It's a great feeling to be able to go to bed early! Ben and I went to bed by 9pm. And, Trip was a pretty good kitty last night. Thank goodness!

This morning I am going to attempt to accomplish everything on my list of things to do today. Wish me luck; it's a fairly long list. Ok, it's not really that long... I just need to stay focused and get it done.

Two days ago, a girl I knew in Jr. High emailed me. I hadn't heard from her since 8th grade. She got my address from the classmates.com message boards. I think it's really neat to contact people from your past.

Last year, I went searching for my best friend, Melissa. She and I were practically inseparable 7th, 8th and 9th grades. We unfortunately lost contact after that. Then, in June 2000, I was able to track her down through that same website. We email and IM each other regularly.

Yesterday we were "laughing" through emails back and forth recalling various memories of Jr. High. She was in my 8th grade science class and apparently she says that one day we set our rubber stopper on fire during wood vapor condensation experiment. We had set the flame too high on our bunsen burner and that's how the rubber stopper got set on fire. Of course, I have no recollection of this particular memory.

I do, however, remember how she and I made up our own secret code to write notes back and forth in Mrs. Quinn's English class. I still have the code written down in one of my diaries that are safely tucked away in my storage unit. I also remember reading V.C. Andrews books with her. We would each get a copy of the same book and read it separately, but discuss it either at lunch or through our notes in English class. It was like a soap opera for us... "Can you believe what he did in Chapter 5?" That sort of thing. :-)

It was titillating for us to read the Heaven series of the V.C. Andrews books. In the second book in the series, the lead character, Heaven Leigh, falls for a man named Troy. Troy is a mysterious man whose tiny cottage is at the end of an underground tower. Troy falls madly in love with Heaven and they make love. I remember reading that book and my heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and my stomach was quivering. Oh, the joys of adolescence.

Now, unfortunately I'm sure that I could read the same book and it not stir up so much emotion. Of course, I'm a grown woman and have actually experienced the making love part of life! :-)

(shhhhhhhh....don't tell anyone, though! My mom still thinks I'm a virgin!)

HA HA HA HA HA!!! j/k!

I think this entry has inspired me to go to the book store today and find a good novel to dig into when I finish my To Do List. If anyone can recommend an excellent fiction novel to me, PLEASE email me!!!

The last reallllllly good book that I read was when I was basking in the warmth of the Caribbean sun down in St. Thomas. The book was Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. I highly recommend this book. It took me only 3 days to read the entire 4 or 500 pages. :-) I just couldn't put it down. I love books like that.

Books kick ass!!! ;-)

Thought of The Day: "I think it is all a matter of love: the more you love a memory, the stronger and stranger it is."--Vladimir Nabokov, Strong Opinions

Until next time... peace, love, reading & HEALTH!!!