Everson Lovin'

While in Colorado, I planned a couple days to spend with my friend from high school, Peggy, her husband, Nick, and their 1-year-old son, Everson. I haven't seen E since last summer, so it was very nice to see him again. He's such an adventurous&fearless little man and Peg&I got to enjoy a quiet morning hanging out with him and their dogs. I was amazed at how effortlessly he pulled himself into the bay windowsill, so he could look outside. Not-so-amazingly but still very impressively he'd turn and throw himself off to get back down. He's a quick learner, though, and after just a few times showing him how to turn and scooch himself backward, he started being a little safer with his dismount. Besides hanging with Everson, we also had a game night with Nick's fellow youth leaders at the church he works for and enjoyed a breakfast&shopping out on the town. An excellent end to my Colorado vacation.

Coach Horv

Joe's buddy Horv is a varsity boy's basketball coach for a neighboring town, so we went to support him when they came to play Joe's alma mater. Horv was completely in the zone throughout the entire game. We cheered&yelled his name from behind him, but he focused intensely on his players - who seemed relatively impressive from what I remember of high school students. In the end, his team won (which we wanted) and it was very nostalgic&fun to wander back into a high school gym for an evening. It made me feel really old, which kind of sucked ...all at once it feels like 1-year-ago and 100-years-ago to be an excited high school student screaming for the cute basketball players. I guess I hadn't thought too hard about my age till I found myself in bleachers full of 16-year-old with painted faces and youthful giggles. Makes me remember (like most things do these days) to live every day to the fullest, because life is flying by me.

Dinner & a Movie

I think it's incredible to remain connected with people I've known for so long. These girls & I have been friends since high school. The one in the middle I've known since we were toddlers. We may not see each other too often, but we keep in touch and try to see each other when we're able, so over Christmas Break we got together for dinner and a movie. Dinner was at the Grill House and we were joined by quite a few members of the old crew - Tyler, Sana, Georgia, Peg, and all of their significant others. For the movie the crew got a bit smaller as we headed to M89 to see American Hustle. No matter what we do - extravagant plans or super simple - it's so nice to know that there are simply people I have kept and who have kept me for all these years.

SangriaMonster

I created this little guy out of stripped, recycled fabric knotted into one long string and knitted without a pattern for my friend Peggy's son, Everson. She named it Sangria - in honor of the bottle we shared.

GrillHouse&Peg

Peg&I had a dinner date on the patio at the Grill House.

I love it out there - the furniture is so bright&eclectic

and the view is so sprawling of the countryside I grew up in.

We each enjoyed salad&beer in our covered gliding table

while watching the sunset and listening to live music and catching up.

Definitely an excellent late summer night with an amazing old friend in a beautiful place.

Tailgate Time

This Saturday (today) was the home-opener at the University of Michigan, so tailgating with my best-male-highschool friend was my only Saturday Plan. Since Mr.U had to head across the state for his last master’s class, I had him drop me off downtown Ann Arbor at 8am to kick-off my day with BMHS. We had some liquored up coffee, a bowl, and some funzies before walking through campus to breakfast. We went to a great little restaurant called Seva’s with lots of vegan options and a sweet, catwalk-esque set-up. After breakfast we stopped by our tailgate spot to pick some things up before heading home and grabbing the roommate. We went back over to start the grill, made friends with the neighbors, played beerpong on their porch, then headed back to our tailgate for some delicious food and Michigan brews. Once the game was about to start, everyone headed toward the stadium and I started my 2mile trek to the mall where Mr.U planned to pick me up to avoid traffic. The walk was wonderful on such a beautiful day though such a contagiously exciting fall football atmosphere.

D&A 9.1.12

It seems like just yesterday my high-school-best-friend was calling me all the way in Florida to ask me to honor her as one of her bridesmaids. With a wedding date set for almost two full years away, though, it felt like the big day would never actually arrive. But before we knew it, the weekend was here and it was time for her to marry the man she’d gushed about our 2nd year in college.

The wedding was tastefully perfect with lots of homemade touches and shades of blue. The chapel was on the university’s campus they’d attended in their undergrad and the reception was held at a beautifully scenic country club just outside town. The party favors were self-packed bags from the candy bar and, in lieu of a guestbook, the bride&groom requested address cards to fill their new address box. Wild flowers arranged by a family friend, handmade placecards&menus, and a birdcage spray-painted by the bride for cards were a few of the other adorable details that made the wedding timelessly chic alongside modern ideas like a Michigan vs. Michigan State Challenge to replace the DollarDance.

Bridesmaids in blue-strapless-sweetheart dresses and a bride in cap-sleeved-white-lace danced the night away to request-after-request of oldies&new hits.

Quietly dismissing a post-shuttle hunt by the bride for one very scantily clad bridesmaid, the entire wedding weekend was wonderfully successful and I couldn’t be happier for the happy couple.

