"With every lesson learned a line upon your beautiful face"

Do you recognize that line? Yes? No? I might not either, if it wasn't for my beautiful friend, Alyssa. We became friends (and Salad Attackers) in third grade, and maintained that friendship throughout high school. We figured out that the last time we saw each other, or even talked on the phone, was about 15 years ago, although we email as often as busy mamas can (read: not very.) But when I read in her blog that she was going to be in Colorado Springs for a few weeks, it was a no-brainer. We'd be meeting up.

Alyssa is the one who handed me an Indigo Girls tape senior year and said, "I think you'll like this." She still has that tape, which I played in my blue mustang until it warped. We're both still listening. The title of this entry is a favorite line from a favorite song for both of us.

We hit the road at noon on Thursday the 7th, Jon's 37th birthday, after tiring out the children at open gym. We hoped the kids would nap for several hours, staying pleasant until our stop in Santa Fe, where we planned to hang out until bedtime. Then we'd tuck them into their car seats, buy some coffee, and finish the drive. Driving 600 miles in a car is far from Jon's idea of a good time, so I'm very grateful to him for being such a good sport. (Since we celebrate birthmonths, I'll have the chance to make it up to him.)

Jubi did a good job napping, but apparently, Zephyr will no longer nap in the car. Sigh. I think he'll enjoy road trips more once he learns to read. In any case, we made it to Santa Fe and met up with Katie, Peter, and Andrew. We ate dinner at Cowgirl, the restaurant we frequented so often when we lived there that we were known by name, and didn't even have to place our order- our buffalo burger, fries, and Diet Coke would just appear. We've since quit meat and Diet Coke, but Jon relished his birthday basket of fries just the same. Even though it was drizzling, we sat in the semi-covered outdoor children's area- another terrific thing about Cowgirl.

Andrew with "rackey," Zephyr, who won't pose for a picture without making fists, Jubilant Jubilee, and Peter, the one who started it all

Speaking of rain- I had looked at the forecast for Colorado Springs, and noted the possibility of showers. Three kind friends dug through their closets to loan us rain boots for the kids (see above.) So I was prepared, right? Except for one small detail. I didn't bring anything like a jacket- not even a long-sleeved shirt- for any of us. Luckily, Katie was able to outfit the kids and me with warmer gear from her truck clothes box, and our next stop at the Cooley's left us even better prepared.

Thanks for the hats, Sadie and Zeb!

We had a great time at the carfree family's homestead. What, with the bees, chickens, dogs, and a limitless supply of loud musical instruments, wouldn't you? Between Paul's ability to look at life with humorous honesty and Laura's thoughtful path to becoming a healer, I think we could have talked all night. But the road called, and when we saw Jubilee rub her eyes, we regretfully headed out. But first, Zeb wanted to give Zephyr a gift- a superhero cape. And a crime-fighting purse. And a box with glitter in it. And a baggie for the box with glitter in it. And a basket. And thirty-five cents.

Zephyr especially loves the cape. He wore it every night on "crime patrol" at the hotel.

Both kids fell asleep with ease, but Jubilee awakened at regular intervals, and I'd sprawl very awkwardly around her car seat to nurse her back to sleep. Finally, we stopped at 2 am sixty miles outside of Colorado Springs. We were running out of gas, Jon needed a break, and Zephyr had also awakened.

The kids were wide awake. Naturally.

The next morning was an easy drive to our first date with Alyssa, her husband Charles, and their kids, Nathan (about six months older than Zephyr) and Samuel (about three months older than Jubilee.) We met at a Poor Richard's Pizza, which was perfect. Delicious pizza, tasty salads, interesting toys strewn about, and secret hiding places for the kids. We walked to a nearby park afterwards, but it started to rain, cutting our time short. No worries. We'd see each other at the zoo the next morning.

Yes, at this zoo you can actually pet, and feed, the giraffes.
Cool, but Alyssa and I both had a feeling that it just shouldn't be.

We had a great time at the zoo, although, as Chuck pointed out, we didn't really see very many exotics. The kids were far more interested in the merry-go-round, the play area, getting snakes painted on their arms, and the ATV display.

What zoo is complete without one?

The rain chased us away (are you seeing a pattern?) We figured out we had a little bit of time before we were expected at Alyssa's mother's house for dinner, and I remembered hearing about an indoor children's play area at Focus on the Family, which was across the street from our hotel. Zephyr, for some reason, started threatening to leave Jubilee in "Focus on the Family Jail" if she kept kicking in his direction. He even made up a tune for the words "Focus on the Family Jail" which he sang over and over on our way there. I held my breath as he started chatting to the staff member who welcomed us, but luckily, he only told him we would be putting Jubilee in a non-specific jail. I'm sure FOTF jail would be a kinder type of incarceration, but we'll keep Jubilee with us, for now.

We went to Alyssa's mother's house that evening, and really appreciated the home-cooked dinner. By then, the boys were fast friends. Zephyr interviewed both Nathan and Sammy (aka Hit Monster) and recruited both of them for his crime-fighting team. My favorite part of the evening was when we walked through the cool woods to a neighbor's house so the kids could see their horses and goats. They were fascinated, and Alyssa and I had the chance to reminisce. Jubi still says "wanna see goats," at random moments.

Sunday was our last day. We packed up our hotel room and met at Garden of the Gods. We stayed until it started to rain.

Dirt, rocks, little caves to crawl into, and a buddy to share it with.
Who could ask for anything more?

Alyssa and I were equal parts proud and terrified.

In the days leading up to the visit, I wondered if Alyssa and I would have much to talk about. I feel like I don't even remember who I was in high school, so I couldn't begin to guess if I'd still have much in common with someone I hung out with then. But as it turns out, there was nary a pause in conversation. We feel blessed to be stay-at-home moms, and we have similar parenting styles. We both believe in quality over quantity, and we love to cook and bake. We will go to great lengths to recycle, and we could perform a Kindermusik duet at a moment's notice. We both have fond memories of high school, even though it seems cooler to have hated it. We believe in allowing ourselves to age naturally, sans cosmetic enhancements. We are both thrilled to have chosen such great husbands, and are living happy, peaceful, examined lives.

And we'll always have the Indigo Girls

I don't know when, or if, we'll see each other again. We talked about meeting up in a central location with some other friends in a few years to have our own 20-year reunion. Our kids will be weaned by then. In the meantime, I'm content knowing Alyssa is out there, raising smart, aware children, doing her best to make a positive impact in the world.

After parting, we drove back to Santa Fe, where we raided Trader Joe's before going to Mary Lynn and Keith's for a visit. Zephyr and Tecumseh picked up just where they left off, never missing a beat. The kids fell asleep on our way to Albuquerque, where we made a spontaneous change of plans. To heck with work Monday, we'd extend our vacation one more day. We checked into a hotel with a large, clean pool, got a good night's sleep, and swam all Monday morning. We arrived home with a small trace of the post-vacation blues, well-tempered with an invitation for dinner that night, helping us remember just how good our every-day life is. As if we could forget.