July
The place: Andersonville, Georgia
The peeps: me, mostly. :-) But also Amy, Jaime, Tiffany
The pics: https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150228490286630.318398.654896629&type=1
July was a rather interesting month. It had a bunch of ups: it was this month that I met new friends Jaime and Chris through a renewed friendship with dear Amy. I'd see them all much more in the next half of the year, something I didn't know would ever happen at that time as we laughingly dodged raindrops on the front porch of a Fourth of July party, chanting: "we've got the food!" "but we've got the beer!"
But I also did a lot on my own this month. I love history, read anything I can get my hands on about the American Civil War, love my country and its military, and finally went back down to Andersonville to take photos I never had the previous two times I've been. There is something about this place that's always been incredibly powerful to me. It has an amazing POW-MIA museum and you're free to walk the grounds that was once a POW camp during the war.
On the way home, I also got to visit with my friend Tiffany for an evening ("you can wait for me at this bar I'm afraid to go into, okay?") and go to "church" (aka, the pool) the next day with her friends. It made me realize: between her and Amy, I was very blessed this month. Friends were introducing me to their friends, too. I finally felt, after so many years away from "the city," that I was not only having to go out and meet folks on my own; others were including me in their groups again. And it was a month full of joy.
August
The place: Atlanta and Gainesville, Georgia
The peeps: Jennifer, Hilary, Tiffany, Penny, Brandy, Mary, Amy, Jaime, Dan, Craig, Carla (and oh so many others!)
The pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150266487581630.329637.654896629&type=1&l=b472db1d20
My Big 4-0!
I was so incredibly humbled and touched with my girlfriend Jennifer (she who rescued me back in Part 1: April) asked me what I was doing for my birthday this year, knowing it was one of the "Big 'Uns." I really had no plans, but she wasn't having that: she planned a party for me up at her house where my friends I met when I lived up there were easily able to attend. Miss Tiffany came up from Macon and I carried her (lookit me being Southern) and Hilary up from the city (yo) to celebrate with the best girlfriends a girl could have that Friday night late in August. I have no idea how blessed I am to have Jennifer in my life, but I surely am not going to question it. She's one of them angels on earth, folks.
The night before was my actual birthday and on that day my "city" friends came over to help me celebrate after work (yes, I was smart enough to take a PTO day from work the next day). Long-time friends and new ones all came by to share some drinks and laughs and gifts and surprise pizza-orders and the best birthday dessert ever: Phish food ice cream with candles in it. Oh, and a talking bacon.
September
The place: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The peeps: family! and dear friends Carrie, Kimmay, Zippy, Kevin
The pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150275824916630.332163.654896629&type=1&l=8950f4456a
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150285085766630.334143.654896629&type=1&l=3804b23d7d
My company holds three trade shows a year: at the end of August, there was one in Chicago and I worked my butt off (oh, I wish literally) at it. Thankfully, my colleagues actually realized that I did, because it's always nice to be appreciated at your job. When the conference ended, I took some vacation time, shuttled to the airport and hopped on a bus out of O'Hare to head up to Milwaukee to visit my family and friends.
The first blessing was being able to meet my new nephew Ethan, born not but 3 weeks before. I also got to see my other niece and nephew I hadn't seen in a couple years and a new nephew I had never met. Oh, joy!
The second was being able to spend time with other friends: high school and college ones who all came together to enjoy a night together. The best part? Now *they're* friends too! Oh, yes. Sometimes I'm envious (but happy) about that... wish I could see them all more often. But there's something so incredibly sweet about introducing folks who love each other, too, even when you're not there. September was an amazing month! And if you had told me then that I'd even see one of them again the very next month, you would have knocked me over with a feather. 900+ miles is a big distance to think you could see friends that often. And yet? It will happen!
I also got a chance to go to a Clemson game with Jennifer (of the Birthday Party hero last month) - my first ACC live game ever! The fact that I'm a huge football fan and got to witness one of the biggest college traditions (The most exciting 25 seconds in college football: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Stadium,_Clemson) but also to touch the rock and lay on the field afterward? awww yeah. Nothing could top September. Right?
And, yet? October rocked my socks off.
