The Good Things

Last night, I had two dinners. The first was steak, baked potato, and corn with Grandpa. I'd remembered earlier in the day that I'd had dinner plans, but when I mentioned that to Gramps, he looked at me and said, "Well. I've already gotten out the steaks." I didn't have the heart to NOT eat dinner with Gramps-- especially the night before he was leaving for a big trip, so I ate First Dinner and we chatted.

And then I went to Keith's for Second Dinner, which happened to be Breakfast. Cam rolled in shortly after, and Cam gave me one of the best, longest hugs: Cameron gives GREAT hugs. Shay, Keith's 90 lb. Bull Mastiff, made her presence known first in Keith's arms, then on Cameron's chest, then under all our respective hands. Mary blew in: glamorous, cloaked, blonde, with offerings of turkey breakfast meats. Matt was next with two freshly baked coffee cakes: one which had been done just right, the other which had alarmingly domed up about 4" above the pan. Then my old friend Aaron and his new girlfriend Katherine arrived, who I've been dying to meet. Their contribution: a magnificent quiche, pulled out of a pizza box carrier, like a rabbit from a hat. Last was Mark, fresh off the mountain with stories of the day's skiing exploits, and with two giant bottles of alcohol for Blood Marys.

We nibbled and drank and chopped and mixed and prepared; Keith cracked 24 eggs, and at least two of them were split PERFECTLY down the middle. Mary made gut-buster pancakes, the biggest of which had cooled into a yarmulke-shaped dome. I put it on my head, and then stuck the rose in my hair on top of the pancake. Following the others' instructions, I sat down on the floor to tempt Shay, and she downed the garnish as well as the dish: gobbling up the rose and pancake off my head while I yelped and shrieked and laughed.

We listened to Ryan Adams, and the Kings of Leon, and the Cold War Kids, and Tom Petty, and so many others. Katherine and I bonded over protesting the stories that Aaron had told us about one another. ("You told her the motorcycle guy story?? Why would you tell her that?! I can't even believe I told YOU that!") When I heard David After Dentist roaring bloody murder from Keith's room, we all crowded in there and watched the poor kid reel ("Will this be FOREVER?"), and then watched the Japanese Sauna Prank, and then watched Ellen call Gladys. It's so much funnier watching those videos with a group of people-- we were rolling!

Played a game that involved yelling and guessing and hilarity and fierce competition. Katherine-- who had started the night out relatively quietly-- led the competitive trash talking. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard-- I was holding my stomach, we were RIDICULOUS.

Then we somehow we segued into a talk about theology, which was intellectual, and interesting, and controversial, and impassioned, and at last, rhapsodic. The froth of the earlier silliness buoyed us into a place of greater depth where we then all knit ourselves together in deep conversation and questions.

And finally, at 1AM, I went home. Still giggling; still warmed and enriched by the conversation about God; still full from my two dinners. And so THANKFUL for a night and for friendships like those.

This morning, I dropped Grandpa off at the airport: he's off to take a train across Canada with one of his old college buddies. I hugged him goodbye and he grinned, and he looked so darling with his backpack on and his rolly-suitcase. And I drove home as the Seattle fog lifted, and Rainier emerged, and then the Cascades, and the Olympics, and I thought of how much I love this city. And I thought of my students, and how they've shown me such a more enriched picture of Seattle, and I loved them. And I listened to "Sunday Brunch" on the Mountain radio station, and they played acoustic, folksy songs that I love, and one of them reminded me of someone from the past, and I thought of him, and I hoped for GOOD THINGS for him. I thought of God, and the way I'd discovered Him last night, and I felt warm, and happy.

I felt SO HAPPY.

And that is really just the point of this post: life is GOOD right now. Grad school is easier this quarter, and my students are some of the best people to SEE every day, and I have friends that make me LAUGH, and that make me think, and that care about the world... I'm seeing Annie in only a FEW DAYS, and Grandpa is darling, and God is BIG around my heart, and I just feel HAPPY.

I just feel really HAPPY!