Reasons this weekend rocked

When I started working as a professional in January of 2007, I quickly realized what people mean when they say they live for the weekends. However, at that stage of my life, I didn't have anything exciting going on - I simply enjoyed the break from the work cycle.

This year has brought with it an entirely new facet of living for the weekend. This is part of the reason:
(I did have the wrong bike and the wrong picture. Dang it. I've fixed it, I think.)

And while I'm certainly not the person driving this lovely pile of metal, chrome, and rubber, that doesn't preclude me from treasuring the moments aboard it.

I've learned a lot about myself in recent years. Things like I love riding motorcycles, despite the fact that they've terrified me since the 8th grade when one of my friend's brothers died in a horrible bike accident. I've also learned that I love to communicate and tell stories.
But there's more to it. I've begun to trust people, which is refreshing and liberating. Although I still like to have control, I can now give up some of it to others, which makes my life easier in the long run.

Another major breakthrough in the last year and a half is the discovery that I don't hate games as much I thought I did. Board games, card games, word games, you name it, the Gottschalks play it. The gaming has gotten quite out of control as Evan and Emily joined forces and have created the Game Closet On-the-Go, that is to say, the trunk of Evan's car is a portable game storage unit. I say out of control, and yet we all participate and have a blast every time we meet up because of this unifying force.

On Friday night, some of my friends (Leslie D., Kyle, and Sara W.) joined up with a few other people for a Game Night. It was the second one this semester, and I'm fairly certain we shall continue an every-other-month schedule of such events. Never has there been more laughter--pure, unabashed cackling, giggling, snorting, and silent shaking. One newbie, M.J. has the most contagious laugh ever. He didn't stop laughing all evening. We played MadGab and nearly continued to Pictionary and Win, Lose, or Draw, but discovered a lack of pieces for both. Thus, we ended up on Catch Phrase (a personal fav).

Stories abounded, too. From the moment Leslie, Jessi, and M.J. walked in the door talking about a miscommunication involving pie and a bike, to Sara's kindergarten treasure (it was vomit week for her--as well as school pictures) and her friend Kenzie's fire in the men's locker room story from work, we were rolling. Several times I found my self face-planted on the couch, unable to breathe or sit up.

I love these people, and our evening definitely set the tone for one heck of a weekend.

Knowing what awaits me at work tomorrow (4 classes of freshmen and a mess of a web site), I fully comprehend living for weekends. Spending time with my friends, laughing hysterically, playing games, and cruising around on a hot bike. Who wouldn't want that? How could that not make your day...or week?