I guess you can go home again...

This fabulous post is made possible by my dear friend Brandy. I visited Brandy and Co. last night for dinner. She found me a couple of weeks ago through Facebook, and it's been a pleasure to reconnect with a wonderful friend. (I almost said an old friend, but I took it back at the last minute - I felt that the statement might have repercussions.) I haven't seen Brandy for a number of years (have been asked not to mention how many), but with some people, it always seems that time is irrelevant. I got to meet all of the family members, including some extended family that were there for dinner. Cheeseburger soup is excellent, by the way... Chelle also made a lemon chiffon cake that was entirely scrumptious. It's unusual for me to eat cake at all, let alone eat it and like it!

I arrived late, of course. The house is a bit remote for a city girl, and on top of needing to turn around for my forgotten cell phone, I might have missed a few turns along the way. This all adds to my case for the new GPS that I feel I should purchase. (Who do I think I am building a case for, anyway? It's just me - unless you count the voices. Which they insist that I do.) At any rate, the snowy country roads reminded me of the way to Mom's house. I remember that when I lived in Missouri Valley, it was like an intersection in the middle of a corn field. There is a stop light - and a Kum n Go (we had other names for that convenient store, as highschoolers). The small town atmosphere is just not for me, much to my grandmother's chagrin, but it turns out it's OK to visit.

The tour of the house did not reveal any Baghdad areas (I did look, Shawna). They certainly have done a lot of work to the place, as the before and after photos revealed. The kids are awesome. 411 made me a picture on the computer. The following is the same picture, now up on my Refrigerator Gallery:


Another masterpiece. I look forward to more... I do have room!

The kids played the Wii, and we caught up. Then the kids fell asleep watching a movie, and we caught up some more. They were still sleeping when we poison tested the chocolate truffle cheesecake at 4:30 in the morning. Poisonless, if you were wondering. I headed home at five am, complete with the new piece of art and a number of emotional attachments.

If you know Brandy, then you know this. It is no wonder that the life she has made is so beautiful. Some people are born to greatness, and some people make it with their own two hands. I still look up to her, after all these years, and I'm grateful that she found me.

Mike may regret his invitation to visit anytime - particularly during camping season. Which just has to begin soon - right?? Last year I went camping in April because I just couldn't wait. But I won't do that again, because I still can't quite feel my pinky toes...

I must also mention that there was an empty chair - belonging to Shawna, of course. My best memories of my time in Iowa are all memories of the three of us, and Shawna was certainly missed.

Enough mush! Actually, it is quite therapuetic to write these. That must be why so many people do it. I actually had a bit of a tough day, and it really helped to reconnect with good stuff before I fell asleep. I look forward to posting more - possibly less sentimental, but I can't promise.