BOSSY's back home

She swoops in, like some sort of fairy godmother, waves her magic pixie dust over the people she has gathered, and friendships are created.

She's BOSSY, ladies and gentlemen.

She's back home now, her 42-day (No)Book Tour has come to an end, and I can imagine how happy her beautiful family and enormous dog are to see her again. I just feel lucky I got to spend a few hours with her during this, another one of her big adventures!

The first time she ventured out on an Excellent Road Trip, I had no idea what to expect. I had a few butterflies walking into that restaurant. But do you know what happened? I met some terrific people, and after keeping up with them through their blogs for two years, I was really looking forward to seeing them again! This time it was more like a reunion, and we were so busy catching up, and feeling so comfortable, that we all neglected to take pictures!

That BOSSY, not only do we never see each other without her coming into town, but she manages to get the only photos!


There's Heidi and Suebob and Smacksy and Tootsie and (me) and Kelly and Jason and BOSSY and JCK and Aunt Snow and Shayera! Hi guys!


Here's BOSSY's post about our meet-up.

It was a really nice evening. I just wish I could spend even more time with all of these bloggy friends, including BOSSY herself! But she had to move on to the Bay Area. I guess I can share her.

Too bad she couldn't stick around the following day, because Heidi and I decided to spend it together. I think BOSSY kinda wished she had time to join in! (Next time, BOSSY!) I love spending time with Heidi, she is just the loveliest person! We walked around my little town a bit, and stepped into a craft shop full of the strangest trinkets. They are for artist who incorporate a collage style, I'm guessing. Buttons and TV tubes and bottle caps and matchbooks, you name it! After our short stroll, I tried to take her to the yummiest lunch spot in town, but it was really busy. We did alright with another little cafe, though. Then I picked up my son from preschool and we went over to the fancy shmancy museum. My son was very interested in finding Picassos. He was a well-behaved 5-year-old boy in the museum (what a relief), and he talked about Heidi all the rest of the day!



All in all, I sure am lucky to have met some special people through this blogging thing. And I'm only a sometime-blogger!

A full day ... full of awesome!

On Saturday I was on the road at about 8:40 am, headed north on my little solo adventure! I was going to enjoy some scenery, meet a blogger, and earn a little money! A diverse plan!

An hour or so into my drive, I saw this:


Cinderella's carriage, including the white horse! Right there on the freeway! Click on it to get a better look at it - really quite something.
No doubt it was headed to someone's wedding. Not the same wedding I would be working at, though!

I had some companionship in the car with me.

Meet my little friend, Mr. Garmin. (The Hubby's newest gadget.) He talked to me during the drive, telling me where to turn, which freeways to take, where to get gas... we didn't always agree, but that makes for more interesting conversation, right?

Here, Mr. Garmin is showing me that I should take Highway 101 to Highway 101. Very helpful, thank you, Mr. Garmin.


Now looky here! Mr. Garmin and I are in the middle of nowhere!
(I apologize for the blurriness. I was driving, yo. On the open road.)

Mr. Garmin tells me that we are right next to the ocean.

Look! He's right!

Thank goodness for Mr. Garmin; how else would I know to look out the window and find a headland so I can snap a pretty photo? :-D
(yes, while driving. The Hubby was not so happy about that...)

Also out the window of my moving vehicle...
I saw a lot of charred hillsides, after the recent fires in this area:


Then I saw the hillsides adjacent to the burn areas: this is how everything looked before:



PRETTY LAKE! PRETTY LAKE!

(I actually pulled off the road for that one.)

When I got to the town where the wedding would be held, a friend was there to meet me! I got to spend a couple of hours with Heidi from smalltown mom, and we had a lovely time! She showed me around, while we talked and talked. We peeked in shops, and found some fun socks (my recent interest in novelty socks is a sure sign that I am turning into my mother). Heidi even treated me to a delicious lunch!


We had to have a bloggers' meet-up shoe photo! (I forgot about the shoe photo! I chose my shoes that day based on comfort, not cuteness... but check out Heidi's sassy leopards!)

It was so wonderful meeting Heidi... I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know her better! (Heidi, we should have taken a picture of our sock purchases! Well, I'll put pictures of mine here; you can put a picture of yours on your blog, too!)

Hopefully Heidi and I will get together again sometime!

Well, I had to get to work. It was the reason for this trip, after all...

Wedding time!


The wedding was in one of the historic California Missions.


They were having a Catholic Mass for their wedding, and I was cantoring. This means I was singing LOTS of music. I was very happy with how I sounded, and believe me, this is rare. I am so picky and hard on myself, but I was feeling good about this one! I got really nice responses, too, and the Father of the Bride even tipped me an extra fifty bucks! (Note to self: bumping into the Father of the Bride after the wedding can be a good idea!) Clearly, this was one of those days: an absolute *GEM* of a day!

When I got home, the kids were SO EXCITED about their new socks! (I had no doubt they would be.)

I got two for myself, and two for The Boy, since his socks seem to be disappearing.

Everyone HAD to put them on IMMEDIATELY!

Penguins for Big Girl, horses for Middle Girl, trains and clownfish for The Boy, and Chuck Taylors and sushi (!!) for me!

I just love these kitschy-cute sushi socks!

I'll write more about the Chuck Taylor socks later ... I've got an idea for a future post!


Here are a bunch more photos from the day, for your viewing pleasure!

What am I doing here?

I've been doing a lot of thinking today about what I read. Blogs, magazines, books, and actually, certain radio programs that I listen to -- places I turn to for information and entertainment.

What is it about certain writers that keeps me coming back for more?

And on a related note, what am I doing here, on this little sliver of internet?

This was brought on by a remarkable event I attended last night. I met a group of lovely people, who represent a variety of motivations and intentions for their own Voice on the internet.

How did this group come together?

Due to the efforts of one tall, thin, warm and inviting, open and authentic, clever and creative, beautiful woman named Georgia.

Some people were there because they have attended other local blogger meet-ups and know that you tend to meet some interesting people. Some people have blogs with sizable readerships. Some blog about politics, writing, tech ideas, advice, show business, psychology, personal and family topics. I feel lucky to have been able to talk with all of them: Kelly, Megan, Shayera, Melanie, Jennifer, Jason, Kimberly, Suebob, Mary, GloZell, Leah, Erin, and Glennis.

I relished hearing from all of these different viewpoints, and I am grateful to have learned about local blogs that I had not yet found, but I was there for one certain reason:

I am a BOSSY fan.

For me, it was much like going to an author event at a bookstore, because Georgia's blog is one that I read every. single. day.

It started last September, shortly after I started a private blog as a way to keep my far-flung family updated on my kids (I then started this blog in February).

I had been reading Catherine Newman's weekly column on BabyCenter.com for several years, which she then moved over to a blog. When I started my family-only blog, Catherine's was one of only three blogs I read, and the only blog author that I didn't know personally. Having started my own blog, I was feeling ready to participate in Comments. One commenter referenced blackbird's blog, so I clicked over and was very impressed with what I found. Blackbird is a keen observer of the world, and she writes about her observations with an honest and insightful voice. Hers is another blog I visit every. single. day, to see what she has been thinking about that day.

Blackbird has a blog link list on the side of her blog. Looking it over, I saw a name that caught my eye: "i am bossy." I HAD to click and find out!

And I was rewarded with this post. One of the funniest things I had read in a long time.

It was clear immediately: this woman can tell a story! And she tells those stories in a way that is unique in my experience, with a blend of pictures and words that hits me right in my funny bone. She is quick-witted and upbeat, with a distinct voice that is all her own. It was a thrill for me to meet her in person. Truly a thrill.

Please ignore my many chins. They seem to pop up
for photos - they are not this pronounced in person.

The group talked about blogging (a lot), as well as politics, education, what it's been like to go out on the road alone, who sings and who plays the cajon in a band, meeting a Cusack, sawdust cling, the ins and outs of each of our lives, and sweaty Skechers (here's a look at mine):

Georgia has moved on up the coast, but she and the other talented and interesting people I met last night have left me with many things to ponder, which I alluded to at the beginning of this post:

What is it about certain writers that keeps me coming back for more?
As I've been thinking about this today, I have noticed that in many cases, the writer seems like someone I would like to meet, have a conversation with, and in some cases, seems like someone I would be friends with. Anna Quindlen, Bill Simmons, Linda Holmes, Barbara Kingsolver, even Jane Austen. Radio hosts like Larry Mantle and Terry Gross. Bloggers like BB, Kim, Jen, both Rees, Kristin, Sarah, Mrs. G,Catherine, and of course, bossy.

What am I doing here, on this little sliver of internet? (In other words, why am I writing a blog?)
I think my first answer holds the key. I want to participate, I want to have a conversation with these people, I want to make friends.

I'm not a writer. I am a performer and a scientist; I don't think like a writer. I've never been a journal-keeper. I tried keeping one in college, but I ended up just writing year-end summaries. I want to keep a journal, especially since as I have gotten older and had more children, I can't remember much anymore. I think blogging keeps me motivated to journal my thoughts and memories in this space, since it's so easy, and you can include pictures, and because I also might make some friends in the process.

Georgia noted last night that as adults, we're always searching for the kind of friendships we had in college, when we'd all sit around through the wee hours, talking about anything and everything.

Yes! That is IT, exactly.