Tripping The Life Fandango

Don't you wish some weekends could go on forever? That you could find that elusive Independent Wealth and spend your time traveling with your fantastic boyfriend to exotic lands and lazing on beautiful beaches or hiking thru foreign countries with only what to have for dinner as the biggest problem you might encounter because there are just too many choices and too many wonderful people you've met who want to bring you back to their home in that quaint Tuscan or French village where you dine at a long table filled with breads, wines, cheeses and more food than you could imagine.. "Ah.. yes," you say.. "I do wish this," or maybe that's just me and my extended day-dreaming. So there was no French/Tuscan-type village, but there was a mountainy sort of western town. I mean.. it'll do.

There was hiking, there was family met, sooo much wine and many a scrabble game won and lost as well over the Meet-The-Family Weekend. The verdict? Um.. I fit right in, surprisingly to me! I'm good with parents usually, but there can be some sense of formality that might relax over time. Jake's family was comfortable to be around almost immediately tho. It was easy. Well.. the hike wasn't easy for me.. I did it, I'm just not used to oh.. eight miles in the mountains. Whereas Jake ran the last mile..... Ran. Hi. Overachieve much? God.

The drive up and back gave us lots of time to talk and joke around and just be together. With both of our crazy schedules, having a 3 1/2 hour drive each way to be in each other's company seemed like a luxury. And what I really like about us is that same comfort and ease I just mentioned is our biggest asset. We don't work at this relationship - at least not yet.. and maybe that point will come, but right now it just feels good all the time to be apart of something that at its core and foundation is a strong feeling of stability. No matter what happens around it, it still remains intact. It's so satisfying.. that feeling. It's so nice not to have to guess with him. He isn't thrown by anything and he rarely, if ever, gets upset and never at me.. It still feels too good to be true, but I've stopped pinching myself because I know how real it is now and I just smile. A lot..

The only time that weekend we weren't smiling was when we were both green from the windy drive. It had both of us craving ibuprofen and gingerale no matter who drove or who was the more unlucky passenger. He was a little crushed when I mentioned I get that way on boats too.. not to mention I don't have to even be on a boat to get that way. At a restaurant once whose bar is downstairs at water level, I got extremely ill because the water rippling right by the window made it look like we were moving.. and swaying.. and oh God.. I'm green just thinking about it. Yeah.. he looked at me that same way you're looking at me now. I know.. it's weird. Shut up.

The only hiccup of the whole trip is that because I had no cell service, I'd missed a call from Mom the night we arrived telling me they'd taken my step-dad to the hospital because he'd basically turned yellow. I got the message that Sunday, two days later, while we were in 'town', which means 'has cell coverage', with Jake's family and getting ready to sit down to a lovely dinner.

I felt a rush of guilt and worry for missing the call, but Mom said there wasn't much to tell me because the doctors didn't seem to know anything. More tests would happen during the week on Monday. This would also delay any prostate operation that was to happen that week til this issue cleared up. But since then, the issue hasn't really cleared up and instead, upon further not-so-fun investigative tests with a fancy somethingorother that was inserted down my step-dad's throat to check out and biopsy his liver, they found a small tumor.

He's apparently looking less yellow, which you know.. yay.. but we won't know the results of the biopsy til this week.. and depending on what's found out there, then consulations and other meetings between the smartypants doctors and my family will be scheduled and discussed and I'm not even going to be here because I'll be on my way or at Burning Man and also, completely out of range for more updates. And y'all know I'm worried because.. well.. I'm me. And it would be nice not to have to watch my mom go thru this again because she's been happier than I've ever known her to be and you know what else? Ick.

When I sat back down for dinner with Jake's family and didn't have much news, his mom looked at me and very sweetly said, "It'll be ok," which was just nice to hear outloud and made me feel better. It reminded me of Jake because he says that all the time to me, but he locks eyes with me when he does it. It just feels good, that focus, and it settles my nerves. The man has some amazing mojo.

So let me just tell you my schedule this week to see if you get a teensy idea of the crazy my life will be in the next six days:

Monday (today)
8:30am to 5:30pm: Work.. yawwn..
5:31 t0 6:15pm: Run home and feed Ms. Emma and Shine's dog, Moo, while she's out of town til Wednesday.
6:30pm to 10pm: Tech rehearsal (cue to cue and run thru today) and hope all sound issues with cd player can be fixed.
Sometime non-specified: Call Mom, mail band studio rent check, get cat litter (seriously).
After 10pm at minimum: See boyfriend sometime for maybe an hour before I pass out.

