You know that song in Sound of Music, where Maria is standing there in the pavillion with Captain Von Trapp (why, hello there), and they sing that song “Something Good?” So, I hated that song as a kid – totally loathed it. Wanted to skip it, and I thought that Julie Andrews had really weird posture. Well, the point of the song is that things are so good that she feels like at some point in her “wicked childhood” she must have done something good to deserve this fantastic moment. I feel a little like that right now. NOTE: Captain Von Trapp isn’t at my door – this is not a love thing. But I am just – feeling like at some point, I must have done something right (without knowing it, believe me) because this weekend was so good to me. NOTE #2: Captain Von Trapp is welcome to stop by at any time.

This weekend – because there was a fair amount going on, I was concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to give people the energy that I wanted to. But I am here to tell you that, in spite of some shaky times last night in SLC, where I was fairly sure that I was going to throw up and/or pass out, it went well. Let me list the reasons why:

1. Old friends visiting. My gosh. I love them, and I wish they lived closer. LA is ridiculously far away.

2. SPARK! – Spark was a creative event for women – I went with a bunch of my fellow designers from work, and it was inspiring and fantastic. I have so many pictures (400 between camera and phone – in two days!), and I learned so much. I loved all of it, but my absolute favorite was the photography class that Jefra Starr Linn taught. Jefra is a total rockstar.

3. The Salt Lake City temple.

4. Someone else driving my car (thank you, Tyler) and getting me home in record time without making me anxious even once. Plus, I didn’t throw up or pass out!

5. Fantastic dinner parties. I frickin’ love people. It’s officially a weekly thing now, and this week, it’s finally time for the big Asian dinner. I think I’m ready. Hello, potstickers.

6. Ghost stories told in the voice of John Wayne. Who knew ghosts were so technologically savvy? (Perhaps you had to be there.)

7. Speaking of voices, Carlyn’s voice is back! She had a cold and lost her voice. But it’s returned, and thankfully she no longer sounds like a weepy 5 year old. I have less to tease her about, but it’s nice to have her back.

8. Leftovers. When I’m anxious, certain parts of me just shut down. Like, I can’t sing. Or whistle. Or oddly enough, taste things. So, this sounds tragic, but I’ll have people over for dinner, and I have to trust to a certain extent that what I’m making tastes good, because I’m at just the right amount of anxious that I have no perspective on the finite details of how something tastes. So, people will arrive, and eat their dinners, and I will push around my food, and enjoy their company, and have a great time. And I LOVE it. But generally around ten o’clock, when everyone has left, and the kitchen is almost back to normal, I’ll wander in, and grab a small plate and taste everything to see how it really turned out. Tonight, after I got home, I snagged a little bit of the leftover chicken and dumplings from dinner – and it was so, so good. Thank heaven.

9. I know already mentioned Jefra’s photography class, but I just have to put the entire category of Photography on the plate. So. Much. Fun. It’s like a drug and I am loving it.

10. Old friends – begin and end with the best, I guess. I was surprised at how relieved I was when Heather picked up the phone finally tonight, and told me that no, she wasn’t dead, her phone was just on silent from church earlier. And that yes, she wanted to go for a drive.