October
The places: Atlanta, Helen, and Babyland General, Georgia
The peeps: Carrie, Nick, Amy, Jaime, Chris, Sherri, Sue!
The pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150327352191630.342412.654896629&type=1&l=ef9203eccf
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150320191711630.341093.654896629&type=1&l=81237f6f0e
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150320157351630.341089.654896629&type=1&l=3f66fc45eb
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150320126426630.341084.654896629&type=1&l=04b32086fd
I don't know how to sum up October except to point y'all to the pictures above. This month, I had the three most amazing back-to-back weekends all year. First, dear Carrie and her boyfriend Nick stopped in the first weekend for a visit on their drive back to Wisconsin from Florida. I still feel bad keeping her up until 3am the night before she had to drive another 11 hours home. (okay, not really) :-)
The second weekend, one of my oldest (errr.. long-time; we're so not old) friends in the world came to visit me. We had tried to do this visit a few times in the past 15 years and it didn't work out. This time, it did! Sue is nothing less than awesome: I picked her up at the airport and we drank wine and talked for hours that same night. Then, we headed to see creepy Cabbage Patch ceremonies, went to a night-before Packer tailgate party, introduced her to Team Trivia (her now new part-time job back home!), celebrated at the Gay Pride Parade here in Atlanta and wandered down to the Dome to watch the Packers beat up on the Falcons. All in 2-1/2 days! If I had my way, I'd bring her back down every weekend.
The third weekend was Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia with Amy and the gang. I'd been to Helen a couple of times before but never during Oktoberfest celebrations. Amy found us a cute little cabin up on the mountain to rent and between board games, hot-tubbing, tarot card readings, hiking to see beautiful waterfalls, and heading into town to hang at the beer garden, arm wrestle, dance and sing? Woah. My cheeks still hurt now, writing about all this and smiling again as much as I did then.
October, my friends? Rocked.
November
The place: Midtown, Atlanta
The peeps: Amy, Jaime, their mamas
The pics: None
It's no surprise to folks who really know me that I don't particularly like the holiday season. I've gotten better over the years, but it was 15 years ago this year that my Mom and sister drove my Dad up to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to try to find help for his cancer. We had Thanksgiving dinner in the little diner across the street from the hospital that year while he was up in his hospital bed getting tests done; and, gosh, the food was awful (and I'll usually eat anything!). That same weekend, we called my other siblings up to join us too and we all learned the news that Dad had "weeks to months to live, if even." He ended up passing away halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas: December 12, 1996.
So sometimes I'm okay this time of year; sometimes I'm a little bit down. And I had some friends offer invitations to come over, but I never really know until I wake up that day how I'll feel or if I want to join, so I never want to commit. This year, Amy and Jaime made me want to.
Both their mamas were in town and if I couldn't be with my own? Holy cheese on a cracker - these two are amazing! Which is really not surprising, knowing their daughters. But I didn't feel lonely, or like a 5th wheel (literally) or sad; it felt like family. It was just the 5 of us at Jaime's place, where she cooked a turkey for the very first time in her life. (It was delish!) We had foods and drinks and football games and board games. I even tried to wrestle Amy (yeah, she could kick my butt into next Tuesday!). and I didn't for one moment feel sad. November was such a month of peace.
See? Didn't I tell you in Part 1 that we had already been over the worst? We really had.
And now....
December
The places: to come
The peeps: to come
The pics: to come
Oh! You didn't expect December by the title, right? Well, you're right. Already this month has been wonderful. The holiday spirit instilled in me by Amy and Jaime in November is continuing strong! I've seen puppet shows and live Christmas performances with friends already. But it's only the11th as I sit and write this now. And though I already have amazing things to say about all that,I think I'm going to hold off because there are so many more coming up, too. I don't want to reflect on this month just yet. I can't do it justice just yet because as I'm looking at the weekends ahead on my calendar and the friends and family I'll see and the things I'll do? It all needs to be included too. Just to be fair.
So. 2011... yeah. With all the ups and downs and heartaches and joys, I would not change a thing about this year for the world. Again, I am so happy I did this. I don't think I fully realized how great a year it's been until I sat down and put pen to paper. So to speak, anyway.
I hope your 2011 has been as amazing as mine. And if not? We're on the verge of a new year that can change all that around. God bless, my friends!
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