Tuesday
8:30am to 5:30pm: Work - same shit, different day.
5:31 t0 6:15pm: Run home to feed dog/cat. Convince dog her three min walk is much longer than it actually is.
6:30pm to 10pm: Tech rehearsal (dress and run thru).
Between all those times: Try not to worry about Mom and Step-Dad, see if I can bag out of dress rehearsal due to MASSIVE amounts of errands for Burning Man I have to run, wish that Target could stay open til 11pm for special people like me if not able to bag said rehearsal.
After tech: Begin to stress out a little and vent to calm boyfriend who is probably only pretending to listen while half asleep.

Wednesday
8:30am to 5:30pm: Worky worky work.
5:31 t0 6:15pm: Run home to feed cat/dog (man they're demandy).
6:30 to 10pm: Final dress rehearsal with audience (ACK!) and attempt run thru at 7pm.
At some point between when not stressed (right): Check in with Mom.
After 10pm or later: See boyfriend after rehearsal and try to have real conversation, but fall asleep mid-sentence.

Thursday
8:30am to 5:30pm: Blahblahworkblah.
After work: Roommate back and feeding dog/cat because I'm house managing opening night!
6-ish to 10pm: Hope show goes well and cross fingers I don't mess up cash box or something else kind of important, let the fact that I leave for Burning Man in three days start to sink in.
After show/1opm: Try not to cry on boyfriend's shoulder because really.. that's just silly.

Friday
7:30am to 5pm: Work til 5 due to God-forsaken early 7:30am mandatory meeting.
5:01pm: Thank God it's Friday.
5:30pm: Run to Trader Joe's to pick up snacks for gala at end of show.
6:30pm: Set up said snacks, house manage again, run thru all the things in my head I still need and haven't yet taken care of that I have only tomorrow to do because hi - LAST DAY TIL I LEAVE (and last day with boyfriend for eight stupid non-communicative days - no crying! I am a rock!), show show show.
After show/10pm: See boyfriend, tears not shed (if I can help it).

Saturday:
7:50am: Sleepily kiss boyfriend goodbye as he has class (on Saturdays??) at 8am and wish we could sleep in together.
7:51am: Pout.
7:53am: Maybe go back to sleep but then freak out because I still have so much to do.
8:30am til um.. done: Do all those errands I was freaking out about, pack, take as much of said packing to friend's place wayyy across town to get things in order in the RV before we leave at Crack Of Ass Dawn tomorrow, figure out what else I have yet to do - do it.
6pm til none of your business: Meet up with exhausted boyfriend after he's napped and had shower after class and figure out plans for our last evening together before trip, probably cry.. definitely have sex.

Sunday:
7:30am: Delay leaving house til last possible minute so I can have as much time with boyfriend as I can and say goodbye like in those Big Red commercials.
7:44am: Wimper.
7:45am: Head to Paul's house & chin up thru wimpering.
8:10am: Finish last minute details of packing, verify everyone has tickets, and finally - Leave for Burning Man!

Is it just me or doesn't that seem like a lot to pack in? And I still don't know if I'm going to make it to every store I need to get to, not to mention that I must think money is just coming out my ass because wow I'm spending it uber fast and in large quantities and still have so many things left to to get. I know it'll all work out, I know Jake and I will not die being apart (I know, you're shocked), the show will go swimmingly and I will think positively for my step-dad because I just have to.

Planning and taking this crazy, bohemian trip, allowing myself to feel loved in a very happy and growing relationship with this incredible guy, rocking out occasionally with the band and challenging myself with my new position in the theatre are all signs I'm living as much as possible.. Even if I had laurels, I wouldn't have time to sit on them! I'm kind of proud of myself.

I'll post if I can just prior to leaving. I know last year I had Treena and Indy sub in for me and they were completely amazing and way awesomer than me. I didn't have time to secure anyone this year, so I hope you can wait eight days plus some recovery and boyfriend isolation time and that it's not too terribly long for you. Do read up on Miss Doxie since she's back and cuter than ever and there's also Mimi Smartypants who makes me laugh long time. She's right up there as funniest blogger ever. My own close and personal friends I highly recommend in addition to Indy and Treena: Shine, Eight, Kari, and my favorite little brit, Léonie. I think you have plenty of reading to do now so no excuses on being bored.. you hear me? I'll miss you all madly!! Mwah!