l I'm back, miss me? l

| September 07, 2004 || 5:40 p.m. |

I just got back yesterday from the best vacation I have ever taken. Suisse is the only partner that I have ever gone on trips like this with. I mean real vacations. It seemed to me that our relationship grew even closer as well. None of the issues I was originally worried about even happened. You know you have a solid relationship when you can spend hours on end in a car together with silence [when we were tired of music]. I didn't drive as much as I thought I should but he wanted me to be able to see everything since it was my first time seeing everything sans the Grand Canyon.

The GC wasn't the main attraction, our first overnight was spent in Noodles I think. We only drove 5 1/2 hours the first night since we had left around 4PM. He woke up around 7AM so we could head out. It rained a little bit while at GC but it didn't deter us from hiking down a bit & taking a nice picnic. The weekend seemed to last forever, neither one of us wanted it to end. We made it all the way to Lake Powell by Friday night, did some shopping at Wally-Wally & then found a quaint local steak house for dinner. The salad & soup bar was something to be afraid of but my filet was huge & Suisse's Rainbow Trout w/ almonds was amazing as well. We were surprised with a beautiful thunder, lightning & rain storm that night too. I was loving it. Don't get much of that here in California.

Suisse had so much fun telling me all about the areas we were seeing, sharing with me the times he had taken his family there & taking me to all of his favorite spots. I bought a nice cute summer dress at the Wahweap Marina there at Glen Canyon/Lake Powell; for $18 bucks it was a steal. We bought the National Park Pass which not only saved us tons of money visiting all the Nat'l Parks but it is good until the end of September 2005! Either one of us can use it & it doesn't matter who we bring as long as one of us is in the car.

Saturday night we made it through the Navajo Trail @ Bryce Canyon [his favorite Cyn] & then toured Zion Canyon is the dark by car. Zion was breathtaking even though all I saw was the silhouette of the enormous rocks & gorges. Being able to see the stars so clearly and completely overwhelmed with the entire Zion experience I cried silently to myself. Suisse told me that we'd come back soon, stay at a bed & breakfast there in Zion & explore the rivers, Angel's Canyon there too. I can't wait. He saw how much Zion affected me & gawd I love that man.

We decided to push on to Mesquite; not that we were in any hurry to get closer to home but we wanted to do some gambling! He asked my suggestion as to what hotel to stay at & so we were at Casablanca. Funny but I've never seen the movie. He was the only one to gamble that night & didn't have much luck. I played a couple hands of 21 with him but once I lost his money I just went to the room to sleep. I was so damn exhausted. Saturday had been the longest day of exploring & the most physical.

The next morning we both slept in until 10AM, he had me call to see if we could have the room another night so we didn't have to move. Thankfully it worked out perfectly. Suisse told me to call the Spa to see if I could get an appointment too! He said whatever I wanted to get just to charge it to the room. He even walked me over to the Spa & again told me that if anything came up that I wanted or needed to charge it to the room. It threw me back at first but now I am realizing that our relationship is progressing even more. For instance Sunday night after I enjoyed a deep tissue massage, the eucalyptus steam room & the mineral pools [both hot but one even hotter] I surprised him at the 21 table he was sitting at. I played & man did I play well! We were both kicking some serious booty & winning loot! The dealer we favored asked Suisse if I was the wife, Suisse said "No, Girlfriend", then the dealer smiled & said "Future wife?".... Suisse said "Yes, probably". Hmm... I like the sound of that. I didn't bring it up at all. He knows I heard it & I think it best not to say anything. We will get there in time.

Before retiring for the night we hit the slots. I've never been a big slot fan but I was hitting so many jackpots! Nothing HUGE but I put in $5.00 on a 21 machine & won $45 bucks, moved to a slot machine near by & again won another 50. We tried Keno, laughed our asses off about it. Joking that we needed to be pros cause we'd be playing that like crazy once we were in our 70's. We did not stop laughing at all, it was just too wonderful yet all true.

I didn't want to leave the next morning yet we had to. Traffic wasn't too bad getting into Vegas but it did slow around the state line, which was to be expected so we stopped @ Primm Casino for the Buffet & a little gambling. NOTE TO ALL FUTURE PRIMM CASINO VISTORS Do not eat at the Green Buffet. We sat, I went through two plates & still no one had come by to get our drink order. Suisse walked twice over to the kitchen area where the servers were congregating & they were nothing but rude to him. We ended up having the entire section in our area complaining for us to everyone. Talk about ridiculous! We finally just left to get free drinks while we gambled. I guess since the buffet is so damn cheap they figure they don't need to do their jobs. We hit luck at the slots [me at least] but we both did poorly at 21. I lost 40 bucks & he lost a bit too but won it back when roulette hit is number. I never new how much you won when you bet on one number & it wins. Sweet. But not my cup of tea. Since the 21 went kind of south we decided to hit the road even though it was only 1 o'clock & traffic would still be horrible - it was either face traffic or face losing more money waiting to get into more traffic later. Thankfully we did decided that cause traffic wasn't anything like we expected it to be. We actually got home around 6PM which if anyone here has even driven home from Vegas on either the last day of a holiday weekend or a Sunday knows that it can take anywhere from 8-10 hours for the normal 4-4 1/2 hour drive.

I was so nice to be home & sleep in our own bed. I am here in Tustin today & tomorrow so I just slept in until he got up then headed home to change for work. He walked me to my car gave me a huge hug & said "Well back to reality, I guess we have to, have a great day at work. Talk to you later." My mom flies in tonight so I am not expecting to go to his house again. Who knows he might call me but if he doesn't I am going home to start laundry & wait for my mom to get to here hotel so I can swing by to say hi. I told him that Wednesday would more then likely be a dinner night w/ them so he knows that. I think it's good that I just give him a night alone & take one for myself. It's been about two weeks since I've spent the night at my own place and at this rate... maybe I won't have my own place for much longer. No promises & setting up no expectations. Hope baby, hope, faith & love. We all ready decided where we are going to potentially move to in a few years or sooner if he has his way & we can find the jobs - Kanab. Not a huge fan of Utah but there is so much beauty there. I was blown away, plus it's his favorite little town ever. Go figure.

I know I missed you J this weekend but I hope you understand. I'll definitely meet up with you when you are out here next or who knows we might drive out east for a new trip!

Today's scope~ You are like an ocean: turbulent on the surface, yet quiet and still underneath. Curiosity and friendship are just as important in a relationship as more physical aspects. Chat about news, new ideas and the future to bring you closer together. Today you are quick, full of energy and a fountain of expression. Many options are open to you. Your thoughts can bridge the gaps that others will barely consider. So you may find yourself in the role of interpreter or peacemaker for the time being. You can perform that task rather well -- perhaps much better than anybody else in your immediate circle. One caveat, however: Make sure that all the negotiations don't leave you drained. You need to take care of yourself as much as you take care of others.

This weeks love scope~ What's new in your love life? If the answer is 'Not much,' you can change that big-time at the beginning of this week. The stars say that if you put just a little something out there, you'll reap all sorts of interesting rewards -- so communicate your innermost feelings and watch what happens. Then from Wednesday through Friday, you find satisfaction in sticking with what works, incorporating your brand-new attitude into your nicely balanced routine. Saturday and Sunday both look lovely for love, with the accent on hope and creativity.