Hi dear friends!

I have so much to share so as I usually do, I will start at the beginning.

The beginning of my grand adventure started off with the most wonderful, heart warming surprise.

I was all set to drive myself to the airport. Park the car there.
Patrick was just too busy to leave work. I understood.
I contemplated taking a taxi but that was an unknown so I decided to drive myself.
No one knew this. I did not tweet it. Or facebook it. Or send up smoke signals.

But then, at around 10:00 I got a phone call from a friend. "Hi! It's Karen, the fun knitter!" She said with glee.
She wanted to wish me a fabulous time on the trip. And then....she said, "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

And my mouth fell open and my heart skipped a beat and I said, Why yes. I do need a ride.

And so...I got a ride to the airport by an angel.
We had such a fun visit in the car on the way there...she is not called the fun knitter for no reason ....

And I felt overwhelmed by her kindness.
As I jumped out of the car she gave me a hug and two little bags of goodies for the trip.

And I thought of Anne Lamott and how she talks about 'learning to endure the beams of love.'

I'm not the kind of person who likes the word deserve very much. I don't believe we deserve stuff.

So this lovely gesture from Karen sent me off to a long day in airports with the lightest, happiest heart.

Thank you Karen. Happy Valentines day! Will you be mine? :o)






I bought myself the prettiest weekender bag on Tuesday night before the trip.

Big. Mistake.

Big. Big. Mistake!

While it is extra cute. It is wheel-less.

Have mercy. What on earth was I thinking. I was blinded by the cuteness. But one minute in the airport and I realized what I had done. I seriously had to sit down in the airport trying to make it from gate to gate carrying this very pretty, very heavy bag.

In Chicago, where they do not have walk ways, I had a 25 minute walk from Gate B12 to Gate F11c (you know. the one in the basement!) I stopped at gate F4 to call and complain to Patrick. I was all sweaty and ready to die. "This cute bag was a big mistake." I moaned.....and Chicago does not have any of those handy dandy walkie thingies!"





I took this out of the window not long before we landed in Denver. I was fascinated with the geometric shapes.
It did not look this pretty in real life.

Here is the original.



gray. grey. gray?

I opened up a can of TRA Whoopass on this baybee!
(That's for you Steph.) (We are goin' to hell)





Denver has a walkie thingie.
For some reason you can't see my face at all...
but you can see my Land's End bag.




Here is Kim. He picked me up at the airport.
This is something I never thought would happen to me in my whole life.
Never, ever, ever.

He was so nice and I sat in front of the fancy Yukon Hybrid(sp) with him.
We had a friendly visit and then I spotted the Bay Bridge.




With twinkly lights on it.

I'm sorry. Twinkly lights just make everything better.
I am totally serious.

I started shooting thru the window and Kim slowed down and pulled over so I could shoot.
Darn sweet.


When I got to the hotel, I went straight to the room. When I opened my door what did I see, but a gorgeous red Epiphanie camera bag on the bed with goodies overflowing. A swag bag from Adobe. Another thing I never thought would happen to me.

I was on cloud nine and then I saw the view. There, right behind a little couch was a bay window facing the twinkling Bay Bridge and the Ferry Building.

And then I died.

Cause I really think I was in heaven.

It was too good to be true.





A sneak peek....
tomorrow I will tell you about my escapades on the terrace at the Hotel Vitale,
the wonderful women I met, and the delightful and deluxe tour of San Francisco.


Ya'll come back now, hear?



*****

And because it's Valentines Day...I want to say,
I love you like a friend! Really I do.

This is the song I am singing in my head today.





The Family Man is the most romantic movie to me. In it, a man learns the magic of ordinary days when he visits a life he could have had with his college sweetheart. I live an ordinary life, on most days, and this movie shows the beauty and magic in those
moments better than any movie I can think of. (that sentence is for Julieanne ;o)

So if you haven't seen it. Get it on Netflix or Amazon download....or whatever works....but get it and watch it.
I promise you will not be disappointed.

Happy Day!
Love one another.
Mean it.

Donna