it's a small [pool] after all

so i had some friends in town this weekend.

by a very fortunate and gracious chain of events i was able to get us invited to a pool party by a host i had recently been aquatinted with.  thankfully my friends are always up for any adventure and ironically they had packed their swimsuits.

we were social, and quickly made chit chat with wonderful, but complete strangers.  than a guest entered the party and my friend was shocked.  it was his old college roommate, who he hadn't seen in years.  as they chatted and discussed how each other had been invited, it was discovered many of these people weren't strangers at all.  we found that several of the party guests had actually been at a college party my friend had hosted a decade ago.

it really is a small world.

nothing [gin] can stay

i'm sure by now you know, i believe an event must happen three years in a row in order for it to be called a tradition.  well...this years annual "june bucket" party became a tradition.  however it achieved that status bitter sweetly...

the friend who introduced this wonderful event to our group, recently accepted a job in another city. not only would this be the last june bucket she would host in wichita, but it was also a bit of a farewell party. luckily, if you're going to throw a going away event, one involving buckets of gin, sprite, citrus fruits and turkey basters is a great way to go out.  the night was filled with laughter, photos, walking tacos, music, dancing and a multitude of amazing friends. even a late night kansas thunderstorm couldn't dampen the festivities.

not so secretly, i am a bit of a sentimental guy.  between the basters, bottles and buckets, i did reflect back on the past three years; the strangers i've met who eventually became friends, and the strengthening of those friendships through the retelling of stories a celebration like this always creates.

i have no idea what the future holds for the annual june bucket party. maybe it will continue, maybe it will cease, maybe it will change, maybe it will expand, or just maybe... some other event incorporating odd kitchen utensils and drinking will take its place. whatever happens, i do know it won't be the same, but then again, isn't that just life?

natures first green is gold,

her hardest hue to hold.

her early leaf's a flower;

but only so an hour.

then leaf subsides to leaf,

so eden sank to grief,

so dawn goes down to day

nothing gold can stay.

thank you robert.

always double down on [eleven]

memorial day weekend found me attending the las vegas bachelor party of my future brother-in-law, along with 10 of his closest friends.

to say i had apprehension would be an understatement. las vegas is an insane city, and to walk it's streets with 9 people i didn't know at all had me little nervous.  were these guys gamblers? party-ers? crazy? or worse yet, lame or boring?  i had no idea what to expect, and wasn't thrilled about making that discovery while on the strip.

luckily my sister is marrying a great guy, with great friends.  upon meeting them it took a whopping 15 minutes before i could tell we would all get along.  an hour later it was like i was on vacation with my friends.  we lounged by the hotel pool, gambled in old vegas, ate an amazing buffet, golfed, and found a wonderful dive karaoke bar that kept us singing until 8am.

completely out of season, there's a quote from "it's a wonderful life," that says, "no man is a failure who has friends."  if that's true, then i came back from vegas a rich guy, as i now have nine new friends.

if not..

i'm down about $160.