Okay.... I lied!!

I lied.... Sort of. Maybe more like mis-statements about Italy being my Mental Escape...
I realized something this morning, after having written my last post. While I do admire and adore all things Italy, I DO admire and adore other places in this ginormoous planet with great passion-- Ireland being another one. Italy is not my only Mental Happy Place. Sometimes I do find myself walking again, through Monasterboice Monastery, strolling through the cobbled streets of Galway, or standing in the wind of misty Cliffs of Moher. Perhaps these travels are only through the alleys of my memory, but they are dear and frequent in my heart. A large piece of me also felt at-home in Ireland. Perhaps one day I will take an "Eat, Pray, Love" travel trip of my own countries-starting-with-a-letter-I. Elizabeth Gilbert travels through Italy, India, and Indonesia in her book. I know I mention this book for the second time here in this blog. In my own trip, I would travel extensively through Ireland, Italy, and possibly Iceland. (Just because it's a country I know nothing about, and it's rather off the beaten track of typical tourism.) India also holds a pique of interest... I always did want to ride an elephant!

Today was a good day. I had a lazy morning with my mom. I finally was able to sleep in this morning--thanks to the Tylenol PM I took at about 2:30 am, when I was still awake with a headache behind my eyes. I slept 'til about 9:30, read the newspaper with mom, drinking a cup of "Java Chai" tea. I even put a little bit of vanilla soy milk into it, pretty tasty. I ate pretty good today, too. A banana and yogurt for breakfast, rice & curried spinach for lunch, a few crackers for snack, and for dinner ate bbq chicken with baked potato & spinach-cranberry salad. I just had another yogurt a little while ago, so that I could take a prescription. I also found a really good deal on khaki pants at Target, and bought a pair of black khakis and a camel-colored tan pair. I am setting a personal goal for myself, that I don't wear my comfort clothing of Jeans as often to school as I did the past year. I need & want to look more professional. I also found a cute shirt to wear for the first day of school!! (Remember the days of buying a special new outfit for the first day of school!?! I always kept mine hanging crisply and pristinely in my closest, eagerly awaiting the First Day Back. Yeah, well, I still do that...) :)

My original plans of leaving for Sedona today didn't happen, obviously. I hadn't realized that today being August 1st, was the Flagstaff Art Walk. If you don't know what Art Walk is, is a relatively new-ish event for Flagstaff. On the first Friday of every month, the entire downtown area -- art galleries, stores, restaraunts, bars -- stay open late into the night, and people gather and walk among shops. Many places offer free hors d'oerves (sp?) or wine samplings. I had a few gourmet crackers with fresh slices of parmesan, for example. Flagstaff also has its Friday Movies on the Square happening still, until September, so there were a LOT of people downtown tonight. I saw two of the kids that I used to babysit. Sarah Joy and her brother Caleb, I have known and loved since they both were newborns. Sarah is now entering her Senior year of HS, and Caleb is in 6th grade. Both were gorgeous and beautiful. My parents invited their friend Penny to come with us, and I enjoyed getting to know her as well. My Auxillary Sister (a former-student of Peter's that my family has "adopted") also joined us for much of the evening. Oh! We also saw the mother & son that were my dog Sayde's foster parents, before I adopted her. They were thrilled to learn that Sayde is happy, healthy, and finally enjoying having a forever home. I promised to send them pictures soon. Overall... it was just really fun...

I am finding that I do *better* when I keep myself busy, and when I am around other people. I will have some "alone" time at my apartment in Sedona, these last few precious days before school begins. Truthfully, I am worried about what effect the silence and stillness of my own privacy will bring to me. Is my head going to slip back into the familiar, yet frightening, path towards depressive thinking- where I am unable to see past the lonliness and fear that I feel? In this, I feel ultimately consumed and so completely powerless to swim to the surface, mixaphorically speaking. Is my head going to be able to maintain its doing-okay-in-this-moment state that it has found these last couple of days? Can I handle the solitude? I guess tomorrow, I will find out. I need to do anything and everything I can do to stay busy, and to create opportunities from time to time where I am around other people. I joined up with a website that was recommended to me by my cousin Jen, http://www.meetup.com/, a group of others-wanting-to-explore the Sedona area, and a few of them are in my own age group. I have not yet done any of the posted events, for example, tubing down the Verde River and going to plays. I haven't been in Sedona at all this summer, hardly. I know, I know-- that's not really an excuse. But still, I'm open to the idea of meeting with some new people when the timing and my location are convenient. Perhaps once school is under-way and I'm rolling in the routine again. So yes. Today was a good day. I didn't struggle with my thoughts and emotions. I really enjoyed seeing some dear people, getting to know another new dear person, and spending time with my amazing parents.

My little friend Trenton went to his Kindergarten Orientation today. I haven't yet heard details, but I am soooo excited for this new chapter in this young little guy's life!

Happy birthday, August 2nd, to Nikki (in Glendale) and Paul (in Chengdu, China)!! May you enjoy this next new year of your lives! Learn something new, enjoy your memories, and laugh every day.

Things that I am thankful for today:
4. Flagstaff Art Walk, seeing friends both old and new, and free wine!
3. That my mother also wants to pursue the potential hobby of Yoga, and that we can be encouragement partners for each other.

"Hey, you look like that poster for Ireland-Long blonde hair and the sweet sunny face-Oh no wait that's the poster for Sweden-Oh screw it. I'll never see either place!-But a girl sweet as you has a future-You have hope as each new day dawns-Girls like you always get to see Ireland-Give my love to the leprechauns...."

"Ireland," from Legally Blonde, the Musical

I do want to see this show someday!! :)

Goodnight to you, at 2:04 am. Or is that "Good morning"?