Holiday Wrap Up

William Street, in Champaign.
(Thanks to Zia for sending me out on this photographic adventure!)

The Holiday decorations are boxed back up. Time to wrap holiday blogging along with them, and get this 2007 party started.

Most of you know that we had a few rough spots over the holiday, with a theft at my mother's house. I found out Saturday that a dear friend of mine, Rob, pictured below, lost his battle with cancer, after rallying for 7 years. It has not been a holiday devoid of tears.

Into each life some rain must fall. I'm blessed with an army of friends that "got my back" when the goin' gets rough. For that, my holiday was wonderful, and the highlights are not to be overlooked in the chaos.

1. My Christmas gift to Brian was a tattoo. We went together with friends the Friday before Christmas. In addition to his tattoo, I had mine revised a bit. The small cross on his chest has been replicated into a splash of water under my koi fish. It's not frankincense or myrhh, but it was a fun gift for both of us.

2. As I joined my friends for holiday festivities, Brian and his friends joined us also. We had coffee one evening. Pizza and beer another. And he showed up again with friends, for a cooking party here on Saturday night.

3. Saturday was his friend Chris's 21st birthday. I wrapped up a beer for him, and everyone at our party put on lipstick, kissed, and signed a card for him. Everyone. I have some hilarious photos of the guys putting on lipstick and kissing the card.

4. The cooking party was definitely a highlight, because, get this: everyone else cooked. How great a party is THAT, when Mel & Joey bring the meatballs and sauce, and Mike and Marcy bring the calzone and garlic bread fixins? Throw in minestrone and buffalo mozzarella salad, along with TWO desserts that Melissa brought...and we were a bunch of fat cats laying around the house after dinner, playing Scene It.

5. I met friends Charles and Kara, along with a few of their friends out on New Years' Eve. I shamelessly let them babysit my purse while I danced in the new year with everyone in the place. I drank only two beers, a few ginger ales, kissed a lot of cheeks, and came home with a bra full of glitter. Oh, and I found my little noisemaker horn in there too. I wondered where that went.

6. One last evening, as I wrote yesterday, of just cooking and hanging out in sweatpants with my kid. I was glad I had it; he was running last today, and was unable to stop by my workplace for a goodbye hug. It's ok; I got one in last night.

Wil asked me how I'm doing, with Brian's heading back to Georgia.

Well.

I'm giving myself a day or two to pout and tear up spontaneously as I see fit. I'm hopeful and praying and holding it together. There's only one thing that buckles me every time I think of it.

When he left the party Saturday night, to continue on with his friends, Brian whispered a request to my mine:

"Take care of my mom."

Oh, they do, baby.

They do.