8 days in a new york minute

day 1: neal, a true road warrior, takes the wheel of a 15 foot monster while micah hacks her way through a gluten free egg mcmuffin. more than perfectly spiced chicken biscuits. air conditioning dance for hours. precious food from hearne, cookies and brownies from ovilla. who could ask for anything more.
day 2: neal takes the wheel. air conditioning dance is over. customer service proves a lost art. two hours in jackson, tenn. a thoughtless mechanic who can't think on his own.
day 3: watch out louisville. watch out for neal's amazing grandmother and her powerful grabber.
day 4: queasy micah waves good bye kentucky. helllllooooooo ohio. helllloooooo wheeling, west virginia? good bye for good wheeling, west virginia. welcome to pennsylvania, home of the omish barn. and another barn. and yet another barn. i heart pennsylvania hills and mountains.
day 5: mcdonald's highway guru misguides; we have no desire to end up in syracuse. watch out nyc... neal is drivin' through lincoln tunnel. micah is very impressed. and very sick. neal navigates manhattan by rubber and harlem by foot. micah navigates brie's pillow. brie brings home the brie. the most tender chicken ever and seafood in madeira sauce mark the first day in gotham.
day 6: 18 miles of words, the villiage people, brazilian goodness, brooklyn lines, ice cream in central park. micah sick. neal patient. all thaid up with 5 wonderful people in the theatre district. and i am blessed by all.... especially the incredible man holding my hand.
day 7: i am still though the city moves all around me. and it is confounded by my stillness. first subway ride alone and i am met by a friendly woman from the bronx. we talk and i save a seat for her on the subway. three girls giggle and sing. harlem's wonders untouched. Lord, save their innocence. a latte later, brie and micah head to "england". two hours of tea and sympathy. lovely. bookstores and libraries. marble and maps. two lions book end a marvelous sight. i love my brie. micah pooped and speechless. brie patient. neal, micah and brie head to a darker gotham for three hours. lamb stew, salmon in dill, salad and carrot soup. je voudrais une boite en bois s'il vous plait. ahhhh la vie en rose.
day 8: hit the ground running. breakfast. the zoo- trains and travelers. the zoo- flashing lights and tourists. ice cream and good byes. subways, buses, and planes. tropical april showers at 14,000 feet while joe mccarthy gambles. and the wheels hit the ground back in austin; two black bags continue on the adventure.

and i am ready for the next adventure. this time healthy. got your bags packed?

summer rain, cherry blossoms and dragons in no particular order

dear diary

pt. 1

"never asume the obvious is true" william safire, pulitzer prize winning writer

this is a quote intuitives, like myself, need to live by. i rush in and take what observations i make to be true without questioning, without seeking concrete evidence to back up assumptions, an intuitive thing to do and a very post modern trend as well. intuitives-- we all do this. a lesson i have learned and learned the hard way: ask. just ask. when you ask, truth will make itself known.

pt. 2


this is my favorite summer ever. this weekend there will be dancing. in a week there will be a road trip to new york. the best part..... is that it is shared with you.