Thursday

Thursday night's "family" dinner was when reality started setting in.


With so much to do I wasn't really thinking about what would happen the next couple days. It was just pack, pack, pack.


But Thursday night's dinner at Buca di Beppo's was a bit of a wake up call.


Minus a few key folks, all of my best and closest old gaurd D.C. crew were there. I must say that of all the events of the past month Thursday night's "family" dinner was the tops.


I was so happy looking around the table at everyone. And sad. That's when I started to get really sad.


Jess made a nice toast...and Rob made a card with a polka-dotted unicorn. Then CK "contracted" him to draw a doll brandishing a knife and it was all downhill from there! (For those that don't know, and I don't know how you couldn't, I'm very afraid of dolls!)


I have all the handmade cards that everyone "created like crazy" in my purse right now. From Kara's black rose that is supposedly dying in Colorado's cold snow, to Mike's naked woman and Trish's recreation of the night she, we'll say, napped on my doorstep. They're all in my purse.


The wine, laughter and jokes were flowing. And the laughter and jokes just got louder and more ridiculous with the continuous stream of wine.


There were shots. Good grief. And a beer drinking game - what?! Oh wait, this is the group. You can't take us anywhere.


A group signed bottle of chianti hangs above the table...


Then Erin left. The first friend I had to say goodbye to. And that was hard.


A martini at the Russia House and a cold walk home eased the pain though!


Friday night was my official going away party, and it was great, but Thursday night was my favorite. It was my group the way we always are. And that's the memory I love.