Day two...(4/21/07)

I walked around the studio marveling at the eclectic artwork all over the walls. The guys that ran the studio were two of the most interesting characters I've met in a long time. I was immediately at ease and very comfortable with the two Chicagoans! The idea of being in the city was a head rush in itself, but there I was in a recording studio with an amazing mix of people.

After wolfing down the Chicago style hotdogs, enjoying some drinks and getting into a relaxed mode, we listened to some of their music, which was fabulous. "Z" set us up for recording time and the excitement grew. There were three of us that recorded and we were mezmerized as we listened to our playbacks and realizing what it meant to hear ourselves in a professional environment. I can't speak for the others, but for me it was a rush and an experience that I definately want to repeat. The whole experience gave me such a sense of understanding where I want to go with my writing. I realized what another writer's retreat related experience this was that would create change in my life yet again.

We stayed at the studio until about 5:00 a.m. before I punked out and said I just had to sleep. I was exhausted, but hung in there until the absolute moment where I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I spent about 20 minutes looking out of a window at an empty lot and the highway just beyond it. I saw more things out of that window in those 20 minutes than I've seen in years out of my own windows. It was a beautiful thing.

We headed back to the hotel and I crashed on the floor by the hotel room door, a smile on my face and a sense of fullness in my heart. I was looking forward to the road trip to Missouri and as I closed my eyes, I felt a sense of peace and fulfillment in the knowledge that my life was going through yet another metamorphisis. I love them all.

Still day one...(4/20/07)

So, I got to Chicago safely and the flight wasn't too bad. O'Hare is a hurge airport, but I made my way to the shuttle service and paid for my ride to the City (downtown). My arrival was awaited by my fellow travellers at the Intercontinental Hotel and I was definately eager,to get there. After being dropped of at the hotel, the elevator couldn't move fast enough to get me to the 24th floor. As the door was opened and I entered the room, I saw familiar faces along with a couple of new ones. The exhiliration of spending time with old and new friends sent rushes through me.

The plan was to stop for something to eat and then head to the studio to do some recording. I was nervous about that since I read like I have a stick up my butt. Gotta learn to relax. So, eventually with everyone excited about the evening, we headed out for some real Chicago style food. Hot dogs with the fixins'. I'd heard you couldn't get them anywhere else like you could in Chicago. It was really cold, coming from Florida I'm sure my teeth were chattering a bit more than others! We stopped at a roadside and ordered our dogs loaded, then headed to the studio. A guy we'd met, I'll call him Z, was definately an interesting character. He was a free spirit if I've ever seen one. Livin' life like life should be lived, free and doing what he loved to do.

It was pretty late by the time we got to the studio and the people I met there were by far and inspiration to continue crawling out of the box I've been living in for so long. They were real people, with real lives, and more in touch with reality than the people I've had to associate with on a regular basis for so long. It was refreshing to say the least. We commenced wolfing down our hotdogs, which were amazing, and just chatted, getting to know each other. The stress and strain of daily ho-hum, humdrum existence got checked at the door, and I got to be me. How refreshing, liberating, and totally eye opening.

It was well after midnight before we got started with the recording and that was an amazing experience, I'll share in the next posting.

Day one...

The journey has begun. I'm sitting at the Jacksonville Airport just about ready to board my flight to Chicago. The Burger King fish sandwich I just ate is sitting in my stomach like a rock, but the hunger is quenched. I'm so excited. I'm making my last call to work, just to touch base and make sure everything is cool, and then I'm cutting the ties and going off into writer's land. Wow, awesome, no work for ten days.

I'll be posting daily blogs of events that occur about good, good times! I'll post more after I get to Chicago.

A few updates...

Much has transpired since my last entry. On April 12, 13, and into the morning of April 14 I was in Georgia. My journey there served many purposes and had some interesting outcomes. There were several reasons that I wanted to take the trip. Firt and foremost, it was to meet the man behind the words. It was well worth the journey to meet him. He exuded such a radiant light and I immediately felt connected to him. You will see great things come from him and it fills my heart to know he will make a difference.

