busy busy, road trip, good stuff

Hey, so guess what? I'm busy. Big surprise there. 

So, my life is split between rehearsing, performing, unloading and loading vans that break (two last week alone), learning lines, walking scout, Quaker-ing, hanging out at home, and spending time with my b-b-b-b-boy friend. Yep, kids after a month or so we've made it official. Mr. Narvaez is my bf. 

So, for all of you waiting with baited breath: He's 27. Ecuadorian born, Miami raised. Did undergrad in Communication and Peace Studies with a minor in Women's studies at Loyola in Chicago. Did Americorps teaching ESL in Portland and is now in Oregon Tech's Sustainable Engineering program. He wants start a green non-profit training low-income people of color in practical skills to become certified in green building techniques so that they can enter the green revolution aaaand pull themselves out of poverty. He's interned at Green for All, and Van Jones even offered him a job. But besides all that, he's a man. He's got his shit together, knows what he wants, and has like, emotional boundaries and can communicate. He makes me feel like I'm sacred and beautiful and worthwhile. He's brilliant, but can be silly and snuggles like a champ. Did I mention that he's really cute? Swoon. And he's teaching me Spanish. Me gusta bailar!

So, other than being crazy busy with work and totally falling for a great guy, I'm planning the most epic of all epic road trips. It includes visiting all people and places I've neglected in recent months/years as well as 2 puppetry conferences/festivals. And all in less than 2 months! The itinerary has been through many phases and is by no means complete but as of now, I'll be driving Dave's car to the cabin and then flying home. Here's what I've got so far:

Leaving in early June take a couple of days to get to Yellowstone. Spend a couple of days exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Pull the long haul across South Dakota and Iowa. Enter Illinois from the south, visiting James and Erica Wagoner (hs drama teacher and wife). Then into Chicago to visit Meghan from B&P as well as Joe's friends if he comes with. Then across to Waterbury Connecticut for the O'neil Puppetry Conference (June 13-21). Then up to Vermont so that Joe can visit UVM (for the other master's program he's interested in) and over for a day or so at Bread and Puppet in Glover. From there down to NJ to visit Linda. Hop on the train for a couple of days in NYC to visit LJ+Dave as well as college/hs friends (Buck, Betsy, etc.) Then down the east coast stopping for a couple of days at the cabin (and meeting up with Helen in NC?) before continuing onto Athens (Megan Louise, Lauren, Matt Weeks, etc.) then Atlanta (Nina, Gaelyn, Pops, GA Grands parents, etc.). Then there's the National Puppet fest in Atlanta July 14-19. After that I'll drop the car at the cabin and somehow make it back to Atlanta to fly to Austin (visiting with the Hollingsworth clan/checking out cool places to maybe potentially perhaps live someday), and flying back to Portland sometime in Late July. Phew!

That is all. My life is happy and full and moving forward at the speed of light. Hope to see you this summer!