(Pics in Blue!)
So a few Fridays ago I was sitting at work…in a surprisingly good mood…just minding my own business and going about my normal 4 hour Friday. I decided it would be fun to look at plane tickets just to see what kind of deal I could dig up. I came across a decent priced flight for the next day (Saturday) to Monday. So I grabbed it before the price went up. This was probably the best decision I have made in a long time!! Not only did I decide to surprise mom and dad…but I surprised the rest of my friends and family. Only 4 people knew I was coming home. I even had Kim (bless her heart) come up to Indy to pick my sorry ass up. This was probably the best weekend I have had in a long time!! So many things were going on, I got to see so many people, and I even scored an interview at the last minute.
Saturday morning rolled around and I was so glad to get the heck out of ABQ!!! I patiently waited for Kim and Nick to pick me up at Indy’s airport…she was running a little late. On the way home we chatted and caught up on all the dumb stuff Kim and I talk about (old days at Phi Kap, The Menus, etc.). We were also making plans for that night….the biggest hillbilly fest of the year….AKA Farm Fest 2008!! We were trying to hide the fact that I was home and Kim was on the road picking me up. We made up stories, told lies, and basically said anything to hide the fact that I was home and making plans to go to Farm Fest. We pulled in my drive-way around 4:30 and surprised the CRAP out of my mom. She had no clue at all I was coming home!!! She immediately cancelled her dinner plans, cancelled plans to go see the Menus, and in no time at all we were on our way to Aroura, Indiana for Farm Fest. BEST. NIGHT. EVER
Farm Fest is the annual benefit party the Bucher family has every year. It’s always such a blast and the whole world goes…even Willy Cunningham. If you live in Cincy and know someone…who knows someone…who knows someone…who knows the Buchers…you were probably at Farm Fest!! They have fireworks with a local radio station broadcasting synchronizing music, all the food you can dream of, 4 bands, blow up jumping toys and slides for kids, a lake, a beer truck, etc. It’s usually the best night of summer and definitely goes out with a bang. Here’s the low-down: Donald and Nick were Frick and Frack. They didn’t leave each others side all night. The high school boys made a showing and so did Sandi! Jeremy and his whole gang was there to support Rob and Backseat Romeo (Rob’s band), Dan (Whitey) and his entire clan was there dressed in full-force redneck gear. Steph was there being crazy tall and wild as always! Susie was an absolute mess and decided to swim in the lake at 5am. The kids, Ryan and Lance were there…and I still can’t believe they are old enough to drink now! Even the neighborhood parents decided to make a showing! Some dude passed out in a folding chair. And at the end of the night (right before they ran out of beer) the boys had a dance-off. Not too sure who won…but it’s looking like Spud did. We enven scored a picture of the Nashville gang…minus some. The ride home consisted of jamming to the mix that we use for MSJ football tailgating. I’m sure we were obnoxious. We took Nick home first then proceeded to stop at The Scoreboard…not too sure why we made this stop. It was definitely unnecessary. Ryan and I had an amazing chat about our status and the only thing I can say is that things would be very different between us if I lived in Cincy. It was a good conversation and it needed to be talked about. Last call at the bar…they took our beers…and we headed home. By the time we got home…we were starving!!! Kim ate a whole bowl of meat that you would typically put in stew and I munched on chips. Okay, it’s late. Time to go to bed.
Sunday we woke up still drunk…and hating our lives. I felt like I got hit by a bus…but I guess that’s the price you pay for drinking from 5pm – 2am. Oops. But it was worth it!! We slowly got out of bed and I took a shower while mom ran to the store. Kim didn’t move…but that’s typical. She could have slept till 4 in the afternoon if I left her lay there. After my shower I felt 100% better and ready to drink again at the Lancaster’s tailgate party! Kim took me to Lancaster’s then went home. I was the first one to arrive at the tailgate party and immediately poured myself a mimosa. Yum! The Bucher’s, Lampe’s, and Browe’s struggled in about an hour later…most of them hurting from Farm Fest still. Ellen showed up in her same outfit…Nicki and Susie were no-shows, Craig had already started drinking again, and Joe and Caitlin also arrive in their same outfits. It was one hell of a morning…but for the most part…everyone started drinking again. Tailgating in the backyard was fun!! Uncle skip grilled breakfast…eggs, goetta, bacon, pancakes, etc. It was delish!! After breakfast we proceeded inside to watch the Bengals get stomped on. Everyone was in a bad mood…but we had golfing to look forward to. We headed to the golf course for our 4:30 tee time, watched the rest of the Bengals game at the bar, then divided into teams. We did 5 girls and 5 guys…easy enough. And Susie even graced us with her presence…AND started drinking again. We all played like shit…probably because we all felt like shit. But it brightened our day when the golf bag fell off the back of the cart…not only once, but twice. And we got yelled at for not staying on the path. Needless to say…I was by far the worst on the team…but still managed to bust the shit out of a ball or two…beginners luck I like to call it. The guys were so far ahead of us, we had to skip 2 holes and they still kicked our ass. In the end…I don’t even think we bothered to trade scores.
After golf Wild Mikes was calling our name!! We were starving. I called Ryan and he met mom and I at Shady Lane Wild Mikes for some wings and more unneeded beers. Wings were delish. After dinner I went back to Ryan’s house to hang out for a little while. We watched some football and continued our conversation from the night before. We both know where we stand and that our relationship status would be different if I lived in Cincy. After the game he took me home and I crashed out!!!! It had been long weekend.
Monday morning rolled around and it was time for my interview. 10am, Black Dog Graphics, Eight Mile Rd. I met with a very nice lady named Sarah. She told me about the company, looked thru my portfolio, asked me questions, etc. It went pretty well, but there were a lot of unanswered questions because the owner and the main graphic designer were both out on vacation. She then gave me an assignment to come up with a new design for their website, and that was it. Very small company but very friendly people. I’m not so sure they are going to offer me enough money though. I am also unsure if this is a full-time position. I hope a lot of these questions are answered in the near future. After my interview I took mom’s car back to her at the Mount and she took me to dad’s house. He picked me up and we went to lunch and talked about the weekend, family, jobs, etc. I couldn’t wait to get back to the house and surprise Taylor and Madison!!! They were shocked to see me laying on the couch. We played for a little while then, sadly, I had to head to the airport. Oh how I love American Airlines…
I check in, go thru security, find a seat at the gate…and not 2 minutes later the lady gets on the intercom and informs us if we have a layover in Dallas to please check in. So I immediately jump up and get right in line. She informs me that the plane getting into Indy is late and that I was going to miss my layover in Dallas. That’s not the worst part. She then tells me there are no other flights going to ABQ tonight. So I was either stuck in Indy for the night…or stuck in Dallas for the night. Ughhh!! Two times in a row. Gotta love American Airlines! I do. So I called dad as quickly as I could and told him to turn around. They re-booked me out of Cincinnati for the next day. Whatever. I should just expect delays and mishaps from now on when flying with American. I was frustrated, but glad I got to spend another night with dad and fam!!!
Tuesday rolled around and it was time to do this all over again…only we just had to go to Cincy…thank GOD!! Everything went smooth and I was off to ABQ. Bye bye home.
