To every beginning there is an end. The party is over. The toys have been bought and are neatly bundled in cases for storage. We dimmed the lights, took down the "Welcome" banner, rolled up the red carpet (kitchen towel) and threw away the dead flowers. The chocolate has been consumed and the suit cases packed with treasures. Minadala and Hansgirl said their goodbyes, hugged, kissed and departed their separate ways. Is this really goodbye or the end? Not really. It is only the beginning of an everlasting friendship...

My mother told me last night that I should pay my respect to Hansgirl and send her a thank you email or card for opening her house, family and heart to me. I pondered for a moment and simply replied back to my mother by saying, "I can do better than that. I can post a blog of my appreciation to her for opening up her home to a complete stranger."

During my short visit with Hansgirl in Houston, Texas, we managed to cover as much territory as we possibly could:

We managed to wipe out all "Mart" stores of Star Wars toys at 1:00 am in the morning.

We managed to cry, laugh, be sad, happy and be angry together.

We managed to eat real good food. Holy cow, did I tell you Hansgirl is one hell of a cook?

We managed to stay up till all odds of the night, blogging.

We managed to play Star Wars Trivia, which the Queen won. I also managed to come up with some interesting new names for "things" in the Star Wars world. Luke's X-Wing is now called X-14. Don't ask.

We managed to drive all over Houston. I managed to take naps most of the way.

We managed to visit Daarth Luuke, a blogging friend, and steal a kiss from him.

We managed to visit a Renaissance Festival, dress like wenches, pose with a friend, see the DED Bob show, drool over a few Knights or two in armor, listen to a Scottish pipe band, hear some nasty jokes from two bar wenches and view the festival's exit from a rodent's point of view. The costumes you see before you were hand made by Hansgirl. And, yes, they are authentic.

We managed to exchange gifts to each other. Hansgirl is so talented. Take a look-see at my shoes, which were a gift from her.

And we managed to get me, Minadala, a UVB tattoo with a Serenity kanji symbol and the Jedi symbol for Luke's Legacy era. Did I tell you I love LUKE? Let's not forget that Hansgirl had the Falcon tattooed on her forearm in UVB ink.

Overall, the trip was a blast and I miss Hansgirl. Never fear bloggers, I take great pleasure knowing that our paths will cross again very soon. In the fact, we will be bunking together at C4. From the bottom of my heart Hansgirl, thank you for sharing your home and taking a leap of faith with me.

What's that? Where are the pictures of me? I so love to tease you. Without further ado, let me unveil the pictures of Minadala for you:

A wench, I am. Don't know who the beefeater is with me. By the way, that corset you see me wearing did not allow for me to breathe, eat, sit, walk, and go to the restroom, talk or anything else that required movement. The only thing I could do was stand still and listen to Hansgirl tell me to take shallow breaths so as to avoid from turning blue. Let me clear the air on one myth; NO THEY do NOT jiggle or move. As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING gets pushed inward towards your spinal cord. That's all I've got to say about that.

Dear Minadala...Maybe I should apply for the "Dear Abby" job.

Did I show you a picture of my future husband?

Let's not forget Darth Furball. Be careful, she has been known to throw up furballs that span the distance of the four (4) football fields.

Letting go of inhibitions feels so good.

May the Snarkiness be with you, always.