sunny Friday thoughts...

Alright... for all those interested, I am now a blogger. I'm guessing that 'all those interested' is a small and select group... perhaps my loyal readers will be only the delightful (and sassy) ladies of the ARC. Luckily, I have always believed in quality over quantity.

After spending last weekend on the great disaster training adventure in northern Maine, I'm thrilled at not having any work related things to do this weekend. Of course as soon as I say that, I have probably jinxed myself. Let's stay optimistic, people ;) Tonight I'm planning to have a quiet night- Lys, my close girlfriend and I, have planned to go shopping in the late afternoon, make quesadillas in the evening, and watch 'the Godfather' with a bottle of red wine. Neither of us have ever seen this film, and are fairly excited to see what all the hype is about. Besides, what can go wrong? Good friends, good wine, a mafia flick...

Saturday the plans are much more exciting. A local club is hosting 'Coyote Ugly' night. Six or Seven of my girlfriends and I will be getting all dressed up and shaking up this little town of Bangor. The plan is to club hop before landing at the 'Coyote Ugly' destination. First, we'll see some live music, a band called 'The Whirling Dirvishes' at Carolina's. We know the guys in the band, and my friend Jen will actually be joining them for one song. After that, we go to 'Barnabys'... which we lovingly call 'the barn'. In Bangor, it's sort of known as ... how should I put this... a club where a slightly rougher and less stylish crowd goes. It's always sort of an adventure. After that, we'll go to Gemini, which is where the 'Coyote Ugly' theme night is. There are games and prizes and who knows what else. These dancing nights out with my girlfriends are like therapy for me- we are a fairly responsible group, no binge drinking or going home with strange men. But being with my ladies and laughing and dancing all night is such a comforting thing. I'm consistently reminded at how lucky I am to be surrounded by strong women- at work, in my friendships, and especially my family.

Speaking of family... Sunday I'll be heading home for fathers day. On a slightly more serious and personal note, I've been contemplating fathers day a bit lately. About two weeks ago, I went to the funeral of the father of a very close friend. My friend is 27, a year older than me, and his father died suddenly and unexpectedly. Dan, my friend, and I have been close for about 8 years. He was one of the first real friends I made in college, and our friendship is one that has been a rock for me. I went to his fathers funeral expecting to be the supportive friend for a few hours and then return to my normal life, uneffected. To the contrary... I was very moved by the entire experience. Seeing someone that I love lose a parent, someone who is my age, was very significant. I've thought about it a lot since then. So, this year, for fathers day, I'm framing some old pictures for my father. My favorite is one of him holding me when I'm a baby, probably only a few days old. I've never been a daddy's girl... from day one I have been my mother's daughter, and we're incredibly close. I don't have that same closeness with my father, but I'm hoping that he likes these photos... and that it isn't too cheesy!

Well, darling readers... that's it. Blog one. I'll try to keep it interesting. ;) Love to you both, G & G!