I pride myself in being a somewhat immobile person. If I had it my way, I'd never leave my perfect little home. People would come visit me for some socialization, I could work from my trusty laptop, and my fridge would magically restock itself every Sunday morning. Alas, the world is not a perfect place and I have to leave and do things. I have a very hard life.
The month of July in particular was a very busy month for me with very little time to lounge/nap/overeat at all!
Sunday, July 3rd we had my Grandma June's 85th birthday party. We went to dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant - I tried a piece of crab leg meat and cried.
Here's a picture of her as we're singing happy birthday to her
If you're reading this and knew June at all, you can almost see her saying "Won-der-fuuulll!" This picture actually sums her up quite perfectly. Red, white and blue attire, empty vodka martini in front of her, and genuinely happy amongst her family. WHAT a gal.
The next week was busy at work, but I made time to have a pesky mole removed from my knee. More on that as it heals, but for now, let me just say this: ew.
Grandma went into the hospital on July 6th with pnemonia. My sister, Scott and I went to visit her on the 8th and she was her usual silly self, only slightly less animated. She complimented my sister on her dress and complained about the hospital food. After we left the hospital that night we went to Clancy's, a restaurant near our parent's house, because my dad's band was playing. I stayed for about an hour and a half, but had to leave early because I was dog sitting for my aunt and uncle.
The next day, the 9th, was filled with showers. Baby showers, wedding showers, couples showers... only one of which I was able to attend... Monica and Michelle, I'm sorry I couldn't be at yours! I swung by to visit grandma again, and then that night was an event for a charity that Matt works with at a bar called Mandarin. Normally, this place is pretty much a hub for creepy, foriegn men but it was a private party - whew.
The next week was moving along smoothly - we went to see The Little Mermaid at The Muny and had third row seats! It was so much fun to be able to see the orchestra and to see the actor's up close. I won't lie and say that I wasn't disappointed in the costumes. I fully expected Ariel & co. to be swimming through air, not shimmying/walking.
If you look closely you can see Ariel and Flounder just standin' around shootin' the shit. Disappointing, but not a show-ruiner. It was still entertaining and good family fun.
That weekend, Matt and I headed down to good old Steeleville, MO for a float trip - my first ever. Nothing about camping has ever sounded appealing to me. Why would anyone voluntarily sleep & pee outside? But everyone assured me that I would have a good time, so I agreed to be adventureous for once. Little did I know we were staying in a manor... not in tents.
Much better. Sleeping accomodations for all, two working showers, and air conditioning. The first night there was "jersey night". While the rest of the girls looked cute in their NBA jerseys with swimsuits underneath, I rocked my high school Powder Puff jersey with "Big Al" on the back and a mustard stain on the front. Class, class, class.
It was a five mile float, which roughly translates into about 5 hours on the river. With 3 coolers packed and around 17 people, you would have figured we would have been set. 3 hours in, someone shouted those fatal words that everyone dreads: "Oh shit, we're out of beer..."
We continued floating but it had changed somehow - tensions were running real high. It went from a leisurely float down the river (still can't figure out which one) to a race to get to the end where there was more beer. I believe one day I'll go to the banks of that river and set up a beer stand. $20 for a 12 pack of can Keystone Lights.
All in all, I will admit that I thouroughly enjoyed myself on that trip. I got thrown from the raft at one point, but Matt rescued me while proving his manliness at the same time. Guess I'll keep him around. And might I take this moment to point out that there is NO graceful way to climb onto an already floating raft. Maybe instead of the beer stand I should invent a raft ramp. Shit... please don't steal my ideas...
The next weekend was my friend Monica's bachelorette party in Nashville, or as I will call it from here on out, NashVegas. Eleven girls + eleven prom dresses + gay bar. I never passed a math class legitimately (lots of begging and crying had to take place), but I do believe that equation equals a damn good time.
I'm very upset that I'm not in this picture. I was the photographer. The bride, Monica, is the gal in the white prom dress. Me-yow.
Many events took place on this trip, including but not limited to:
- a brief stay at a drag show, which we were thrown out of after the first number
- a limo ride with about 10 lesbians
- an x-rated text message sent to one of the girls from a band member of the band we watched on Friday night
- midgets dancing on a bar
- a lingerie dessert menu
-2 real cute puppy dogs who some of us tried to kidnap
- a ride on a mechanical bull
- dancing on a stripper pole at an 80's club that played rap music
I'd call that a successful bachelorette party...
While in Nashville, I received the news that Grandma June had taken a turn for the worst, and that she would be moving back home and having hospice. Six short days later, she had passed, heading to heaven to see our Grandpa John, Grandpa Maury and Grandma Ziggy. I'm going to write an entire post about her soon, but it's a little too raw to do right now.
We spent the last few days with her at her home, holding her hand and telling her how much we love her. Then last Friday, the 29th, she went. The weekend was spent celebrating her glorious 85 year life and reminding each other how lucky we were to have had her for so long.
LONG MONTH. Lots of joys, and one giant woe. As it stands right now, I'm looking forward to a quiet, drama-free month of August... stay tuned to see how that will undoubtedly blow up in my big-chinned face.
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