Austin here I come

I'm so excited, Sunday morning at 4 am I'm flying out to Austin, Texas to see my friend Karen. She moved out there 5 or 6 years ago and ever since then I've been telling her I'd come and visit. So I'm finally making good on my promise!

I love it when I can remember the exact moment I met a friend. With Karen, we met in 10th grade during Sunday school. Everyone was randomly broken up into little groups and she was in mine. Somehow we got into the topic of weddings (we both love weddings, every sappy little second) and what we wanted our weddings to be like someday (quite the dreamers. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit it but in junior high I totally put together a binder, complete with page protectors, that had pictures and scraps and scribbles detailing my future wedding down to the potential guest list. Lame, I know. But I had to move on from barbies at some point.)

Speaking of Barbies and lame-ness, I totally played with Barbies up through 6th grade and beyond. I loved that I had complete control over everything in these little peoples lives. And was there drama with my Barbies! Until I was 7 or so, I only had one Ken. There was a lot of competition. And Ken got around. Note to self: don't let your child sit at your feet playing with her barbies while you watch soap operas, because the drama on tv transfers to her imagination.

Ken would always get under the covers with my barbies. What a man-whore. I can't tell you how many times Ken got slapped.

What was I talking about?
Oh, how Karen and I met. What does that have to do with Barbies?

So anyways, Karen and I have been friends ever since, and we always have great fun together. Like our road trip down to LA to go to a taping of The Price is Right. We made T-shirts and everything. I remember they aired the episode we were at on my birthday. It was very exciting seeing myself on tv while eating pancakes. But the trip itself was so much fun. Like running after the Little Debbies truck. Or going to a truckers stop. Or the homeless man who hit on us while peeing on the sidewalk. What an adventure.

And then there's one of our trips to San Fran. Shopping all day and then watching the sunset on an almost secluded beach. Then getting lost on the way home and making up songs. Fun Fun.

All this to say, I can't wait, can't wait, CAN'T WAIT to enjoy the company of a good friend I haven't seen in ages and getting on a plane to go somewhere new.

Two of my very favorite things.

The image above is a double exposure I took a few years ago of Karen on our trip to SF.