Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve. For people in my age bracket and lifestyle (raising small kids), New Year's Eve is reason to feel lame and maybe old. You look back on the wild New Year's celebrations of say ten years ago or so.
When I was a teenager, New Year's Eve was a reason to feel not-old-enough. You couldn't do anything legally, so you just stayed up and watched folks in exciting places go nuts.
In my "tween" and Middle School years, it was really EXCITING to stay up with the grown-ups until MIDNIGHT and to welcome in an entire new year.
So, for each phase of human development, there is an appropriate (Or, as this post will illustrate, completely inappropriate!) New Year's Eve celebration. My most favorite New Year's have been with Mike. When we were dating, we went into New York to try to see the ball drop. It was cold and highly overrated, but it was fun for me to be with Mike in an exciting place.
The following year, we had been engaged for one whole day. We met my BC roommates and Kelly Ackerman (now Dowd) and Greg in Boston. We went completely wild. It was so much fun. I remember laughing and laughing with my roommate, Christine Arrascada (now Aramini). After that, we had our first New Year's as man and wife in Corpus. We went to a big party with a bunch of flight school friends at a hotel...again...it was nuts.
Mike, do you remember our first New Year's in Maine over the the Doherty's house?
I could go on...but why...really. Why?
So, we've had our fair share of lampshade-on-the head New Year's celebrations. I am happy at this stage in my life to set a few goals for the New Year, check on the babies one more time, and fall asleep, if I'm lucky, next to my man who is home from work.
BUT...two years ago, this did not happen. A perfect storm of bad behavior gathered in Louisville. The Dowds took a drive out to see us, and the Pesuts happened to be passing through town. In our house on Tiffany Lame (no typo there-just a joke) we had six rowdy old friends, and eight children spending the night. We ordered Mexican food, mixed up some 'ritas, and had the kids put on a big parade.
Meanwhile, in the basement, another storm was brewin'. It was a storm of raw sewage which burped, belched and bubbled out of the downstairs toilet and all over our carpeted basement. The three guys spent about two hours cleaning up the mess, cutting out the carpet, and bleaching the cement. When Mike and the men, who through that experience, would become closer to him than any man that he actually went to battle with (although he did deploy with Russ three times), emerged from the horrific basement, went right to our bar and opened the Kentucky Bourbon.
Now, our neighbor up the street had invited us to her party. We really liked this friend (and I still do...she's great!) and we did plan on taking turns going up to say "hi" while the other group listened for the sleeping kiddies. Mike and the guys went first. Clad in college sweatshirts, jeans, ball caps, and sewage saturated sneakers, then went up the street. They were back in less than two minutes, giggling like school girls.
"We peeked through the window!"
"They had on ties!"
"Some of the dudes were sleeping in their chairs!"
"They had out board games!"
"Jennie. We can't go in there. You girls just go on up and just hi for a minute."
We said that we would...but time crept by as it does when you are sipping margaritas with your friends...and we still had not been up to the house.
Mike and the fellas had had a few more nips of the bourbon. Armed with a bongo drum, a kids' electric guitar that Dr. Pebble had sent, a video camera, and Mike's questionable voice, they decided that they would bust in on the sleepy party, immediately play one and only one limited engagement performance of Guns and Roses hit single: Every Rose Has Its Thorns and depart immediately. And that they did. They came back to our house chilly, happy and triumphant, and again, they implored us to go and say hello.
"Okay, okay! We're going!" we said. Jen and I took a bottle of champagne up to bring to our neighbors. Once we were in the street, we were faced by a scary posse of adults lamer than us in their business-casual dress, goofy hats, and winter parkas. It was the guests of the party that Mike, Greg and Russ had barged in on, and they were coming to toilet paper our trees! So, we wished them a happy new years, and returned up the street with them to visit for a few minutes. We had planned on staying for just a few minutes, and making it home in time to meet the guys for a new year's smooch, but I think our actual arrival time was closer to 3 AM. It was a whole lot of fun, and although I didn't feel terrific the next day, it was very fun to return to "my roots" if only for a few hours... my roots of bad behavior at my own expense, and lots and lots of laughter. Although most of my new year's are not that wild any more, the laughter is still there. I like laughing at myself, and my friends that I love (and miss!) - and the memory of our wild nights together! No matter where you are in life, if you are with your friends, or your family, or your kids, or your spouse - as long as you are together, and feeling that love, then it's ALL GOOD!
I hope that you have a wonderful 2009! Happy New Year!
