Passing Through: Life of the Party

Last night, I got a taste of small town tavern life. It was an absolute blast- for an evening. I definitely could NOT make a lifestyle out of it.

I mentioned before that Paul's best friend, Chris has been in town for the past week. They were best friends all through elementary and high school, and now Chris has asked Paul to be in his wedding next September. Chris is heading out of town again today, so last night we went out for one last hooray.

A note on the injustice of weather. Chris recently got a new boat, and he's been wanting to take us out on the river all week. We are in the middle of the biggest drought since who knows when, with not a drop of rain in recent memory. However, this week, there has been rain forcast every single night! The worst part? We kept cancelling due to weather, but the weather never showed up. The forcast was wrong every single time.

We still wanted to see the boat, so Paul and I visited Chris at his parents' house. We sat in front of the house, completely grounded, but in the boat nonetheless. The watercraft was outfitted with a nice sound system, so we listened to music and pretended we were sailing on smooth waters. Eventually we tired of our stationary outing, and we decided to go into town for one last drink.

When we got to the bar, it became readily apparent that a single drink was not an option. Being Friday night, half the town was in, and it was a party. We found Chris' family, and ordered our drinks. No sooner had we ordered than we each had two more set in front of us! People were buying rounds right and left, and the house was giving complementary drinks and popcorn at far too regular intervals. I had to cut myself off for health reasons, but Paul so generously took my extra drinks. What a guy. ;-)

As the night went on, more friends and family came pouring in. There were stories of good old days with lots of laughing, and there were sentimental, heartfelt stories that ended in lots of hugging and nary a dry eye. I loved the sense of community, and the cheerful atmosphere of a small town bar. Although it was tempting, Paul and I opted to leave at midnight, and not to stay till close. Our decision proved to be a very good one. While we are reaping some consequences from last night, at least there is no puking.

It was an absolutely wonderful evening, and I'm so glad we went out for a night on the town. At the same time, it's definitely something I only want to do once in a very very long while.

Here are some pictures from our evening of fun and abandon: