west texas rains.

Well, here I am on the day after our Nation's birthday. It has, yet again, been a while since I shared of my life with my viewers here on the blog. Right now is a good moment: I am sitting on my porch with a mug of steaming joe. Mom is next to me. We are watching the rains fall down, the lightning illuminate the morning sky, and hearing the fresh sound of water falling on cement, gravel, the roof. In the soundtrack of my life, these moments wouldn't need a song playing. The sounds of the rain and thunder and people stirring in the house are much more descriptive and satisfactory than a song - even a really good song. Yesterday our country had their 223 birthday - Happy Birthday America! How great is it to know that even after all the corruption and problems the USA has had, we still come together to celebrate, and celebrate IN STYLE, the marking of our new nation.

So, since the last post, a lot has happened. Hannah, John, and I went to Balmorhea last weekend and then continued on out to Pecos for the West of the Pecos Rodeo - the original by the way. We stayed the night in Pecos and from there Hannah left our summer out west to return home and get stuff done. My plan was to drive back to Marfa with John and then spend the day working out and being positively lazy. Wrong. We made a side-trip to...the Alpine ER! Yes, that's right - and what a pair we make. Hannah headed home on Sunday and John and I made a 25 mile detour to take him to the nearest ER because his ear had been bothering him. That's an understatement - his ear, yes, bothered him but he also spent the night with it bleeding excessively and with intense pain. So, we figured that, no, we weren't just being overdramatic like we tend to be and, yes, this would be a good moment to go on a hospital adventure together. Well, as John was enduring a fuzzy ear that leaked ear goo, I was freaking about a new "mole" on the side of my neck. It had just sprung up within the last 48 hours, grown, started to bleed and hurt - basically it was looking grim for me. In the ridiculous and often times overdramatic mind of Abby Cobb, I just knew that this mole would soon spread cancer to my brain and I would be dead by August. I wish I was joking about this rational I created but, yes, I saw myself living only a few more months. It wasn't until after we were told by the ER doctor that John had a perforated eardrum (note to self: do NOT go rock diving in a 25 ft. pool...) and would be fine with some antiobiotics that I really allowed myself to freak out. I had a good 5 minutes of freaking out over my new mole when John piped in "you didnt happen to burn yourself with a curling iron"...Wow. Talk about a moment with many emotions: relief, embarrassement, confusion, laughter, awareness. I DID burn myself on Friday morning! So much had happened since then that it totally slipped my mind I suppose. The relief of the situation brought true tears to my eyes - I won't be dying from a mysterious mole anytime soon! Another note to self: do not take Grey's Anatomy episodes too close to heart - they only feed medical freakouts like this most recent one.

What a pair John and I make! Him with a fuzzy and burst eardrum, me freaking out over nothing. We both looked like a million bucks too, I'm sure - no makeup, tired from sleepless nights, fear all over our faces. Thank God our first ER experiences were so mild.

Hannah's departure left me with a dilemma: what to do after work without my partner in crime?? You would think that being all alone at the house would lead to many movies watched, some serious progress on my book, finally finishing "Gone With the Wind"...NAH. I have now found my social scene in Marfa and nothing will get accomplished from here on out. I have things to do, people to see. For a good week, I did not get to go to bed before midnight - an actual shock to my system. I have now finally caught up on my sleep but, let me tell you, when 2:00pm rolls around at work, I start feeling my "late night" from the night before...it's rough. I spent most of my evenings sitting with coworkers at the bar/restaurant in the hotel, Jett's. I love to just sit there and chat with Vicki and Rose, the bartender Jose, any new faces joining us at the bar. I have a tonic with lime, or sometimes Jose will experiment with a new virgin cocktail for me. After the bar "closes", we will stay with Jose while he wraps things up. There was game night on Tuesday, live music at the courtyard on Monday, movie night with Mitch on Wednesday night - SO MUCH TO DO. I couldn't be any happier than I am now. Vicki and I have begun to lament the day I leave for Lubbock - what a sad moment that will be. Jett's is the local scene I have always loved about J&B in Lubbock - only at Jett's I WORK there and know everyone. Marfa is where my heart will forever remain. I have found a kindred spirit in my boss, of all people, and we text on a regular basis. Rose and I have many chats over many topics - all our chats are delightful and eye-opening. I have learned much about myself and other people - how we all relate to each other.

There is a quick wrap up on my last few days here. All is well, school and Camp Meeting are right around the corner and, yet, I would be happy with a few more weeks before then. I just am not ready to leave so I will utilize my last month as best as possible.