> friday love note of thanks

Good Morning All,

I am awake and I really mean to still be sleeping at this time today.  It’s not even light out yet.  Alas. (Friends with small children, I know you are rolling your eyes at me.)  Probably too many pre-trip, computer crashing, all-details-not-quite-sorted pieces of data jumbling around in my poor head.

It’s a good time to stop jumbling and write this note, which is a

huge THANK YOU~thank you~THANK YOU~thank you~

thank you family, thank you friends, thank you

to everyone who’s hosted me these past couple months, who’s bought me a drink or dinner, who was excited to see me and gave me a big hug, who gave me work to do, who worked with me with competence and wisdom, who helped take care of the cute dog Skye, who made me laugh, who tackled to to do list at the house with me, who felt devastated with me and sent love to the family of my dear friend Eva over the past week and in the coming weeks and years, who went to see Louis C.K. with me (!) and all those who are now putting up with my verydistractedness.

Thank you.

Tonight Chakra Khan will be open for the Ivy Arts Fest from 6-9. Come on over, see all the fun randomness in the building and give me a hug. Buy some art. Eat and drink and ride the freight elevator for fun, if you are so inclined. :-).  Chakra Khan is so lovely and it’s hard to leave the space and my great and inspirational pals, Jesse and Karen.

Monday the Minneapolis Blooma opens.  (The streamlined website we’ve been working on debuts as well.)  It’s going to be amazing.  I’m not exaggerating.  We’ve been pouring our heart and souls and tears and sweat and keyboard-tapping hours into this project, as well as the St. Paul Blooma which opens in a month. And its not just, “Oh we worked hard, we put in time.”  Its also, “We’ve learned a few things in five years, we’re making this even better!”  I hope you get to see it sometime.  The vision of Blooma, hatched from the heart of my friend, teacher-of-life, co-conspirator-and-man-do-we-learn-a-lot-as-we-go, Sarah Longacre, is so good.  So good. (They’re having a grand opening and 5th birthday party on the 20th from 1-5pm, along with the Lyndale bridge re-opening, check it out and tell me about it!)

I have this giant suitcase in the other room that I think weighs 90 pounds. Perhaps it’s time for me to get up and start sorting again. . . Gotta remember, in all these tiny hassles, medium-sized ones, and also the super-sad unbelievable events of life, gotta remember I’ve got lots of love at my back.

Thanks everyone.  I mean it.  So much.  It’s been an awesome time here.

love to you and you and you and you and you. all your hearts.

(oh–i took a short break from the nonsense yesterday and got a small tattoo, a little bit of protection, a little bit of reminder–they were playing john denver and as the tattooer began his work,”leaving on a jet plane” came on. seemed appropriate.)