Real

Things I have done [so far] instead of going to Guatemala over Spring Break:

* Ate out with T at the gourmet all-vegan bistro we've been meaining to try since we moved here. Seitan BBQ & Vietnamese (lemongrass seitan) tacos for appetizers. Skewered winter squash over a bed of black lentils, salsa verde, grilled green onions and a pepper stuffed with cauiliflour mousse. YUM!

* Beat the first level of the secret World 9 (star world!) in Super Mario Wii. Now working on getting all the star coins in World 2 so I can unlock the second star world level. For anyone out there playing Mario Wii, don't neglect or blow off those star coins. They're good for more than unlocking stupid hint videos!

* Outlined/read the first week of Civil Procedure II. It's a great system I have going. Even a little bit of reading makes me feel so much more competent and confident. The problem is I work sooooo slowly. But I'm still proud of myself.

* Took a solo road trip out to Amish country, where T and I spent our first night together 7.5 years ago on our first date. (We slept in the front and back seats of his car while parked on our way to Niagara Falls!) It's also where T and I went for our 6th anniversary when we got in a big fight about when we were gonna get married on our drive home. Haha...

* Ate first lunch in an old train dining car while I watched Amish families trot down the road in their buggies. Ate second lunch at a luncheonette where I was the only non-Amish (also the only non-octogenarian) in the place except for the woman serving us. Got a great close-up look at the white prayer veils the women wear over their hair, and good listen to the Amish / Pennsylvania Dutch / German pidgin language they speak. Also watched one of them flirt with an old man with a long beard as he was leaving. Can they do that?

* Bought farm fresh eggs at $1.50 / dozen.

* Watched far more Netflix than I'm comfortable with.

* Made plans for my best friend and her husband and their two dogs (and her bun in the oven!) to come visit tomorrow.

I was disappointed about not going to Guatemala. We made the right decision, but it's hard to sit around the apartment in the evening knowing that spring break is running out and I'm not off on a big adventure. But I know that life is all about attitude, so I've tried to look at this time as a gift and an opportunity to do all sorts of things I wouldn't otherwise do. (Yes, that includes start outlining.) While I was driving on the backcountry roads yesterday, I let my eyes linger for a few moments on a house that may or may not have had a candle lantern on the front porch. When I looked back at the road, I saw a truck coming at me, and realized I had drifted into the other lane. I quickly corrected and the truck swooshed past me, safely. But that instant, those fleeting seconds, made my blood run cold. I pulled into the Mennonite Church at the next intersection, parked the car and prayed. Life could be gone at any second. I feel like we're all here at the pleasure of someone bigger than us. So, yeah. I'm gonna try to appreciate what I've got. Guatemala would've been nice. But it can wait.