Remember when I almost didn't apply to school here?

So, what does one do when it's 3:20 a.m. and she's still awake?

Well, one option is to catch up on some blog posts.

What shall we write about at this fine hour, eh?

Ah. I could tell you about my Tour of Missouri.

It had been my plan to travel to LA around this time, to get a sufficient break between my summer class and--

deep breath oh my goodness it's about to start all over again--

the fall semester.

I needed not only a break in mere days off, but also a mental break. And not just a sorta break. A real break.

And the beach--with its monotonous waves that curl and slosh, then kind of sizzle after they finish their crest and turn into foamy crawlers that halfheartedly race up the shore,

and its sand, that sticks to your wet skin (and yes, I love that, and no it does not annoy or make me frustrated that things are not perfectly clean and granule-free),

and its sun, that slowly warms you after you've been in the surf, then gradually returns you back to a temperature that eventually requires another dip in the tide

--that beach has been known to give me quite the mental break.

But I decided at some point along the way that such a trip would require dollars that perhaps I should not--or don't even necessarily have, to--spend.

So I'm hanging out in MO. The affordable, quite toasty alternative.

Last week I drove to Branson, and enjoyed the lush trees covering huge hills, as I patted my dashboard and encouraged my little car to make it to the top of each climb. I spent about 72 hours with three people who I've known a very long time, and one who is newer to my life, makes my girl Corie quite happy, and does a hilarious Forrest Gump impression to boot.

For two days we took the boat out on the lake, anchored, jumped in with life jackets (worn stylishly as "diapers"), and enjoyed Bud Light and Amber Bock in the water. We held onto a rope that was attached to the boat so we wouldn't drift. Positioned in our infantile outfits, with our juvenile tethering devices, our conversations drifted between adult ones and "Beer me!" whenever someone ventured briefly back onto the boat.

Then a fresh Bud would sail out, plop in the water, and one would refresh his or her coozie.

Pretty fantastic alternative to the beach if you gotta skip the beach.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for "the cape," Cape Girardeau, to see some other peeps I love. I plan to be spoiled, take it easy, and uh...yep that covers it.

The last time I was there was for the wedding of the couple who I'll be visiting, and while I was there for only a short time I recall the Mississippi looked lovely right before their ceremony, so I'm planning on enjoying some more natural

Missouri

beauty this weekend. And also looking forward to the drive.

In the meantime I need to get some rest. But my bod's not having that yet. I really was sleeping at a closer-to-normal hour as of late, but a late morning, no workout and a fair amount of caffeine today--plus excitement for my vacay, duh!--is probably not a great recipe for zzzz's.

All righty, holla at y'all lata.

(Missouri) Smooches!