Oh, the places we'll go!

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.

Do I even have any pictures of places I've been on this computer? Oh, I guess I could use my honeymoon in Maui photos, but that's boring. I could use pictures of Palm Springs where I went for my anniversary, but I already wrote a whole blog post about it. The Oregon Coast? Dull! Mt. Hood? Snooze! Where, then?

Ahhhhh. I know. How's about the single best trip of my whole life? Yes, let's talk about the first trip I took when I got out of treatment in 2005 which also happens to be the first time Chris ever met my legendary dad, Bill Harvey. Here's the back story.

I arrived in Sacramento on a Saturday and spent the next 6 days talking non-stop about my new boyfriend who happened to be the man of my dreams and my dad, who had met the previous "men of my dreams" was not amused (they weren't so "dreamy" after all). Chris flew in the Friday after I arrived and was expecting my dad to be a true hardened Montana redneck, or so I'm told. But instead, what he found as he stepped off the plane and hopped into the car of this mysterious stranger was a man who was strangely.... just like Chris. For the next three days I watched these two soul mates talk about everything: guns, diamonds, watches, politics, law, similar difficult experiences and of course, how best to poke fun at Low Maintenance Lisa. It was a joy to behold. It was the best time in my life. It was everything I had ever wanted to witness. I remember very distinctly sitting in the backseat while my dad drove and Chris rode shotgun — yes, they were having so much fun I had to sit in the back! Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" was playing on the cassette player and they were up front, windows down, having a blast. In fact, I think they were both playing the drums on their knees too (that's where the long list of similarities begins) and laughing out loud. I thought to myself "this is the best moment of my whole entire life" and vowed at that moment to sear that memory into my heart and mind. I promised myself I'd never ever forget that feeling of absolute peace, joy, love; my heart was that incredible, bubbling over kind of full. And to this day, as you can see, I haven't forgotten. Watching two long lost brothers reconnect was the best. The absolute best.

So, now that my eyes are all watery and my nose is running, these are the pictures from that trip. Remember, I'd been in treatment so I'd been eating nothing but carbs for about 3 months... and it shows, I know, I know. I was a little chunk. (Chris tells me I duped him, that he fell in love with a much chunkier girl than I really am and that he would really appreciate it if I could gain another 20 pounds. At least I don't worry about "getting too fat" because in Chris' eyes, there's no such thing.)

Enjoy the photos, which are the closest tangible thing to a little slice of heaven that I have.

PS- The short answer is Sacramento, California :)

Love, Lisa