Reverb10 for December 3rd. Yea I'm a little behind. Let's move on.
The Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year.
This is me at Red Rocks. A pretty standard " proof that you were there" picture and I bet a lot of people have the same kind of snap shot taken pre concert at Red Rocks. Perfect Colorado summer nite, no wind, no clouds, the aroma of marijuana blowing through the crowd. As nite fell, the lights of Denver could be seen flickering.
But it's not really the picture, but the story behind this picture that made me feel so alive. I have been wanting to write about this moment for awhile and I did touch on it a bit on my summer recap. The actual moment however was a week long visit by my friend Tiffany. She got her passport and was allowed to visit me from another country called California. She is one of my longest lasting friendships, since first grade. We have lasted and weathered plentiful storms thru elementary school, middle school, and even a freshmen year out of town move ( she moved I stayed) . And we still managed to stay in touch, thank god we both got cars!! We were roommates for 2 years in our very early-squirly 20's. She was in my wedding, and I visit her every time I go back to California. On this past summers visit to CA She mentioned that she was going to be getting a little time off and had some money burning in her pocket to travel and wanted to come visit me in CO.
Come again? Really? You want to spend your mommy freedom time with me???? I was so excited, but kept my guard up, so that I would not be too disappointed if she couldn't swing it. But alas I got a phone call a few weeks later and she was on the interent looking at plane tix!
A few weeks after that I was picking her up at DIA and swooping her off for a fun filled vacation along the front range, my home now, for almost 10 years!
She made me fall in love with and appreciate where I live all over again, Estes Park, Boulder, my own back yard. She was smitten by the little critters that live in the open space behind my house, the buffalo that roam a mile away and she fell in love with Pearl St. Snarfs and of course Red Rocks Amphitheater, where I took her to trudge up the side of the mountain ( she in flip flops no less )to see her favorite musician Michael Franti.
She taught me some new moves at the gym with the bosu ball. She bonded with my boys. She never called my house small. She called me artsy, and creative and nobody ever calls me artsy and creative anymore. And that helped a lot to remind me that yea, before I sold my soul to motherhood, I did have a me, in side me. It's always good to remember who you were to know who you want to be.
We laughed so hard my face hurt, which has not happened in a very long, long time.I am fairly certain that she in the only person other than my husband that can get me laughing so hard that I have to lay down to recover! Her and Aaron got some good laughs on my behalf, kvetching on the perils ( and joys) of living with some one like me. Darn it those cupboards just won't stay shut, I say!
Her visit made me feel better about my decision to move to CO in the first place, which I always felt was under a banner of " WTF " and after my wedding in 2003 no one other than my parents came out to visit me. She reminded me of how far we have come, 15 years ago our mornings were certainly not spent jogging or at the gym! It was great to see her so healthy and vibrant and to to feel the same as well. If they could only see us now, we laughed at the bullies from Cloverdale. We laughed at the poor boy friend choices. We cackeled at the outfits and hair dos we tried to pull off. Her visit put a bee in my bonnet to reconnect with another old friend which was a catalyst for my trip to Crestone / New Mexico and I was able to tell her how much I admire and how proud I am of her.
I was able to show her my life and in return I was able to see my life for what it was, simply beautiful just like our friendship!
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