The Last of 2007...(work in progress..)

It's the last week of 2007 finally. I say finally. But it freaks me out a little. Where the hell did it go? There are 51 weeks that I'm having trouble accounting for...7-8 on Mackitraz... 2 around my birthday... but what other substantial things happened this year that I can look back & say, "I'm never going to forget that"? Apparently nothing, as I can't recall it right now. So how should I look at it?

The people I've met...
As the beginning of 2007 was a long time ago, I hope I accurately recollect the people who are riding the line between this section & the "People I've Gotten to Know Better" business. Let's start with Mackinac Island, because it's the most substantial list... (*side note: I have an obsession with knowing last names, and Mackitraz forced me to learn to accept not knowing that aspect of a persons life...it still kills me some days, but I'm trying to learn...)
Tami Stevens
Miranda Jones
Jesse Bader
Don
KC
Niko
Adrion
Karl Falacker
Jeremy
Tara
Laura Quinn
Heather
V.I.Nick
Nick Borgess
Steve Senator

Island folks that I technically knew from GR...
Suzie Q.
Charlie Stapleton
Matthew Patterson

Compliments of Tami, I've met...
Ricky Stevens
Jeremy Stevens
Mike Brown

From my 6-month stint at the Office Max of Grandville:
Adam Clarke
Brad Averill
Michael Stoyk
Jess Povenz
Tiffany Beaudry

Rob Gould
Chad Gaudet
Adam Rader
Dave Joyce
Margo Tague
Matt Magee
Paul & Dave, O'Toole's owners
Founder's Kevin

The people I've gotten to know better...
Cassidy Courtney
Andrea Domorsky
Katie Schmuck
Geoff O'Donnell
Alan O'Donnell
Dave Sprague
Sara Perlmutter
Carly Hernandez
Jax Baker
Jordan Wylie
Tye Eckert
Andy Wells
Anna Pefley
Lauren Farrar
Dave Mensa
Jeff Vander Boon
Josh Bocks
Melissa Large
Leroy Lozada
Dave Scrace
O'Toole's Jim
O'Toole's April

The people I regret not keeping in touch with...
Caleb Mason
Brenda Zaagman
Lindsey Brown
Melissa Large
Cheri Heinzelman
Susan Miller
LeeAnn Kauffman


The pleasant surprises...
Running into Evan Geiger & Brad Griffin one random Tuesday night at Friday's. We ended up hitting Z's & O'Toole's before passing out watching "Apocalypto" at Evan's apartment.

Having Justin & De come into O'Toole's after the Steelers beat the Dolphins. Since my friends were getting ready to go, I closed the Anchor with them & their boys. One, Justin's friend Jason, is ultra-excellent & I'm excited to get to know him better.

Dave Scrace walking into Sinclair's during the Republican convention weekend on Mackinac Island. I took a shot of Rumple with him & his dad.

Pulling up to the kayaking place in Indian River in the pouring rain & freezing cold, sure that it was closed, and seeing Kevin Burns in his aviators smoking a cigarette, leaning against the post. Possibly the single moment of 2007 that I wish I could capture & replay.

Walking into my new room on the Island, and having Hannah Rutgers say, "Alesheia?...what are you doing here?" Though she left 4 days later, it was definitely the introduction I needed.

The Good Times...
Tye Eckert. The first half of 2007 contains enormous portions of Tye in my life, and it makes my heart smile. Just read through my quote book...

The week Justin Digital spent at my house between Mackinac Island & his trip to Honduras before moving to Naples. He rang in Halloween 2K7 with the Grand Rapids folks, dressed as a bum. Standard.

Cassidy puking more on her 22nd birthday than on her 21st. She still cringes when she thinks about it. I don't remember if we bar-hopped or what, but I know we were at O'Toole's for a large portion of the night.

The 4 months when Andy Wells was once again at the top of my Life Loves list. Even though I've (finally) realized that he's incredibly immature, I look back on those times with an overall happiness for the life experience it gave me at the time...

My 22nd birthday week. A Z's festival with my parents, Ben, Katie, & some co-workers one night. Uccello's with many friends on my birthday-eve, breakfast with Geoff at Andy's cafe the next morning. Lunch on Logan's patio (now a birthday tradition) with Friday's kids. Cocktails with Liz O'Donnell. Blue Water Grille patio dinner with the roomies, Ben, & Katie. A Friday's Downtown nightcap complete with an asshole Tiger's Eye from Lozada.

Kayaking down some river with Tami, Justin, Nick, Adrion, & Burns in the middle of September with torrential downpours. The first third of the river was horrifying; Nick & Justin threw mine & Tami's bag of wine in the river before we could drink it & since I had driven there, I was stone-sober. It wasn't until we beached ourselves after the third time I dumped (& lost a brand-new pair of lounge pants on a branch & damn-near lost my kayak) and polished off a 5th of Jager that I could get down the river with reasonable ease. Thank god for the Bulgarian that can't swim...

...followed by our "bonfire" & keg at the end of the Boardwalk. There was still a burn-ban in the U.P., so we attempted to make a bonfire out of a 3-wick candle & some tealights. However, there was enough wind to tip over the Colosseum, so they wouldn't even light. It was so incredibly cold & windy that we ended up moving the keg back to our apartment & getting drunk at a bunch of bars... Definitely the best day of my Mackitraz experience.

Things I've simply enjoyed...
The new Founder's.

Being a new kind of social. It took 7 weeks on a rock in the middle of Lake Huron to make something just sorta click upon getting back to GR, but something has been different.

Further appreciating some of my long-time friends. Sometimes all I have needed is Cassidy to talk to, or Geoff to make me laugh. I guess this is growing up...

Starting to learn that I'm all right how I am. Not great, But definitely all right.