Several years ago during an acting class in Los Angeles, I met a lovely and talented gal, Tiffany, who became a dear friend. Although we have both since moved to other places, we have remained in touch, and earlier this month, I flew to Chicago to join in the festivities of her wedding and the celebrations that surround it.
Another sweet friend, who I did theater with in Erie, happens to live in Chicago now and went to the same university as Tiffany (no surprise, they immediately hit it off). So, since Ken could not make it to the US for the wedding, my friend Kristen (who I call Smiley) went as my “date”, and the two of us had a ball…not only dancing like there was no tomorrow but also catching up until the wee hours of the morning.
I spent a few extra days near Chicago visiting one of my closest friends from our year living in Switzerland. Heather and her husband, Peter now live in Milwaukee with their 2 (almost 3) kids and giant, fluffy dog, Truffle. Just like our days in Lausanne, we found ourselves eating yummy food (thanks to Peter grilling), talking non-stop, and pondering why Truffle seems so taken with me.
Tacking on a little more time to the trip, I flew to Los Angeles to see several friends. Chrissy, who I stayed with, had begged me for some time to make a visit. She was my regular exercise (and of course talking while we walked) partner when I lived in LA, and this seemed the direction she took our time together.
Along with attending 2 of the yoga classes she teaches, we went to a rock climbing gym a couple of times and took an African dance class . Although she believed that my time with her probably didn’t feel like a vacation, I loved taking in and trying several new types of exercise.
I excitedly introduced Chrissy to another precious friend, Dena, who I met through a ladies bible study when I lived in LA. While Dena and I have both belly danced before, Chrissy hadn't but was eager to try. The 3 of us decided to take a class together but were sadly turned away because of too many participants. Instead, we spent the night chatting away at a café in Santa Monica.
One evening, I met up with my favorite crooner friend, Patrick. I used to love going to the Dresden in Los Feliz to hear him sing, so Patrick made plans to sit in for a few numbers and sang some of my favorite Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs.
Along with all of these wondeful people, I went to visit my Uncle JT and Aunt Jewel and got to see the great progress JT is making with his physical therapy exercises. And if I hadn't had enough exercise myself with Chrissy, my friend Baz, who I worked with on "The Agency", took me to his local gym for a hard core (I felt like I was in the marines) workout. It was tough yet very inspiring.
Needless to say, I left the US energized and renewed realizing how blessed I am to have such amazing friends from so many walks of life.
Another sweet friend, who I did theater with in Erie, happens to live in Chicago now and went to the same university as Tiffany (no surprise, they immediately hit it off). So, since Ken could not make it to the US for the wedding, my friend Kristen (who I call Smiley) went as my “date”, and the two of us had a ball…not only dancing like there was no tomorrow but also catching up until the wee hours of the morning.
I spent a few extra days near Chicago visiting one of my closest friends from our year living in Switzerland. Heather and her husband, Peter now live in Milwaukee with their 2 (almost 3) kids and giant, fluffy dog, Truffle. Just like our days in Lausanne, we found ourselves eating yummy food (thanks to Peter grilling), talking non-stop, and pondering why Truffle seems so taken with me.
Tacking on a little more time to the trip, I flew to Los Angeles to see several friends. Chrissy, who I stayed with, had begged me for some time to make a visit. She was my regular exercise (and of course talking while we walked) partner when I lived in LA, and this seemed the direction she took our time together.
Along with attending 2 of the yoga classes she teaches, we went to a rock climbing gym a couple of times and took an African dance class . Although she believed that my time with her probably didn’t feel like a vacation, I loved taking in and trying several new types of exercise. 
I excitedly introduced Chrissy to another precious friend, Dena, who I met through a ladies bible study when I lived in LA. While Dena and I have both belly danced before, Chrissy hadn't but was eager to try. The 3 of us decided to take a class together but were sadly turned away because of too many participants. Instead, we spent the night chatting away at a café in Santa Monica.
One evening, I met up with my favorite crooner friend, Patrick. I used to love going to the Dresden in Los Feliz to hear him sing, so Patrick made plans to sit in for a few numbers and sang some of my favorite Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs.
Along with all of these wondeful people, I went to visit my Uncle JT and Aunt Jewel and got to see the great progress JT is making with his physical therapy exercises. And if I hadn't had enough exercise myself with Chrissy, my friend Baz, who I worked with on "The Agency", took me to his local gym for a hard core (I felt like I was in the marines) workout. It was tough yet very inspiring. 
Needless to say, I left the US energized and renewed realizing how blessed I am to have such amazing friends from so many walks of life.
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