Adventures, Misadventures , Reflections and Profanity

I have come to learn that this thing we call grief is really just love. It is love for the person we have lost, but we can no longer give to that person because they are no longer with us. All of the unspent love gathers in our eyes and pours forth as tears. It collects in our chest to form that hard, painful lump that makes it hard to breathe. It gathers in our throats and makes our voice catch all hard and sharp when we speak about them. We don't stop loving someone when they die. If we did, there would be no such thing as grief. That love turns to longing and that longing turns to pain when it cannot be satisfied because the thing we are longing for is the return of the person whom we miss so terribly. Some days I am OK. I can go one entire day now without crying, without feeling sorry for myself, without experiencing that crushing feeling of despair, and that is progress. But then there are so many more days that are like today. The grief is too much and it rises in my ches...

Well, I made it back from our trip across Nevada and back again. It was a journey, that much is true. It started with a drive from Las Vegas to Reno early last Friday morning. the nearly 500 miles long road trip takes about 8 hours to complete and by mid-afternoon, we were sitting in my sister's living room in down town Reno, unloading our things from the car and getting ready to head over to Sparks to take in the sights of their Friday night Hot August Nights celebration. If you don't know what Hot August Nights is, check it out here: https://hotaugustnights.net/ It is the largest gathering of classic cars in the world and it takes place each year in the month of August in the Reno/Sparks area. If you're into American muscle, this is definitely your scene. Our plan was to see the parade in Sparks on Friday night, then check out the happenings in Reno on Saturday night. We did manage to accomplish both of these goals quite handily and I was thrilled to see so many wond...