After our night of sleep in the cramped quarters, which really qualifies more as a nap, we were ready to go to GMA.  That's Good Morning America for my non-newsie friends who aren't good with acronyms (Ann).  The producer I work with there, Tracy, was the best tour guide ever.  The tone for the tour was set when Tracy left us in the green room to go handle a crisis.  She gets back and says "Okay, crisis diverted." Leave it to Gretchen to be like, "What, did you say you farted?" AHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Totally broke the ice.  Tracy was our friend from there on out. She's in our crew.  Note: When I get to GMA, the first thing I'm doing is a coffee overhaul in the green room. Why is all coffee brewed in a professional environment so bad? I think this should be an election issue.  There HAS GOT to be something we as the American people can do about this tragedy.

Finally... a moment to catch up and share with you some of the fabulous memories I made with Courtney and Gretchen in NYC.

Roll away bed guilt: The week we went to NY was the week the VT shooting tragedy happened.  Well, I was wearing my Virginia Tech sweatshirt in support.  The guy at the front desk totally gave us the roll-away bed (which is supposed to cost $20 for free) because we were "from Virginia Tech."  Either Gretchen or Court said we were going to hell.  I don't think so.  We weren't technically from Tech, but we were really sad about it.  I'm glad the bed didn't fold up on me in the middle of the night.

Oh, and our room was SO SMALL we literally had to put the desk chair on top of the desk and turn the recliner sideways to fit the roll-away bed in.  And we couldn't all be standing at the same time.  Space is overrated.  We had a blast, even in cramped quarters

Back in the 'Burgh

I'm baaack. And I'm SO exhausted, I think I may actually need a cup of coffee to fall asleep. Had a great time. Note to self: must totally pink and green-it-up next Apple Blossom.  Okay, I'm going to sleep now, and I hope to dream that I am at the State Dinner tonight with the Pres. and the Queen.  My invitation so must have gotten lost in the mail!

I love so much that when I wake up it will be my FRIDAY.  Then I can get my weekend on and see this one -- who I haven't seen since before Christmas!

How's This For Random?

So, I hereby retract any comments I have previously made about Comcast cable sucking.  The cable guy came out today and informed me I had SAP enabled on my TV. I'm not 100% sure what that means but I think it has something to do with Spanish.  It was embarassing.  I don't know how I did that.  I asked the cable guy if it was horrible that I called him out for that... thankfully, he was gracious and told me I was the second case of the day. :)

Gracias.

I love itunes. Can I just say that? I love that I no longer have to make a trip to get a CD I have been salivating over until its release date.  This week, it was Michael Buble'. I need to see him in concert, stalk him out and take a picture. Note to self.

American Idol last night was awesome.  I'm just starting to get into it this year. I'm such a late AI bloomer, and I get later and later every year (you have to wait for some of those people to clear out!)  I forgot how much I love Jon Bon Jovi.  I remember when I was 9 years old the night my first nephew was born.  My brother and I were home alone for the first time in our lives while my parents were with my sister at the hospital.  What was my 9 year old self doing as my sister was pushing Jorden into the world? Yeah... I was doing the "tookie tookie bird" on Z104 winning myself Bon Jovi tickets.  It was 1989, baby.  Too bad the station didn't give me the tickets because I was a kid.  I'm still mad at that.

Another random thought: Everyone needs to read "Blue Like Jazz." I love this book.  Donald Miller's random essays are fabulous. And today I read a description of grace that I still can't quite wrap my head around, but something inside of me says it's dead on: "The ability to accept God's uncontitional grace and ferocious love is all the fuel we need to obey Him in return." Whew. True that.

Random? check.

Hello

Greetings my faithful friends. I'm sorry I have not yet blogged about my fantabulous (yes I'm authorized to make up words because I am often told I remind people of Rachael Ray, and she does) trip to New York/New Jersey. Trust me, it was amazing.  If you've seen me in the last week, you've heard the stories, some of you multiple times. (I know, they get better every time).

I apologize, however, because I am just exhausted and trying to get caught back up on life, that is my reason for not writing a Pulitzer-award-winning blog about my trip. **It's coming, I promise.

Here are the visual highlights: (there are amazingly entertaining stories to go along with each of these photos, but, for now, the visual aids will have to do)  

Looks like we had a blast, right?  We did. TRUST ME.  Memories, for sure. I've seriously had the best month ever.

Right now, I'm having a hard time believing there is enough coffee a) on the planet b) that I can consume without getting sick..... to get me through tonight at work.  I'M SO TIRED!!  I secretly wish I could wear yoga pants and a T-shirt to work but we have a congressman coming in, so I'm guessing I'm going to have to iron.  I think I'll talk to the congressman about introducing legislation to do away with Mondays. Petition, anyone?

