where's the fairy godmother when you need her?

i think i understand, a little, how cinderella must have felt in those hours after the clock struck twelve. how, in the early morning after the ball, having awakened to life's delicious possibilities, catching a glimpse of happiness up ahead and running as fast as she could to keep up with it, the wheels came off the pumpkin. she was back, too soon, to real life, the past striking out at the potential (but by no means negating it).

i know, because last night was my first 'girls night' out in california. it was nothing i'd expected and everything i could have wanted. lovely new girlfriends, boy scouts and laughter; hand warmers, big words and oddly pleasureable conversations ... and somewhere in the midst, there were cocktails, a corn dog and lots and lots of dancing (can there ever be enough?).

but with morning came the inevitable blast of reality, the wheels - literally- coming off the pumpkin and shattering any ideas i had about the day. (no matter how freakishly strong i may be, i am no match for lug nuts secured by pneumatic drill.)

it's helping me remember, though, that even when the days rock me in too many ways, everything i live my way into will be exactly what i need for my strength in my future. i can never know what lies ahead and it's the 'not knowing' that is the real adventure.

i'm pretty sure my story is going to be a good one. a happy beginning with no end in sight.

(p.s. emilie and meg - thank you! you sure know how to show a girl a good time.)