Me vs. Poision Ivy. Or, How I Became Like A-Rod.

Oh Dear Readers.
A fool more cynical than myself might say that the above photograph pretty much sums up our recent weeklong trip to L.A.
The main drawbacks included:
-Mild chilly nights, and me without my fleece jacket...
-traffic jams
-California in economic turmoil, and not wanting to come shopping... making our trip "less lucrative" than expected.
-oh yeah.....and the massive killer poision ivy rash that swarmed my body and tried to eat me.
-having health insurance that doesn't cover you in California.

yeah... some might look at this trip and be even a little pissed off. But the thing is... I just went through our photos, and we're all smiling. In every single one of them. Yes I have bandages all up my legs & sores the size of small grapes, Phil had to endure sleeping next to me moaning and groaning all night, Linsday had to drive me to urgent care, CVS, the craft fair and back and get more personal information about me than she probably needed to know or see... But I can't help thinking that this trip really brought us closer to our dear college friend... and made us appreciate the good things in life. Namely: the beautiful weather in California, the silly people there, the delicious endless food, the beach... each other. Made me appreciate the spots on my body where I thankfully did NOT have poision ivy, and suck up my dependance on material things (the dress I JUST made myself, that I apparently sat in a pile of poision ivy while wearing... was thrown away. Because really? could I EVER wear that without itching again?)
My friends are amazing, my husband is loyal and did not throw up ONCE from being shown the backs of my legs, and I can now safely say I've been to California.
Plus, what better place to go on steroids than Muscle Beach? We were staying in Venice, just a walk from that beachside outdoor gym where one imagines 80's neon-lycra-clad musclemen pumping iron and girls roller skating in bikinis (it's all true).

After a ton of fun with one of the best little ladies Syracuse University ever spit out, and a bit of a rough planeride home, we are safely back in Baltimore... medicated and resting up until Artscape starts on Friday.
Here's a taste of what will stay in my memory longer than any bitterness over our few speed bumps. The rest will be a story to tell people who have already heard about my first trip to college...which has now officially been trumped.