Seriously. All of that happened this weekend.
REUNION
Some of my older friends had their twentieth high school reunion (I won't have mine for two more years, being so young and all). So, some other friends decided to jump on the chance to come back to the ol' hometown and visit. We all had a great time together and acted appropriately socially-unacceptable. But, I haven't baked so much in a while - my friends are very demanding about their sweets requirements.
Our dear friend Mike (that's his grownup name, but we've known him so long we still call him Mikey) stayed with us. It was a long overdue visit and it was good to see him. Not only is he a great guy, he oohs and ahhs over my cherry pie every time he has it. He's the only person in this world that makes me feel like a regular Betty Crocker.
Here's a story that sums up a friendship with Mikey:
We were freshmen in college. Mike lived in an apartment and I lived in the dorms. But, I wanted to make cookies. Not being a fool, Mikey said I was welcomed to use their oven. When it was time to pull the cookie sheet out of the oven, I grabbed a wet dishtowel to use as an oven mitt. Well, you can imagine how well that worked out for me. I exclaimed something like, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" and Mikey reached over and took the hot tray from me with his bare hands. I'm not sure how good his cookies tasted after that - what with the chunks of his burned flesh sticking to them. But, that's Mikey in a nutshell: he will completely sacrifice his own well-being to help a friend in need.
And, in return, he says he can tell how much I love him by how emotionally abusive I am to him... I feel it's important to let the people you love know how much you care.
- "You could put me in a room with a hundred little girls and I would know Lulu was Ali's daughter." (I thought that was sweet right up to the point when Elizabeth burped louder than her father.)
- "I do have a job, Ali!" (Mikey may have said this in response to something emotionally abusive I said... And, to be fair, it's even a salaried job!)
- "No. We're not identical twins. I have a penis and she doesn't."
WEDDING
Next, Shawn's business partner got married on Saturday. He and his bride are a beautiful Barbie and Ken couple. That fact makes me like them a little bit less, but I try not to hold it against them too much. Because, otherwise, I adore them. And their wedding and reception were per.fec.tion.
Quotes of the wedding weekend:
- "Nana, I hate it when you dance like that." (Honestly, I hope someone got a video of this woman and puts it on YouTube.)
- "Quick! While everyone's watching them cut the cake, we can eat directly off the buffet!" (I'm classy. So are my friends.)
- "He's been practicing for four and a half months to be able to walk her down the aisle." (Said about the bride's dad who broke his back in a water skiing accident. He not only walked his daughter down the aisle, but also danced a father/daughter dance with her. It was a beautiful, tear-jerking sight. It's not something I can imagine I will forget, well, ever. I felt honored to be a witness.)
FUNERAL
Finally, and sadly, a friend of Shawn's lost her battle with pancreatic cancer after an eight month fight. She was 56. The visitation was Sunday. The funeral is today.
Quote of the funeral weekend:
- "I never realized how much I adored her. I always thought there would be 'another tomorrow.' Until you realize, there aren't going to be any more tomorrows. But, at least we had time together to take care of things once we realized that."
Needless to say, Shawn and I came home and held on to each other for a while... just in case there aren't any more tomorrows.
