F is for Fredricksburg, and Fantastic Friends, and Forty Thousand Bottles of Wine!

I'm fresh back from my Fredricksburg Getaway with my dear friend Amber. For the record, it is fabulous to get away with a dear friend and just talk without interruption. It feels incredibly indulgent to do what you want to do when you want to do it - laugh loud, and talk deep. - good times! I had no idea how much I needed a special time to slow down and appreciate a rare friendship that I'm dreading letting go of the day to day. Saying goodbye is the painful part of moving. I am so very grateful for my friend Amber. -- She sees me so clearly, and likes me anyway. Wow... how humbling.

I will miss raiding your pantry while you're not home, our meals, and TV show marathons together, your pragmatic outlook on life, and complete honesty with me. You are an incredibly suprising special gift to me. I am very thankful for you and I love you dearly!

Now I turn to intense packing and to what lies ahead as we are on our final sprint toward South Bend - with lots of yuck stuff in between here and there... boxes, packing, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, driving and driving, then unpacking... wake me up when it's over.