I’m getting really excited for my trip to California next week. I was able to get approval from work to take Friday off. Rosie and I will be heading to our Zion Thursday evening. Friday we’re going to go to Disneyland with Liz, and I’ll have a Girls Night Out with some of my friends in the evening. Saturday morning, I’ll be spending time with my in-laws, and hopefully be picking up Taylor from the airport (he’s going to be coming off a high-speed so he’s still undecided if he’s actually going to come to Cali, even though he has the weekend off). Saturday afternoon I’ll be heading up to Palmdale for Heather and Cody’s wedding reception. That evening, my dear friends Anastasia and Kathryn will be performing at Molly Malones’ in LA…and fun nights out on the town typically follow. Sunday morning we’ll head back to Georgia.

I almost feel giddy with excitement to see Heather, or meet her, rather. I started stalking her blog in July when he won a contest on TAMN‘s blog. I loved her posts so much that I started from the beginning of her blog and read to her current post. I feel like I found a kindred spirit, and I smacked myself in the forehead saying, “Why didn’t I find her blog back when I lived in California? We would have been fast friends!” We share the same obesessions of Anne of Green Gables, Arrested Development, The Office, cute delicious cupcakes, the beach, and supporting Prop 8. We also can share a lot of sympathy over hyperactive hives and Benadryl addictions.

She has a really interesting story with Cody, and here’s the short version (and correct me if I’m wrong, Heather): She served as a missionary in Ukraine, came home and fell in love with Cody, and they planned to get married. Then the spirit started tugging on his heartstrings, and he prayed and decided to serve a mission prior to their wedding. Coincidentally, Cody was called to Ukraine. Heather wrote him faithfully, yet kept an independent fun life while he was across the world. He got home in December, and the decided to waste no time and get married on January 31st. Her positive attitude reminded me of how I had to keep things together for Rosie and I while Taylor was gone for flight training in 2007. Taylor was gone the better part of 11 months, and I only got to see him occasionally (like maybe one weekend every month or two). I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to not see Taylor at all for two years.

We may live on opposite sides of the country, but think we’ll hit it off, and I’ll have another mandatory friend to visit on my quick trips to Cali.

And as a funny side note, I’ll be attending Anastasia’s concert right after the wedding reception…and Nastia’s from Ukraine. That’s almost as coincidental as my uncle marrying two gorgeous Ukranian trophy wives (yes Lena, I know you read my blog 🙂