Highlights: Round One

I took that picture myself. I'm feeling very proud of it.

After my initial airport entertainment, I reconciled myself to the fact that I was spending precious vacation time in the state of Utah. This was not such a bad thing when I looked outside and saw the above scene. Blue skies, snow-capped mountains, deep green pines... it made the rest of the state's oddities bearable.

And then... my pesseguinha arrived. I hooked up wiht Lisa and we immediately began what would turn into four days of non-stop talking, reminiscing, and bonding. That's good stuff. We headed down to Provo, and checked into our dorm. More to come on that horrific experience.

We added to the party a little at a time. Laura (Lisa's mom) met us down there, and if there is anyone on earth that you just want to spend time with and feel good, it's Laura. From the first time she fed me biscuits and sausage gravy, I knew she was a keeper.
Imagine my surprise when we added another duo to our group! Nancy and Darlene, who I met through Lisa years ago, were also around. Nancy is intelligent and purposeful, and her mom is just a kick in the pants. The more, the merrier. This was going to be fun.
We met up that night with a friend I made through blogging, Martha. We went out for dinner, and had some really good conversation. I spend all my time in real life with my husband, which I absolutely enjoy doing. But I will confess that a night out with some girlfriends did my soul good. Martha proved to be every bit as insightful and enjoyable as I suspected she would. Plus, we ate horrific amounts of Mexican food, which is always a plus.
The night did take a turn for the worse, however, when we reached the dorm rooms. With three herniated discs in my back, I was terrified of sleeping on this "mattress", and was slightly leery of walls that so closely resembled Rice Krispie treats. And then there was the bathroom. Look closely. Yes, that is a toilet tucked back in the corner. I am a slender chick, and I had to turn sideways to fit back there. Ew. There were three dorm rooms to an "apartment", with one shared bathroom. Lisa and I were thrilled to find the other 2 rooms empty. No bathroom sharing with dirty-bottomed people! But at 9:30, we heard noise. People were there. Shoot! I devised a plan to sneak out for a drink of water so I could spy on them. Must check for general clean-persona. Imagine my surprise when they were spying back, and who would it happen to be, but Celia and Denae! There was a lot of screaming and squealing, relief at general clean-personas, and then chatting. Skip called, and Celia was excited because she likes bald men. She made him jealous by telling him she would be sleeping with me tonight, spooning even. Here she is, practicing to be the outside spoon:

What an amazing first day in the foreign country state of Utah!