HibachiBachelorette

Thursday evening was the Bachelorette Party. We started with drinks in the hotel lobby – luckily I’d worn my “going out” attire all day so I’d be prepared as soon as we arrived from our long, traffic-jammed drive. The Hibachi grill table our absurdly organized maid of honor reserved was right across the street, so we all traipsed over in our heels&dresses. I’m not gonna lie: I was nervous about having the flame of the hibachi grill so close to my face&body – I could feel the heat from the tables all the way across the room. But, after a couple vodka&sodas, I was pretty excited to enjoy my SpicySushi&VeggieHibachi. After a SakeBomb&dessert, we wandered back to the hotel where the suite was decorated with fun bachelorette goodies including undies hanging on the wall for a ‘Whos-Whos Panties Game.' I’d made Alabama Fire Crackers-Puppy Chow-Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes to snack on and the other girls brought wine-champagne-vodka. All a recipe for an excellent time. We chitchatted-laughed-talked about date options and our high schoolmates' gossip before finally heading to bed with bellies full of yummies&booze.

Charmed Friends

My best friend from high school is getting married in a week and
– perfect timing –
I rediscovered the charm bracelet we created senior year.
– some charms for her –
– some for me –
– some for both –
It made me so happy to wear it again, I couldn’t stop looking at it all day.

Friendship Connections

Some people will never understand what you’ve been through – how you dealt – and who was by your side. And that’s fine with me. I almost appreciate that unavoidable ignorance – it’s a great back-up excuse when I can’t justify the irrational reactions of those who “just don’t get it.” They weren’t there.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve encountered different trials&situations with different groups of people. My college girlfriends will never know the high school girl who genuinely stressed about yearbook editing while rocking purple hair and homemade skirts. Just like my high school girlfriends will never know the girl who stressed about sorority recruitment while rocking 6-inch stilettos and white pearls. And neither crew will know the girl who comes home every night to make her boyfriend dinner while rocking boy shorts and mickey slippers.
High school girls watched me struggle with weight problems and an emotionally abusive dad. College girls watched me lose my lover and most of my drive in life. High school girls watched my fall off tables in garages after too many shots of 5’oclock. College girls watched me fall off bar stools after too many shots of patron. Every girl in all my groups has found the connection that
links them to me – and no two connections are the same. Just because they all witnessed these certain events at certain times doesn’t mean any of them accepted of interpreted them a certain way.
It is in those details that we form relationships. Some people can’t handle my opinion, some probably don’t even hear them, and some listen and move on. Some friends I’m positive will always answer my phone calls, some will call right back, some aren’t even worth leaving voicemails. Some have seen my worst, some have brought out my worst, and some will never deserve either.
The point is: we learn these things – at least I have – that over time observations will be made, opinions will be formed, knowledge will be gained – and only those there in the moments will ever understand them.
So when new friends, boyfriends, coworkers find their way into your world they haven’t been there yet. They won’t understand why you defend certain mistreatment then overreact about someone else’s actions. They won’t understand how you can leave someone’s name out of a month’s worth of conversations and still call her your best friend. They won’t understand why
you need to consult each other – even when you don’t agree. They just won’t understand. And that’s that – that’s all there is to it. And if you can keep your head on straight about your own understanding, the rest will eventually make sense.

Popularity Court

I’ve had wild dreams lately. I can’t always remember them when I wake up, but last night’s I do remember and it was incredibly off-the-wall.
My high school had this thing called Snowcoming (our winter version of homecoming). I got on “Court” once in my career and the super catty girls – the ones who thought they were more popular than they actually were and cared more about popularity than the fun they had with their friends – all insisted there must have been a mistake. I’d been a part of that group for about a year – partying&rebelling – then I settled back down with the girlfriends I’d always been genuine with. (For the most part in highschool, I always jumped around – I had lots of friends who were always friends, but I floated from group to group or enjoyed my time alone.) ANYWHO, in my dream last night, I was in with the catty girls (a couple of whom I’ve recently run across on facebook) and we were shopping for alumna Snowcoming dresses. One of the girls, who I’d been closest with, was elected to Snowcoming Court and so was I. We spent hours running around shopping for dresses in my dream and our friend (who’s pregnant in real life) tagged along insisting that she’d be the Snowcoming Queen if she weren’t pregnant.
All the irritations of highschool burned my sleeping ears and when I finally woke up from the nightmare I was reminded how much I don’t miss the drama. Moments like those make me remember why I went through “loner” phases where I’d spend my evenings in the local coffee shop working on yearbook layouts instead of drinking stolen vodka from parents’ liquor cabinets. (Don’t get me wrong, I did plenty of that.) I never seemed to fall for the idea that the fight for popularity was actually worth the popularity and I think I turned out better without it.