Here I Come!

Did you see Harry Connick Jr.'s face when he heard I am making the trip to New York to see him?  Too bad I've been Tivo-ing his 100 Biggest Weather Moments all week on The Weather Channel and Comcast has had the audio all screwed up!! Good thing Harry is nice just to look at.  I am so excited for New York Weekend with two of my favorite girls on the planet, Courtney and Gretchen.  We will likely break the record for laughs in a 3 day period. Seriously.  And, we're going behind the scenes at GMA. My nerdy news room better standby for more pictures!

Sweet Escape

I am getting ready for my Nacogdoches blog-a-thon. Buckle up.

I’m on my 2^nd cup of coffee right now. By the end of this, I will likely be on the 3^rd. The great thing about that 3^rd cup of coffee is that’s when my fingers really start to move at the pace of my mind, which, when I’m writing, can feel like the speed of light.  After three cups of coffee, I feel like I have special spelling powers. After three cups of coffee, I can spell words like Nacogdoches or Roethlisberger, with no backspacing, and that, my friends, feels great!

My trip to see Michael in Texas was the trip that felt like it would never come.  Perhaps that’s because of my incredible, unfortunate mathematic inabilities which caused me to think the trip was two weeks away, when it was really three weeks away, so I spent two weeks in “two weeks from now” mode. Get me?

After all of the nervousness and anticipation, it was finally here.  5 days.  My sweet escape. The trip that at least part of me thought would never grow from the nucleus of an idea into a real, living, breathing experience.  But, I’m so glad I did it. Flying half way across the country to see someone is so often one of those things I say I’m going to do, but I never actually do.

As these experiences often go, once I was there, I found out all that time I spent worrying and wondering was nonsense.  I love it when that happens. (she says, sarcastically) When will I learn not to worry and anticipate?

Clearly, never.

Nacogdoches is such a sweet little town.  It’s the kind of place where you can walk into an antique shop and spend 20 minutes talking with the owner, and walk out with some homemade pumpkin butter.  Walking around downtown, I seriously felt like I was in Stars Hollow.  We ate a hearty soup in a place called the General Store.  We went up a cool elevator in an old hotel turned into a fabric store/makeshift museum.  The way the rooms were set up, it reminded me of “A League Of Their Own.” I love the 40’s.  Nacogdoches is the kind of town where there is history on every corner and every little thing is dedicated to someone. Little plaques are on the benches. The lightposts. Everywhere.

It was like being transported back in time. And forward. We took a mini-trip within my trip… to Dallas.  Now, if you’re a responsible, logically thinking adult, you might think a road trip of that distance would be CRAZY. Be that as it may, it was a great ‘getting to know you trip’ and the Galleria was FABULOUS.  Incredible. Seriously, the coolest mall I have ever stepped foot into.  It’s not every day I get to touch a $2,000 handbag!  Or see people ice skating in a MALL. The details were cool… down to the design of the chairs and the guy playing piano in Nordstrom.

So, it was Spring Break, right? Right.  Tell that to the snow! Yes, the snow. Now, I’m not quite sure why the snow likes me so.  It seems to follow me wherever I go.  I am generally over it.  But it was fun in Nacogdoches.  It brought excitement because it’s been so long since it snowed there, especially in April!  I was feeling the magic of the moment. White stuff and all. It didn’t hurt that I was wearing flip-flops.  I made a promise to my feet.  Happy feet, they are.

Okay, how’s that for flavor? Got my drift? Does this adequately express how GREAT of a time I had?  It was nice to slow down from the big city pace, go to a new place. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Eat. Drive. Watch movies. Shop. Smile. Smell wonderful scents. See things I’ve never seen before. Worship. Shake hands. Hug.

I seriously ate the best meal I’ve had since Christmas.

Oh, driving through Texas felt like I was driving straight through Dillon, with the town signs that said things like “Population 1,021” and water towers that read “Home of the Brewers.”  I was waiting to see Coach Taylor and Tami at the Sonic where I got my chocolate cream pie shake.

If it weren’t for losing my voice and sounding like Rita Cosby for 3 days, setting off Michael’s smoke alarm, and almost running us into the back of a U-Haul, I’d say it was perfect.  We should definitely do it again, only this time, take more pictures, and not wait as long!

Friends, let me share with you what I learned from this trip -- you should do it. Go for it. Take the trip. Don’t just think about it. Or talk about it.

Take your sweet escape.