Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world

It has been a WEEKEND!!!!

Thursday at 3pm I clocked out of work, and didn't have to clock back in until 2pm Monday afternoon. I guess I'll start from the beginning: Thursday evening was a potluck dinner at Amanda's house. It quickly became a "vag-luck" with five girls sitting around bitching about men and the terrible things they have done to us. (this might be important later in the story) We ate yummy food and had a few good beers. I left from there and went to meet up with a friend of mine at On Tap and have a few more yummy beers.


Friday: the 4th of July (aka indepenDANCE day) Wake up at 7:30, at Katie's house by 8:15 to get up and go to the river. OH how I love float trips. Katie wasn't awake yet, so I spent some time cleaning out and organizing my car in her driveway. Finally around 9 she woke up to my 100 phone calls and text messages. We picked up Jana and their friend January and headed south to the river. It was the perfect day for floating down the river. In my last post about the float trip I didn't explain the pure amazing-ness that is the Little Cahaba and Limestone Canoe Park. You park at the take-out and walk up to the old man in a shack, pay him $10 a person and grab a tube. Momentarily there will be a younger dude in a pick-up truck who will then take you to the drop-off point. This particular day was not at all crowded, so the four of us were the only ones in the back of the truck (often it's so crowded that you're packed in like sardines). This time around we have the cooler on its own tube and we have lots of rope and carabiners to tie everything together (this is what happens when you try to do anything with a gear head like myself) It was a lazy trip, some paddling, some kidney bruising (none by me- I made it out unscathed somehow), some climbing up and jumping off rocks, you know good, old fashioned, American entertainment. MAN I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!

SO after we eat a hot dog and drank a Coke, we loaded up the car and headed back. dropped everyone off and took a shower, then went and picked up Jana and went to Amanda's house to watch the fireworks and get ready for Glitch Mob. We got WOMPed out. And I can't explain WOMP to you. I wish I could, but it's an experience. It's dressing like a Merry Prankster and being with awesome people and dancing until you think your feet are going to fall off. It's being young and free and fun! And that we were. I danced away the pain and anger. I danced away the frustration and fear. Danced away self loathing and negativity. I danced it all out and when I left the show (completely sober btw) I felt like a new person, albeit a very sore new person.






Jana and I stayed and Amanda's that night and when we woke up the next morning, none of us could put our shoes on. Pretty sure when I dropped Jana off at work, she was carrying her shoes in with her. I went home and hung out with Elu, watched some TV then Amanda called to see if I wanted to go to the lake with her. Her parents just bought a pontoon boat and have it at a marina on Lay Lake. so... off we go. We chilled out and took a boat ride, dropped anchor and swam for a little bit then went tubing! There are some hilarious pictures from that event... I'll add them later, when I get them from Amanda.

After the lake we met up with my friend Jason at a backyard party out in the country. nothing too exciting to report from that event, other than for some reason we tried to start a fire... and it was too wet.

Okay, so now we're up to Sunday. I wake up at 10:30 or so (oh how I love to sleep in!!!) to Feeny calling me giving me details about when we're planning on meeting up to go to Little River Canyon. We meet at noon and load up animals in the truck and head out...


Although the Canyon has some pretty amazing climbing, we just went to play in the water and swim.

Here's Megan and I at the top of the hike in.





So even though we didn't go there to climb, once I got to the swimming hole I was really upset that I had left my shoes and chalk in the car, 'cause there was a (what looks to be) nice little V2 coming out of the water. I know if I had shoes on I could have climbed this crack, but being as wet and slippery as it was, it wasn't happening'!




At least not the V2 route... I found a scramble up the arete for the very important purposed of JUMPING! (yes mother I checked to see how deep it was first)
Elu had a BLAST! I didn't get any shots of her swimming 'cause she was mostly swimming with me. But she LOVED to swim. We raced across the pond, and she almost beat me!!! (both swimming doggy paddle of course, gotta make it fair).

After we got home from Little River Canyon, we went to Formagio's for a Calzone and a tasty beverage!

GREAT WEEKEND!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! I hope I celebrated enough for you!