I subbed at my friend's Bunco night. I FINALLY didn't need complete instructions again in order to play...and I could finally have conversations while playing.

This morning Ava woke up before Mallory and we were sitting in the living room on opposite couches. She asked, "So, how was your game last night?" I told her, "I won!" (I broke even) She exclaimed, "Oh Wow! That is GREAT!" I have such a lovely child.

This is the same child who, when she was last with my mother and commented on her messy car, said that although our car IS messy as well at least we don't have "Bird CRAP" all over the windows. This is Justin's fault- he fully admits it. He is the one that says "Bird Crap." Makes me laugh.

I don't know what is wrong with me, but my neck and shoulders are extremely sore. I probably have some incurable disease, so I will NOT look it up on the internet.

At the conference, someone donated a bunch of amethyst stones that could be put on a key chain, hung in a window or around your neck. I bought one because I wasn't bidding on bigger items, but wanted some mementos from such a life-changing weekend There was a little card with each stone that said this: "Amethyst: Known as the sobriety stone. Dispels anger and alleviates sadness. Treats insomnia and eases headaches." Pretty cool. So I Googled "Amethyst" and Wikipedia tells me that "the name comes from the Ancient Greek a- ("not") and methustos ("intoxicated"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication."

I also bid on and won a little purse that someone made. The woman who made it is nicknamed "Toots." I've seen her writings online and always thought she was a wonderful person...and when I finally met her in person all her wonderfulness was twofold. The first thing she said after introductions was that if anyone ever needed a hug, to come find her, because she's a big hugger.

I bought a note card made (painted) by my roommate at the hotel the last night we were there in Allentown. This woman is amazing. A wonderful artist- she held a watercolor workshop one night. I didn't attend, as space was limited and I chose the "How to Meditate" class instead, but will next year if she holds it again. She calls herself The Dumpy D*I*V*A*- I suppose because she is 4 foot 8 (?), but I didn't see anything Dumpy about her. We spent our last night ordering Red*Robin room service and swapping birth stories. She had me laughing until I couldn't breathe. She was laughing too, so I didn't feel bad about it... On the way to PA, I had a layover in Chicago and met her at the airport. I immediately recognized her from her pictures, but we had both affixed these yellow butterflies to our shirts. Hers was laminated and she also had one on her bag. Mine was not laminated and stuck on my shirt with tape. She was a great traveling companion- we each had issues-her the big things and me the little details...so our obsessions complimented each other. She was worried that she wasn't really "in the system" when she booked her flight online. She had never had an e-ticket before...so she was stressing about showing up at the airport and not being allowed on the plane.. Me, I was worried about transportation to and from the college...as if we'd be stranded. I miss being around her.

My roommate at the college was this tall and skinny woman from S.C., but with a huge Massachusetts accent. We spent 2 nights chatting into the wee hours about books, movies, our lives, our childhoods, etc... It was awesome. She brought souvenirs from her town for me- a gel candle with seashells and sand in the bottom and for the girls: taffy and mermaid and seahorse soaps with bright blue washcloths. The first night she was showing me what she was donating to the silent auction- knick knack souvenir stuff from her town and then I showed her what I brought- 40 Days and 40 Nights. She was oohing and ahhing over it...flipping the pages and came upon a note to someone on the "I would like to dedicate this book to" page. It said, "Dear David, May your 40th be & bring the Best of New Beginnings in your Wondrous life. Love & Friendship, Sandy M... 12/2/07" Dear David took the journal BACK to Barnes and Noble and then I bought it. My roommate suggested ripping that page out, so I let her do the honors. I brought the dedication page all the way back to Colorado...another memento.