In some ways I feel like I’m losing everything this year.  I’m losing my marriage (divorce), Andrea (going away to college), my sister and her family (moving to Tucson), even my dogs (can’t take them to the apartment).  I’ve lost all my time, too.  When a good friend of Rodney’s came back from the Peace Corps he said time passed differently in Africa… That’s how I feel about my years as a stay at home wife and mom.

My resume states I was a homemaker for the past six years, but in May it would’ve been seven.  So I’ve had a trying transition period getting used to working fulltime again.

But I’m thankful for my (very “Filegirl-like”) administrative assistant position at a (very “Krissy-like”) bleeding heart non-profit in Kansas City.

I’m going to be moving soon and will also lose the road runner email I’ve used all along.  Here’s an email I’m keeping that I can check from anywhere:  kristine.smith@rocketmail.com.

Please keep in touch if you want, as I’ll probably shut down Filegirl soon, too.  It just isn’t right without Rodney.

Sigh.

Do I really have to pay this?

I was thinking, you know, I probably won’t be back out there for at least another year… and it’s likely I won’t be driving that time, so why pay it?  Then this morning’s sermon at church was on “Investing in Integrity.”  I owe the damn money.

Damn.

What could be more fun than a dive bar…

…and then a BBQ (excuse me, “bob”-be-que) place that serves breakfast?  Mmmm, nothing like the smell of spicy burnt ends with my pancakes.

Okay I guess lots of things could be more fun.  Although last night was pretty fuckin fun.

Michele and my lodging in Hollywood:

Before Christmas, I flew out to spend time with Michele.  Laughter really is the best medicine and my doctor needs to prescribe these visits monthly (at least) rather than this once a year bullshit.  I can’t think of anything to say here that isn’t a bunch of obnoxious inside jokes…

1. “What time do you wanna check out?”  *wink*
2. The cheerleader hello:  “Ready?  Oh-KAY!  HIII!”
3. “Krissy stop attacking all the Mexicans!”
4. Crime scene Fetiches Mexicanos.
5. Calling Mike to make him google the lyrics to Manhunt and read them to us… (which he did and didn’t even ask why)…

Annoying, right?  But hahahaha… you so should’ve been there.

A few pictures I took:

Ahhhhhhh.  Sigh.

Michele was so accommodating to me with all the star’s stars I wanted to see on the Walk of Fame… as well as the footprints I wanted to see at the Chinese Theatre.  Here is where we saw Marilyn “Diamonds a Girl’s Best Friend” Monroe’s little hands and feet (look how the “i” is dotted):

God, John Wayne kicked so much ass.  Instead of handprints he just stuck his fist in:

Of course Michele had to take me to get a Pink’s chili dog at their legendary hot dog stand.  We were looking at the stars pictures all over the walls when I saw THIS!:

And then I couldn’t stop saying “He was HERE!  In September!  Of 2000!”  I don’t understand what my thing is for Jerry Lewis, I just go with it.  I may or may not have laid down on Hollywood Boulevard and kissed his star.  Michele’s not saying.

Santa wanted to show us all his tattoos…

…and this map had all these rules like you’d find at the ZOO such as “do not approach residents” and “movie stars are on extremely specific diets.  Please Do Not Feed them.”

We drove the coast from Santa Monica to Malibu.  And yes.  That was a Mustang convertible we rented.

We hiked Runyon Canyon and tried to crash an extremely secluded AA meeting but could never find it:

Taking a break on our hike:

Guess which shoe’s mine.  Geez, could I be any more white bread than Michele?  But she put up with my yelling “there’s the Hollywood Sign” every 10 minutes during the entire trip and getting teary-eyed seeing the original Frederick’s of Hollywood… of Hollywood!

With every familiar (to my pop culture brain) name or place I saw and got all giddy about, my favorite thing was definitely times we were just lounging in our upscale Econo-lodge room.  Talking and laughing until our cheeks hurt.  Now we just gotta find a way to live closer to each other…

Andrea and her boyfriend:

Last night I was feeling really sorry for myself.  Andrea was at Ryan’s house for their family dinner and they invited me to join them at their church for a Christmas Eve service later (my church didn’t have one) but I didn’t know if I was going or not.  At the very last minute I got ready and went and it was a gorgeous candlelit ceremony but I still felt sad… and lonely… and like maybe God doesn’t care about me anymore.  (I know he does, I just can’t help these thoughts).

After church Andrea went with Ryan’s family back to their house.

I went home.

But a little while later Andrea called and said they decided to bring their presents to each other over here and open them up at our house.  What a difference that made!  Ryan even brought ME a present!

I love them.

Nothing stops me from getting to Michele.  Remember last year?  The California wildfires?  Oh, every year the Santa Ana’s fan the flames, but last year’s brought the largest evacuation in American history (and a state of emergency declared in 7 counties by the Governator).  The day before I was to fly out, Michele sent me this map showing how the fire was blocking their house from the airport.  The pass was closed.  (The fire was also blocking her husband from getting home from work.  He ended up having to spend the night in his car)!

But the pass DID open up in time for Mike to get home, get Michele, and come back to pick me up.  This was my view just before landing:

(and my post about our visit).

Well.  THIS year Michele’s mountains (and town) (in the desert) got the most snow they’ve had in 50 years.  Vegas Airport (my layover airport) was closed the day before I was to leave due to the weather.  SNOW in VEGAS!

And that damn pass between Michele and my final airport was closed right before my arrival AGAIN!

Pictures emailed from Michele… Her car stuck in front of her house:

Ice on her roses:

She emailed me “What have you done, Kristine?  Last year it was wildfires from the depths of hell and this year hell hath frozen over.”

OMG, I’m like Snow Miser and Heat Miser combined!  And I have some mystical connection with that pass…

But, as with all good stories, this one has a happy ending.  (And not like the kind you’d get at one of the Thai massage parlors I saw every 5 feet in Hollywood, but the really good kind).

More later!  Merry Christmas!

There’s not much I won’t do for a good hug right now.  So for an extra-extra special and comforting one?  I’m flying to Los Angeles where my very own angel in the “City of” is picking me up at the airport to spend a few days in Hollywood for the hell of it!

I’m really, really happy and excited about seeing Michele again and no worries… I’m not going there to jump off the sign.

I do, however, want to drive by Joan Crawford’s old place yelling “No Wire Hangers!” a few times.