BEST. WEEKEND. EVER.

I went to my old home of Emporia for my old bossse's wedding, and had the time of my frickin' life.

Friday
I arrive around 2:30 and do some serious catching up with my old neighbor and prodigy, Emily. We go to the school to visit the director of theater, and as soon as I get up the stairs Em says, "I like how you just checked the callboard. Nothing pertains to you, you don't have to check it anymore." Old habits die hard.
I got a great compliment from the director of theater, he said "Those people (aka the people I work with who have developmental disabilities) are so lucky to have someone with a heart like yours working with them."
I almost cried.
Then we all meet up for dinner (3 of us opt to drink our dinner). The drinks are flowing and the laughter is easy.
Then we head to the rehearsal dinner for free/awesome food.
Then we drink more, and laugh more.
Then we go to the bar.
Then we crash two parties and abduct a new theater student and corrupt him during our night of debauchery. We just pull up and yell: "Hey Bieber (he has Justin Bieber hair, don't remember his real name), get in the car."
"Yeah, and bring your beer!"

I hardly bought a drink all weekend.

Saturday
We nurse our hangovers with a little hair of the dog and head out to the rugby field to watch a game. We all proceed to get sunburnt and show up to the wedding with red skin and horrible tan lines in our pretty dresses.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
After the game we go to the rugby party. If you read about the last rugby party you know how ridiculous they can be. Naked men, free beer, raucous singing. It's basically the best thing ever. However, they had just got their asses handed to them and had several players who had to go to the hospitable, so when we arrived the scene was downright subdued.
We get a couple pitchers and I holler. "What is this a effing dinner party? Well, I forgot to wear my ballgown so put out your candelabra and let's drink some effing beer!"
Games of flip cup and zumi zumi followed thereafter. I gave one of the poor rookies the nickname Sunshine and it stuck. I did a little verbal smackdown with the biggest guy there, and he actually dug it, I don't think he's used to back-talk, being a behemoth and all.
While still riding our buzz we get all fancied up for the wedding.
Lovely setting, perfect weather, and a reception with free food and this delicious raspberry champagne drink that I drank copious amounts of. Don't drink lots of champagne, it makes you feel awful.
But I had red lips and a rugby player as my date (he's actually one of my good friends, like a girlfriend--he hates it when I say that--but on the other hand he looks like a Greek god with his shirt off). He even danced with me even though nobody else was, and I was drunk enough not to care.
He told me I looked nice and everyone made fun of me when I blushed in spite of myself. Even though I think of him like a little buddy, when someone who looks as good as he does without clothes on gives you a compliment (oh and did I mention he's super-smart and rich and still manages to be a real stand up guy and not a douche?) even gals like me who are "one of the guys" are gonna blush. Good faux-date.
Then we went to the bar.
Then more people I hadn't seen in forever showed up.
The night became a giant love-fest with compliments and "truth bombs" as I like to call them (you know that thing that everyone's thinking, but no one says? I like to let loose with that stuff like it's Hiroshima) flying left and right. Everyone was hugging and laughing. My friend James (a girl) kept screaming, "I'm a Fucking Legend!"
It felt legendary.
I ended the night eating tortilla chips with one of my best guy friends, Essay (I call him that because he's Hispanic, and his name is Jessie) and talking until I passed out. I had the walk of shame minus the shame this morning. I can feel autumn in the air.

It's the end of an era. It's really over now, my time at ESU.

My old theater guys gave me some advice and well-wishes in refernce to grad school. They told me to "Break Legs," and "Kick it's ass."

I cried a little as I drove home.

How can anyone else possibly be as great as this group of friends?