#2 Journey Post - sorry it took so long...

My gentle Readers:

Nothing major has gone wrong yet and we are doing just fine. Megan and I like this tiny room suite/kitchenette thing. She washed all the dishes last night and made me tea when I came home from visiting my dad. Strangely enough, he's definitely quit drinking and is going to church now! I think he sees the end coming. Mortality has finally set in for him. He's 65 years old now and it's finally hit him that he won't live forever and can no longer abuse his body like he used to. Sometimes major heart troubles are a blessing in disguise. I don't wish him to be sick, but he's so different when he's sober--nicer, more fatherly.

Megan was supposed to stay at Anita's but Anita's apartment was recently flooded and the apartment folks are dragging their feet about getting that mess straightened out so Megan had the option of staying with her grandparents or staying with me at this InTown suites. She's staying with me. Neutral territory and all. She went to Carrabbas' today to get her job transfer started. She just got back and they called her to work tonight already! So that's okay now. She's pretty sure she could maintain herself in this room for quite some time.

I'm going to visit my dad some more today and try to get ahold of my uncle Jerry. I know I will see my aunt MaryLou tonight. Meep is doing really well. But we are sneaking him into this room. So far, so good. I was too tired to ask if they allowed pets (none of the other hotels cared or charged for him) and then when I got to my room I read their rules and pets not allowed. but they already had my money and there is a National Farm Machinery show in town (with approx. 100,000 visitors here in town) and rooms were hard to find as it was. So I'm pulling a fast one for now.
Pittsburgh was beautiful, and Megan getting to visit Annie was a very good thing. What an intense friendship that is! Alas, Annie's boyfriend, Casey, doesn't necessarily like to share his time with Annie much, but he'll survive and they both go to Bennington College, so he's got her to himself most of the time anyway. They left to go back to school in Vermont on Thursday, but we left on Wednesday to come back to Louisville. They were in Pittsburgh from after Christmas till Feb 16th for Annie's internship at the O'Reilly Theater for a Shakespeare Monologues contest. We saw the finalists perform Tuesday night. It was great fun and the theater is very nice space to work in.

Georgia was a lot colder than we expected it to be. But we attended Sean's "Turning Blue" ceremony and he chose me to place his blue cord of honor on his shoulder on the field at Ft. Benning. Alan and Alex arrived just after that and the actual graduation was the next day, Friday, Feb 11th. So Bill, Susan, Linda, Alan, Alex, Carmen, Megan and I were in atttendance for Sean's graduation ceremonies. It was pretty exciting, with tanks and big guns fired off and marching formations and of course, a band. His orders for afterwards asked him to report to Grapevine Recruiting Office for two weeks where he'll work 9-5 Monday - Friday until he is to report to his new post at Ft. Lewis in Washington state by March 6th. He'll probably be sent to Iraq (or possibly Iran??) this summer. So he went back to Grapevine with his Dad and Alex. Megan, Carmen and I left for Louisville at 3 a.m. Friday night/Saturday morning. We took her back home and then at 9 p.m. Saturday, left for Pittsburgh. Megan drove all of it to Pitt, because I had been awake for about 60+ hours at that point and could no longer focus my eyes on the road. But she got a speeding ticket in Ohio, near where we used to live. Drat! Oh well, live and learn.

While in Columbus,GA I had my front brakes done at Midas, but now they are making a different noise so i'll have them check it out today. I have put over 4300 miles on my car in 17 days. I'm trying to be very good to it, and I think it will be good to me.

Am writing and posting to http://havothsthoughts.blogspot.com today with pictures, when I'm not visiting folks or taking care of mundanities. A big thank you to Casey, who loaned me the Writer's Dreamkit software for organizing novels/screenplays etc., and my primary focus this week will be to get what I have written so far into the program and possibly write some some new stuff as time and the Muse allows.

That's it for now and catches you up on the past ten days. The bed here sucks, but I'm making do. I've caught up on some sleep now and can get more vigorous with my goals of working and posting and seeing my family before they all die off. No time for much fun or guys or dancing, but maybe later. And that's okay too. I feel my wings spreading out, catching currents.

Love,

kari - LOTS of PICTURES FOLLOW THIS POST!!!

Shmuffin - Annie's rabbit thinking about eating a lighter before my cat thinks about eating him! Now, Meep, we don't eat family... 

The Meepster exploring Annie's apartment looking for Shmuffin, her rabbit to play (hee heh) with! 

I love Annie's drinking glove which has the glass holder built-in.  

Megan and Annie - getting crunk (drunk?) 4 a.m. Pittsburgh time.  

Faces in the cliffs. Same gas stop in TN. 

Do Not Meddle In the Affairs of Dragons! Sound familiar, anyone? And yes, he liked my tattoo! 

We saw this car at a gas stop in Tennessee (I-24 somewhere ) he has the same dragon car seat covers as me, and we talked about writing and renaissance fairs for a little while. Bill Holton will be performing (storytelling/skits) at the TN Renaissance festival this May. 

My son, Sean and I squinting in the sun together, talking about the war he may have to go to fight. We both see a good return for him though - he will come back.  

Columbus Ga is on the Chattahootchie River for all you geography nuts out there. Alabama (slow service and bad roads) is on the other side.  

Megan - Future Comedienne and Queen of the World-in-training! 

Alan relaxes after lunch and graduation. 

Bill and Susan's dog, Sally. She's a sweetie! 

Women's conference outside Bill and Susan's hotel room after the graduation.  

Sean and my sister, Carmen.  

Sean and his other grandparents - Alan's stepmother, Susan and his dad, Billy.  

Sean and his grandmother, Alan's mother, Linda 

One frozen popsicle sister Megan - check. It was damn windy and cold there! 

Sean is the guy on the right - no, the left - no, in the back! It's like Prego, he's in there somewhere.  

One color guard - check! 

Day #2 at Ft. Benning - one marching band- check! Guys in BDU's - check! 

ok. ok. I'm having a cute moment in my car. I was feeling pretty free and happy at the moment... 

Chunky, Mississippi. Home of the (bwahhahaha) Chunky River, and the Chunky Rythym and Blues Festival, third weekend in July yearly. this sign is so old...I think maybe 8 people live in Chunky.  

Meep: That's it? That's the best you could do for a litter box? 

"Do I have to stay in my crate? I won't climb your head again when the big trucks go by - I promise!" 

Meepster in his first hotel room after being in the car for 8 hours. He was perfect in the car, wouldn't get out of it in fact without prying him out. Stays out of the way, and when we got to our room, I poured some kitty litter cystals in a tiny cardboard box and said, "Go potty, Meep!" and he did.