Nicki's here!

Guess what??? I've got good news and bad news.

First, the good news is that Nicki is here! She came late Friday evening and will be here the whole week, till next Monday when she has to go back to school. So that means she'll probably be at our party, too.

The bad news is she brought her 2 dogs with her. I'm allergic to practically anything with fur, but she says she couldn't be a week without either of her dogs.

Well, here's what she's been up to since leaving last November. She broke her neck in a skiing accident and spent 2 weeks in the hospital. She's now volunteering at an animal shelter in her hometown and her family is still training service dogs and raising pigs, and there's also a slew of horses at their ranch.

Nicki, of course, is my cousin. Our mothers were identical twin sisters, and we both have freckles and blue eyes. But that's where the similarities end. She's much prettier, in my opinion, with this gorgeous curly hair that hangs down her back. Mine kind of limps, especially when it's humid. And then it sits in this weird flip I can't do anything with. Sometimes I like the flip but not all the time.

I talked to Nicki's mom, Aunt Joan, over the phone. It was a real treat hearing her voice. Adam (Nicki's younger brother) and her twin sisters are doing well. I'm considering a stop at the ranch this summer.

When Harriet saw Nicki again, she gave her a hearty hug. When I remembered them, they didn't exactly get along, so for me this was a treat. Not that they were fighting or anything, they were cordial, but they just didn't 'get' each other. Nicki was also surprised to see Harriet's 'do and thought it suited her.

I introduced Nicki to the new friends I'd made since she left last November. She met Kristy and Hilary, but she hadn't met Katarina as she went back to Germany (where she was born) for the holiday. Nicki said Kristy reminded her of her friend Kris back home in Colorado.

"She's pretty," Kristy commented, within earshot of me.

Then Nicki's dog Toto jumped on top of Kristy. Lucky Kristy didn't seem to mind, but Nicki was mortified!

As for my party plans, I haven't really finalized the date yet as I'm still trying to get everything together. Vee says we could use the living room but I'm thinking if it's a really good day we could try to do it outdoors. Like a picnic or something, not a 'party.' I'm thinking Nicki would like that a lot. Of course, she could try to take back her short set... but she's not getting it back ;-)

Mom hasn't called back since last week. Hearing from her again was a shock, and now I really don't know what to think. Maybe she changed her mind about coming?