i have forgotten what to write. Over the last week, I've written in here in my head so many times, I've forgotten what has been said and what has yet to be said. Though, I have a feeling, Everything still needs to be said. It doesn't help that my laptop is in the shop. :(

I am listening to Bailero sung by Frederica Von Stade. It is one of those songs that deserves to be played loudly, but the house is sleeping, so her voice competes with the sound of the computer fan. Still, it is beautiful.

I finally got to see my good friend Ashley, in time to celebrate her birthday. We sat in her apartment and talked over wine and brie. She is another food-for-my-soul friend. With her, just being in proximity is enough; I miss her whenever she's not near. Which is often, since we are separated by 4 time zones.

Mae is another instant-soul-connection friend, even though we barely ever see each other. She is insightful, honest, beautiful, and has an Italian temper. We told each other things that we weren't able to talk about before. Since I only had a short time with both of these amazing women, I decided to move my ticket home back a little.

I drove to Iowa to see my friend Alice (who's pregnant!) and her husband Joel. I listened to audio books while looking at the vast, white plains, and sang "Cecilia" while crossing the Mississippi. They have a great old apartment, with the strangest construction ever (2-foot long hallways with misaligned doors, walls made with old unused gravestones, impossibly tall ceilings)--it's a house only the Midwest could've produced. I loved it. And, I get to be an Auntie!!!! (And yes, that sentence deserves all four of those exclamation points.)

It is cold. Incredibly, nosehair-freezing, hand-numbing, unhappy-making cold. -20 degrees without windchill. This makes me unhappy.

I miss home terribly. Not just because of the cold, but because it is home, and I can feel its absence. I'm itching to get back to my own life, but there are still more food-for-my-soul people to see.

Friday, we're going night tubing! Yay!