Secondly, I needed to get back in touch with nature. I've been in the box, in the city for so long, I stopped looking at what was around me. I'm surrounded by nature where I live, but over time it blended into the rest of the scenery around me and I closed my eyes. Though I didn't get to venture into the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp, I felt it's beauty and it's amazing presence. I wanted very much to drift down the river and marvel at what natures provides that so many try to destroy. Circumstances did not bring that about, however the exposure I did get gave me such a sense of peace. It was truely beautiful.

Third, I needed to get away from the familiar surroundings and responsibilities like work, home, being mom, and being discontent. I had a lot of time to think and assess what my life looked like to me. I didn't like what I saw. Changes are taking place as I write these words.

All in all my trip to Georgia was much needed, much appreciated, and very inspiring in many ways.

Tommorow I will be on my way to Missouri with an initial stop in Chicago. I'll be in Missouri for nine days for a writer's convention, though I see it more as a retreat. I've met these other writers in a website called Writers Cafe. It has had a fundamental impact on my life. It's where I met the amazing man I wrote about in the beginning of this blog, it's where I've met some incredible new friends that have become like family, and it's where I learned to spread my wings with my writing. We had the initial gathering in Encino, California in December of 2006, the second in NYC, and now this one in Missouri.

My belief from this artist's heart is that this trip will bring everythng together as it should be. My wings are spread wide and I'm beginning to fly.

An adventure...

I just wanted to jot a quick entry since I'll be out of touch for the next four days. I'm off to what will likely be an amazing adventure. I will be sure and recount the highlights of this trip. I'll be in Georgia on Thursday and Friday and in Palm Harbor on Saturday and Sunday. Whew, a lot of driving, but it's well worth it.

There will be lots of pictures I'm sure and if I can figure out how to post them on the blog, I will be sure and share some of them.

It's been a very stressful week and I'm looking forward to the down time. The best part is that I finally get to meet one of the most amazing people to ever enter my life. That will truely be the highlight of this expedition. The second treat is the idea that I will be surrounded by nature, beauty, and wonder while meandering through the Okefenokee Swamp. Now that's what I call a good time!

I will most likely post on Sunday night to fill you in on the happenings over the next four days.

Time to think while out of touch...

I've had time to digest some things while on hiatus from my male guide. We've spoken regularly for a few months now, and I came to look forward to his emails and occassional phone calls. It was something positive and exciting that made me smile each day. This weekend we've been out of touch and it has caused a pause, time to decipher some things that have been drifting through my mind. I will admit, I miss talking to him, but I have been afforded the time I needed to process this influx of change that has taken such a strong hold on me and my life.

First, let me start by saying, he's an amazing man and overall person. He has played the greatest part in helping me to see my potential in so many different aspects of who I am as a whole. I've learned so many profound and exciting things that will be revealed over time in these blogs. I quiver at the thought of finally meeting him in person, seeing his smile, hearing his words, and spending time revealing myself to him in more ways than I already have. I have the deepest respect and admiration for him. He is one of the few people I have met that lives his dream, makes a difference, and genuinely cares about people. He's what I would term a "humanitarian."

The human spirit in most people is fleeting at best, which is a sad thing, but he has a spirit that shines through the universe and lands at my doorstep. Each time he appears, another door opens and another revelation takes hold. There is no greater gift than the sharing of ideas, dreams, emotions, and the merging of two minds that think so much alike. I'm thankful each day...each day.

Exciting Times!

I'm processing thoughts at lightening speed this evening. I started writing a spoken word piece, as I was inspired by watching Def Poetry jam performances on YouTube, and found myself staring at an empty screen. I say empty in the sense that I wrote three stanzas, and as far as I was concerned, the page was still blank. I've been fighting the obvious message that there has to be a departure from the familiar, be it for a short time, or permanently, there are more important outlets for my work. The problem is, I don't know what they are, but I'm "allowing" so it will come to me. I'm doing something I've had a hard time doing in the past, and that is, letting go of the need to control what direction my life takes and just going where it takes me.

Funny how this works...I understand there needs to be a change, and I feel that what my next level of writing should be is hovering just on the periphery where I can't grab it yet. So, here I am, ready to take the plunge and have no idea what to plunge into. With each day that passes it gets a little closer to the forefront and should surface very soon.

There are three very powerful influneces going on, one of them being me, that are opening doors in my mind sure to create profound changes. This is an exciting time.