Relishing

Secret of Life #1. Boise, Idaho.
My hometown. My life for the past twenty years and 11 months. My birthplace. My niche. My comfort zone. My city encapsulating my first kiss, my green soccer fields, my first love, my hop-scotch skipping cement sidewalks, my first heartache. My roots, running deep and twisted through the rich soil of incredible family ties, memories and Idaho potatoes. Yet, my branches are so eager to expand, reach out, divide, bloom. We really don't know what we have til it's gone- or we loosen our grip on our first bicycle, and attempt a ride without the training wheels, eventually moving with a 'no hands' approach. However, physically I still can't even do that one, so there is no way I will even pretend to claim experience on the latter metaphor. Here's to savoring my final days (for awhile) in my home with runs through Boise at dusk, dinner with siblings, Redbox movie rentals crammed onto one couch with my family, and late-night dangerous pondering of cheesy notions. And here's to my uncontrolled excitement, and a small piece of nervous pie, for the summer ahead of me- will be attempting the 'no hands' (or at least a one limb death grip..) bicycle ride 500 miles south of Les Bois.

Secret of Life #2. Shoes.
When a find a very classy pair of you for three dollars at (gasp!) Shopko, of all places, it really gets me going. And I mean really. Like the vision of myself marching out of the mother-of-pearl brick walled superstore, white plastic sack in hand, with the tan witch-toed sling backs sloshing inside, throwing on my Paris Hilton-esque bug eyed $6 Ross sunglasses, and flipping my car keys around my finger, as if I owned the place. Though I must say I am justified. Take one look inside my non-green friendly plastic sack with red and navy blue Shopko logos plastered all over it, and you'll know why. But then reality sets back in. "Uh, ma'am, I said that will be three dollars and eleven cents. Ma'am...?" Oh right, here's my card, debit please.