andrew had lasagna (his favorite), and Bob had...I have no idea, but I tasted it and it wasn't as good as my ravioli! Here are some pictures of the gang at the beach and at dinner:

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We are leaving right now to meet Janet and her family in Tombstone.

A Little Quiet Time

Just got to Costa Mesa, California. The ride was long and once we hit Palm Springs the traffic was thick. We are staying at the Wyndham Orange County. The room is very "trendy" with black furniture and metal accents. I know I'm in LA but I really do question the "coziness factor" of metal furniture; we would never dream of such in the South!! :) We have a view of the courtyard with a huge water fountain. I checked the website for the hotel on the drive over and saw a notice that said the hotel is being renovated. Anyone who knows about Bob's house and our remodel (which has been going on since August) knows that the irony of this did not go unnoticed. But, overall, the hotel renovation has not caused any major problems so far and our room appears to be one that has all ready undergone completion.
So, tonight, I am going to wash my face, brush my teeth and do something I haven't done in a long time: snuggle up in bed with the newspaper, bob, and the television (ok, we won't actually put the tv in bed) and veg out. Andrew went to get frozen yogurt with a bunch of girls so I am going to enjoy the quiet!

Summer time!

Today begins the first day of our summer travels. We leave in approximately two hours to head to Orange County, California. We have a basketball tournament and lots of free time to hang out. Looking at the calendar, it seems that my summer is going to be a roller coaster of trips and work, with only a week of downtime. I'm excited about the travels, which includes my first out-of-country trip.
I don't know when I'll ever have time to unpack, or even finish moving. But I plan to enjoy every little thing that comes my way and to forgive myself for not finishing things that don't get finished.
And I'm going to blog about it the entire time. :)

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff

Tonight's my last night in my apartment. I haven't even come close to moving all my stuff out. I have a lot of things boxed up and I have several bags to donate to The Salvation Army...but there's still so much "stuff"...and I don't know what to do with it.
I have the car packed, thanks to Kent, and I won't even be able to see out of the back window tomorrow.
It dawned on me tonight while talking to Kent about life and relationships: This is my last night here. My last night in my own bed. My last night watching David Letterman instead of Jay Leno. My last night of eating chips and salsa in the bed at 1 am when I can't sleep. This is the last time I'll have bookshelves lined with books that I love. I have to say goodbye to sleeping with the lights on; goodbye to hitting snooze for an hour in the morning.
I'm not sad that I'm moving. I'm actually quite happy to be getting out of this shoebox I've been living in. Even I wasn't moving in with Bob, I'd be moving out of this little apartment! But now that it's time...I think about the things that make me uniquely "me". And I wonder what will happen to "me"...and then I hear a couple of my friends yelling, "GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD!!"
So, I take a deep breath, look around my half-packed, half-strewn apartment...and decide to call it a night. It will all come together soon.

Part of "us"

Faced with the loss of independence and self-sufficiency, I have spent more than a few nights worrying that I'll lose myself. In three short days, I'm moving in with Bob. Such a great man, and someone who has always been willing to listen to me and work things out. We haven't had many true arguments but we DO have certain things in our life that make our relationship difficult. But, you know what, for the last year and a half, we've gotten through them...and looking back on them now, they seem like just part of "us". Those things that make us who and what we are.

Our age difference, for one. Gosh, this past week, our age difference became very apparent to me. Bob hurt his back at work and then again as we were moving some furniture one day. As I got his laptop, made snacks, and prepared him for a day of working in bed, I saw my future... but I also saw someone who makes me happier than I've ever been.

Another...I've lived alone for the last 5 years. I haven't really had to compromise for another person. Of course, I've had Andrew around, but how much "say" does a kid have when it comes to household matters? The need to compromise is something that has recently become visible. Suddenly, I don't make all the decisions. What to throw away, where to move furniture, and what to hang on the walls, doesn't solely rest in my power. Wow...I'm working "with" someone. It's a new concept for me, but it's one I'm willing to practice and master.

There are more, but they are so "us" that to share them would take away their intimacy.

So, I'm counting down the days. My fears do not come close to the excitement I feel toward this new adventure. I have a new job waiting, Andrew's going to a good school, and I get to spend every day with the person that's almost as funny as I am.

Up and Running!

I've had some computer problems and haven't been able to blog in WEEKS! There is so much to catch up on and I guess I'll start with New Year's Eve. Bob and I went to the Fiesta Bowl Block Party with Steve and Kate. It was a beautiful night, just a tad chilly, and we had a great time. There were bands on every block and more people than you can imagine. I am not used to going "out" in the "big city" so I was quite shocked at the number of people at the party. I'm used to the nightlife of Prescott which generally consists of no more than 150 people milling up and down Whiskey Row.

I want to start this post with a video I made right at midnight: (and NO that's not me singing at the end of the video!)

Bob, standing on Mill Avenue, just minutes before the new year:

There were quite a few fireworks displays. Bob and I have a bit of history with fireworks so I always try to take our picture when we see some.
Looking at the 10pm fireworks in the sky:

This face always makes me smile. I never get tired of seeing it:

We rode the lightrail from Bob's office to Mill Avenue. Behind us sat a man having a LOUD verbal argument with someone about stealing a candy bar. It was funny and a bit unnerving.

We spent most of the evening listening to the dueling pianos performance. It was AWESOME and they really knew how to put on a show. And, fortunately for us, I found this pole dancer as soon as we got there :)

We had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant on 5th and Mill Ave. It came highly recommended by Kate and Steve and it didn't disappoint. These two are always so much fun. I love hanging out with them.

Steve and Kate, our favorite couple to hang out with:There is still so much that has happened this year. I hope I can find the time and the organization to type it all out and make sense of it. Now that my computer is fixed, I'll be back, blogging (almost) daily. Until then, I'm going to call it a night and enjoy my Amazon Kindle for a while. I love that thing!