As GRAND As It Gets!!!! :)

Hi Y'all,

Just checking in...how are YOU???? I hope you're all enjoying your summer even HALF as much as I'm enjoying mine so far....oh my gosh, this is the BEST trip EVER!!!!

I'm having a GREAT time here! I leave for Oregon tomrorrow, and I'm TOTALLY excited about that!!!

This past week has been one of the best, most relaxing, enjoyable, lovely, humbling and BEAUITFUL weeks of my life! EVERYONE has come out and taken time out for me and that just means the WORLD to me, I'm one very loved, blessed young lady!

I even FEEL BETTER here! I've only had heartburn TWICE this whole 8 days and while I do have a small absess on my neck, I have energy and I feel GREAT! The stress of Vegas must be a lot b/c I really am feeling better healthwise than I have in AGES!!! Thank GOD!

My grama lives in the country in a small town of about 2,500 poeple and while it's rather boring at times, I've decided that boredom can be good! I've taken LOTS of pictures and even written about four poems so far....and this is just week ONE of my FOUR week journey! God is GRAND!!!!

I'm REALLY pumped to see my sisters, dad, and stepmom...... and also my friend, Betty, up in Redding, CA. I'm stopping there tomrorow night to spend the night, so I'll only have to make TWO 5 or 6 hour trips instead of ONE 14 hour one! The drive HERE from Vegas, oh, crazy LONG! Not looking foward to doing that again, but I will!!!! At least God got me here safely, in one piece! :)

I think the highlight of my trip, so far, has been hanging out with ALL of my family and friends......

My former teacher, Mark Towell and his family, oh, what an absolutely ADORABLE baby they have! Such a thrill to see!

Tessa, my friend from HS and Karen, my other friend from HS, oh, my, how we ALL have grown up! We're ALL 21 now and while we didn't go drinkin' and carousin', we did have a GREAT time! Karen and I went shoppin' at Wal-Mart (hey, I DO know how to save) and had lunch and Tess and I went to the DELICIOUS local Farmer's Market! Yum! We also went to see my former house, out in Spanish Springs where I spent my years of 4-11...it's up for sale, for a whopping $310,000, my parents bought it back in 1988 for $97,000....whew...STILL tryin' to digest that one!!!! It's so BIG out there now, shopping centers where I used to play in fields, my old elementary school has trailors and a new playground....amazing....ANYHOW.....

It's SO nice to catch up and see people in PERSON!!!, I'm a total phone/email person, but sometimes, there's NOTHING like a real face in front of your face and a HUG! Can't be beat! :)

And Annette, my former therapist, she looks great, we had a lovely lunch and conversation and she even gave me information on where to get some of my poetry published and how to go about it! My Uncle Bob & Aunt Rosemary, they came down for dinner last week and that was wonderful!

THANK YOU to ALL of those who took time out for me, what a joy, what a thrill, what an honor, I SO appreciate it! THANKS!!!!

And spending time with my grama, cooking, baking, sewing, talking, gardening....NEVER a day where we both don't learn something!!!!....... and seeing her SO happy and in love w/ her great husband. You know, at ANY age that's a rare and wonderful thing, but in your 70s, that's just downright AWESOME!!! They are SO cute and so sweet and they give me HOPE for my own love life later on!

The FOOD here is OUT of the this WORLD! EVERYTHING is FRESH and from SCRATCH...oh, I'm SURE I've put on SOME weight! LOL! Thanks Grama! :)

I do miss my mom and Hugh, but I'm doing okay without them. I REALLY miss my cat, aparently, she's moping around the house and will NOT sleep with my mom while I'm gone...she's doing funny stuff, and when I call home I can her her meowing her little head off, which is so nice!

I'm really discovering a lot about myself and having an amazing time.....

The country side is beautiful, seeing my hometown is great and appreciating where I grew up all over again and the amazing people who continue to show their love, support and loyalty-it doesn't get any better than this folks!

Many Blessings,
-SL

I'm Off Again....

Well, tomorrow, I leave for Salem, OR. to see my beloved sisters, dad and step-mom! I'm quite excited about it! Right now, I'm not really looking foward to the drive, but what the hey, I love them and so I'll do it. I really am thinking now, "what was I thinking?!" Because as GREAT of a time I'm having here, I'd LOVE to go home to Vegas for about a day or two just to hug my mom, kiss my boyfriend and pet my Nellie Cat....but oh' well, I wanted to do this, I still want to, and I alone totally decided to take this MONTH LONG JOURNEY! You get what you ask for, and I asked for this. I'm a bit nervous about teh actual drive, but I am going to be stopping in Redding, California to see my dear friend, Betty. She's around my grama's age and used to take care of me after school about ten years ago after mom and Daddy Jim divorced....she's a bright, wise, loving woman and one of my dearest friends! I'm excited to see her! Anyhow, I'll be spending the night there and then continuing on up to Oregon on Monday. I was going to leave today and be in Oregon tomrorow, but I figured I'd better wait...see, I have an abcess on my neck and it hurts. I went to the Doctor yesterday, God Bless Gram N' Henry for taking me ALL 30mins away to the nearest Doctor over in Fallon, anyhow, he said I was to take MAJOR anti-biotics and wait 48 hours before going anywhere. So that's what I'm doing, following Dr's orders. It does hurt, the abcess itself, but I can handle it. I had a FABULOUS dinner again tonight w/ my grama, salad, fruit and a small cornmeal crusted pizza-it was SO yummy! Anyway, I'll get to my sisters on Monday, and now I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited to see them, how they look, how they've grown and have them see their presents. Because I am driving and will have my own car, I can take them out during the days and do things with each of them indivisually, hopefully, I won't get lost around Salem! LOL! It's a small town though, a bit bigger than Fernley, and a big smaller than Reno, so about perfect. I'm considering moving up there to Salem to be closer to them, but I have to look into it and REALLY follow my heart. I have SO many options right now in my life, the world and my family awaits! It's amazing! I can stay in Vegas, which I might do b/c of my boyfriend, Hugh, or I can come to Fernley, w/ gram n' Henry, or Reno w/ friends or go to Salem...I'm not sure yet what I want to do but it's so nice to be able to choose! I am typing majorly fast right now, it's really suprising me. Anyhow, I am going to go home later in July, to Vegas, and work on my MANY, MANY, MANY photos I've taken on this trip and will take up in Oregon. I'm going to return to school and finish up that for a while and then who knows, it's up to God really, and I know He knows the plan. I know that if I just follow my heart, gut instinct, do my part and trust in the Lord, He will put me where I am supposed to be!!! I'm excited to see Betty tomorrow and be alone in the car, I crave that alone time, as much I adore my friends and family, I do need that alone time, hey, I have sisters, but I grew up an only child! Speaking of sisters, I'm a bit nervous to see them, how they've grown, changed and are their own young people now, it's really gonna be a sight to see. I also am excited to see my dad, stepmom, hug them and see how much I am like my dad after all! Hum, let's see, I'm all packed, got everything together for the morning, I'm gonna get up eat breakfast, and head off....wish me luck, pray for me and my safety and I'll see you all again soon!

Many Blessings,
-SL