So after committing to keep my blog up to date and posting regularly, I completely abandoned it for a good 3 months… which is a bit silly, considering the last 3 months have been jammed packed full of life-altering events… happy, tragic, exciting and humbling. Events significant enough that it seems too trivial to post random updates without mentioning them first.
April 2009
Jennifer Morris and Patrick Polasek’s Wedding
I got to be a bridesmaid! I had never been a bridesmaid before and the entire experience was so much fun. After months of pre-wedding activities, it was surreal to have the actual event arrive. As cliché as it may sound, everything came together just perfectly. Pictures can show how beautiful it was, but cannot do justice to how warm and happy it felt to be there. It felt inclusive and fun and personalized so you knew it really was a celebration of Jenn and Pat. Not to brag, but my [team’s] toilet paper bouquet was #1 at the Bridal Shower and used by the Bride during the rehearsal… AND yours truly caught the bouquet at the wedding! And I didn’t even have to push anyone over. Best of all, I’ve made a lot of good friends along the way and am fitting right in at Polasek family events.
May 2009
Grandma and Grandpa Campbell
One of the positives to moving to Tx was that it meant living close to Grandma and Grandpa Campbell again. Since before I was born, they had lived close to my parents and had always been a big part of my life. This May, both Grandma and Grandpa passed away, 11 days apart. Ironically, my Aunt and Uncle had already planned a trip to visit around Mothers day… AND my sister flew into town for a Mother’s Day surprise. I’m so happy my grandparents got to be surrounded by the people they loved in their final days. It all hasn’t totally sunk in yet, and it’s still hard to think about without tearing up a bit :/
Golden Birthday in Vegas
Needless to say, I wasn’t in the brightest of spirits by the time my Birthday rolled around at the end of May. But it was my Golden Birthday (28 on the 28th, oh my!) and an excuse to do something BIG. And BIG it was… we’re talking Memorial Day weekend in VEGAS with some of my best friends from High School.
It wasn’t just a trip to Vegas; it was THE trip to Vegas. Somehow we crammed everything I’d want to do, and some things I didn’t even expect, into one trip. Highlights include: Fabulous Suite (thanks Marriott discount), Clubbing at Pure, Burger Bar, exploring hotels, Flair Bartending at Harrah’s, fine dining at Bouchon for my Birthday (we were there for 3hrs, we were also the most fun table in the establishment), Downtown Vegas (Main Street Brewery, trying to learn Craps, adult slushies shaped like footballs, & the worlds biggest golden nugget), LOVE (circ de soli), Ghostbar w/ the best view in Vegas, and ordering Kobe Beef Meatloaf at 4am w/ some great guys we met. Just when I though it was coming to a close, we stopped at Stateline on the drive back to CA to get a shirt, then stayed for Outlet shopping and some of the most fun I’ll ever have at a Blackjack table. I won $80, not too bad for a beginner 😀 Turns out a trip to Vegas was exactly want I needed, exactly when I needed it.
June 2009
10 Year High School Reunion
I had been looking forward to this for so long; I was convinced it was going to be the highlight of my summer. Not necessarily the Reunion itself, but it was chance to go back to Southern California and reconnect with all of my old friends. In some respects, it was everything I was hoping for. I got to catch up with friends I’d known since elementary school and did cliché SoCal things like going out for Mexican food and margaritas at the beach and eating copious amount of In-N-Out. It felt great to just be back where I grew up, being able to drive around and know exactly where I was going (without the use of GPS or an iPhone :P).
In other respects, however, the trip was rather horrible, and someone sobering and eye-opening. Part of the reason (ok, a big part) I wanted to go back to my reunion was because I’m very different from the person I was in high school. Not only that I’m 25lbs lighter and more confident, but also that I’ve experienced a lot of unique and fascinating things since I graduated that’s turned me into a pretty cool person to know. Unfortunately, much of the reunion portion of the trip turned sad and petty, ripe with the kind of BS you’d think would have been left behind when we were in High School. Classic cliché High School Reunion… I reunited with some familiar faces and learned that there is a difference between your friends in High School and the people you knew in High School. The trip wasn’t a total bust. But by the end I was really just ready to leave CA.
So there you have it… considering how long winded I can be, I’m quite amazed at how concise I was able to sum up my whereabouts over the past few months (yes, I realize we’re mid 3rd quarter of 2009 already, oh dear). I really do plan on blogging more regularly. Honest 🙂
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