A little...

Tuesday for ya. Hot here in Dallas. Around 98 or so with heat index of 104.

However all is well. A/C cranks out the cool air. Taking a break from school. Well, for a night anyway.

A new class, started today--and I don't have to do anything in it, until tomorrow. So a break is needed. Oh the last class, which ended yesterday, couldn't end soon enough. I will get my lowest grade in that class. With no PC, no camaraderie within our Team projects, my not turning in some projects--even tho I enjoyed the subject matter, the situation stunk. I counted down seconds to the five weeks' end. So a new class. A new vigor. I want my "A" back. Stay tuned.

Seems like alot has happened. I am so glad I headed to Iowa. Granted, when I was about 10 miles away from my hometown, my chum Deb was on the phone telling me the turn out wasn't like they thought--GREAT. All in all it didn't matter--I had a BLAST. I think I told you, I had lunch with a classmate, here in Dallas, last week, didn't I?

We knew each other in high school, yet not close buds or anything. We had a nice chat at the Reunion. And he lives about 20 minutes from me. What was neat for me, and maybe him too, was being able to chat with somebody who knew you 'before'--From high school, anyway and able to talk about today and tomorrow. I love the chums I've made in Dallas, although there's something to be said to chat with someone who recalls a little past moment in time--just like you do--just "before."

Food was good too.

Like Before

Horses, a dog, corn fields and my orange car. Iowa. Screams IOWA, huh? You may need to click on it, to biggify it. Well, maybe all except the orange car aka my Pumpkin. This was snapped at a chum's house. They have 5 acres of mowable yard, the rest somebody farms on. They live on a gravel road. I'd forgotten how tricky gravel can be--if you go a bit too fast--trust me.

Iowa. This is the first visit, since my dad's passing in 2001, that the visit home felt different. It felt good. See, even tho Iowa was my home, I had no home to go to. My dad wasn't there to great me with his infamous King Edward cigar in his mouth. Would be an emotional roller coaster, the few times I did go back to Iowa. A classmate, who lives in Iowa, still says it's sometimes hard for her to come to our hometown, because her parents are gone too. I thought I was alone--yet more and more adult children, more so those who have moved away, experience this. I still have friends and other family---however it just wasn't the same.

This trip tho--I didn't feel all the emotion. Sure, I cried when I headed out to the cemetery to see my parents' graves. I told them I still wanted to make them so proud. Outside of that--I felt closure. All was OK.

In fact, I had the BEST time in Iowa, I'd had in a long, long time. I was asked if I would ever move back. I don't know. Being there, did feel right. Maybe because all the classmates, back for the reunion, knew me 'before'. Knew me from the first. And I liked that.

Lots to ponder as I drove south on I-35 and smiled when I finally saw this sign:

Would I move back? No clue.

I do know, I have lunch tomorrow with a classmate who's lived in Dallas, maybe just a bit longer than I have. We hadn't seen each other in a few years until this past weekend. Sadly he's now a widower. Our Saturday night chat was filled with sweetness, fun, and laughs.

Just like I remember.

Just like before.

Back Then Still

My KC Chum commented on yesterday's post how 30 years ago we just danced the night away and forget the whole exercise thing.

Ahh, so true. The dance in the disco WAS the exercise. Trip the light fantastic to the eight minute plus "We Are Family" or try to out Travolta John Travolta. When said dance was done, take a breather for minute or two, sip the adult beverage of choice and back to the lit dance floor for more.

Yep. When going out at 10pm was just right and to get home at 4am was right on time. Because you'd get a couple hours of sleep before heading into work. Good stuff.

So since my KC Chum conjured up sweet memories and I watched John Travolta on Letterman last night--I thought why not a little Saturday Night Fever on a Wednesday?

I mean, who cares if my going out at 10pm has been replaced with the fight between my heavy eyelids and me to last at least to 10:15pm of the 10pm News.

No matter. All is good. Cue up alittle Travolta and dance.

Sundown

Planned to clean my kitchen and bathroom after I came home from getting my praise on at Inspiring Body of Christ Church. Honestly, the message, Pastor Rickie Rush, preached, was up my alley--you wonder about your blessing. Your behaviour when you go thru a storm. It all hit--as usual. After all that I planned to do stuff, including to work on my novella. .

Well, none of that got done.

What did I do?

Spent way over an hour "chatting" with two different chums on Facebook. One has known me since we were 15, and resides in Iowa. The other chum I met approximately 15 years ago, when we worked at the same company here in Dallas, where she remains. Even tho the chats were different, they were quite the same.

Enjoyed and smiled at memories of the relationships. Good and bad times with both. Yet, all in all, I am glad I spent Sunday chatting with old friends. I could hear our laughs through the computer. Both know me from different times of my life, yet both know me well.

The kitchen and bathroom can wait. As one of my chums quoted Katie Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day!"

Nice frosting for this cake of a day.

I thank Him for this one.