wow. ive been out of the loop for a while...
So I promised an update...and here it is. it's gonna be a long one, so if you don't wanna read it, don't. if you want to find out whats been going on in my life and the world around me, read on!
May 26, 2006: My 21st birthday!!
This. Was. FABULOUS. I've never had so much fun on my birthday, not even dating what's-his-face. It all started earlier that week. Actually, the week before. Grandmom was moved from Ochsner to the Rehab center (next door to where Mom works). So I would drive out there everyday to see her for an hour, then go back home so I could have dinner ready for when Mom got home. I've never seen my family so excited before. First, because Grandmom is better, then because the oldest grandchild is turning 21! I honestly didn't care about my birthday, I just wanted Grandmom to be out of the hospital before I left for Orlando. So the 19th was Uncle Scott's birthday. Not too much since he lives in La Jolla. Bummer. He's one of my favorite uncles. When I was little, he used to help me put all my Barbie stuff together...I remember when I got Barbie's Soda Shoppe. I didn't open any other presents until I had that put together and he played with it with me for like 10 mins...then I opened another present and it was Barbie's Plane Set and Limo Set...of course, I had him help me put it together and we played with that for hours...then I finished opening up the other presents. I remember it like it was yesterday. where did 16 years go?! (Meaning I was 5, idiots.) Anyways, so the rest of the week progresses, the 21st was Ev's 24th. Nothing really for her b-day since she was getting ready for the reunion and packing for Greece. Eily called me on the 23rd all excited at 2:30am my time...10:30am her time..she was in Greece at the time (and still is, come to think of it...) She was all "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE! WHAT'D YOU DO?!" and I'm like, Ei, I'm not 21 yet...and then she felt bad...but thanks for the early birthday wishes! lol So on the 24th we are putting the bags together for the reunion. I go to Myra's after babysitting my angels and find Myra, Wes, Mimi, Jeanne, Aunt Helen, Ev and Mom working to stuff the bags. I arrive with a few extra things I got earlier in the day from Mr. Henry and I get the fun task of labeling all the bags! WHAT FUN! Of course, Claire and I are counting down the days, then hours until her plane lands in NOLA...so the 25th is the day.
GRANDMOM IS OUT OF THE REHAB CENTER! We are SO frikin happy. I've never seen Pop Pop that happy. This was seriously a miracle. She was on her death bed, had her last rites read to her, we were all expecting her to not make in through the night. Much to our surprise, she made it through the night, and the next, and the following week, 2 weeks, month, and the next month all the way from March 19 (when she went in for emergency surgery) until May 25 (when she got out of the hospital crap all together!)!!!!!! So on the 25th, Alex comes to get me at like 9:30 in the morning to drive up to BR to get my bed. We have a nice drive up there. Catch up on a bunch of stuff (like from my Soph year in HS until Soph year in college and of course that would be his Sr year in HS until graduation, just a week earlier...) I knew he was going into the Army, I just didn't know when he was leaving, where he was stationed etc...so I find all this out. It came as a shock (some of it) but I was expecting some of it, so it turned out ok. One thing I didn't expect to find out was that my Lil Alex DIPS! I flipped out! When we dated he was like the most straight-edge person EVER. He didn't drink at all because it "made his stomach hurt" he didn't smoke, he didn't curse, he was adorable. I loved this guy (and still do). He was (and still is) the PERFECT gentleman. Like honestly, take the picture perfect husband, bring him to life, and you have my Alex. I remember his prom like it was last night.....but thats another story...so anyways, we get my bed, bring it back down to NOLA, hang out for a bit and we decide to wash my car. So I get changed into my bikini and get everything together. We go outside and of course he thinks it is just the funniest thing to squirt me with the hose. ha. ha. I HATE being partially wet...I'm either taking a shower or swimming, or I'm completely dry. So he just has a blast spraying me with the hose. He puts it down, and helps me wash my car and I tell him I have soap in my eye, so I'm just gonna go inside to rinse it out and I'll e right back...but being the "sneak" I am, I go around him and he gets a giant bear hug and he gets wet boob spots on his shirt.....I know y'all don't think it's funny but it really is. So we finish washing the car and mom decides she wants her car washed, too...so we wash it for her. Well, Alex volunteered us...just so he can squirt me with the hose again. Thanks, cutie.
So afterwards, I dry off, go babysitting, and then go see Grandmom and she is excited to see me, telling me how sorry she is that they won't be able to have anything for my birthday the next day, and I just want to cry. But I hold it all in and look at her with a huge smile and say, "Grandmom, this is the best birthday present I could have hoped for-you being out of the hospital is all anyone wanted...and you've just given me the one thing that I wanted and you can't buy in any store." She starts to tear up so I quickly change the subject to something she knows and loves...the angels. "So I guess this is my last angel, huh?" She laugs, Pop Pop laughs, everyone laughs because every year the girls get an angel (getting taller each year) and we all know that if we don't get anything else, that is the one thing we are guaranteed to get. She starts to tell me how it was Stephen's graduation (he graduated from Stuart Hall! Now my lil cousin is a BLUE JAY!!)
Anyways, I leave a short while later and go home to get my beauty sleep. I get a phone call from Day-day at exactly 12:00 singing me happy birthday. But not before Mom sings me happy birthday as soon as we see the clock on the computer flip over to 12:00am. I'm typing a story of Jack's so I don't even pay attention and then I hear LOUD singing in my ear. Startled me and then I get a big smile on my face. I'm finally 21. Legal to drink, go to casinos and gamble and all that jazz. Woop de doo. So it is the 26th. Wow. Another day. For some reason, I wasn't very excited about turning 21 as I was about turning 18, 19 and 20...but why? Was it because I didn't have a boyfriend? Was it because I've realized that I really am getting older? Or was it because of something totally different? Whatever it was, I'll never know. But here is where the fun begins. I wake up at 8:45, go with Mom to Wal-Mart so we can get copies of her pics made so we can give the CD to Liz so she can do the slideshow. While we are there, I decide to buy my alcohol. I grab a bunch of stuff, mainly the stuff I like to drink :) Yes, that included my Smirnoff, B&Js and a bottle of Vodka. I go to the cash register and the lady looks at me and says, can I see your ID please? I gladly whip that baby out and show it to her. She looks at me and says, "Well happy 21st, Angela!" I get this big grin on my face, say thank you and go on my merry way. All the while, I'm getting phone calls like crazy.
Dad calls and is all excited about that night. He was taking me out. Just the 2 of us. I still had no idea where he was taking me, but he asked if I had bought my alcohol yet, I say that I in fact just bought it. He laughs and tells me not to get too crazy. I assure him I won't and tell him to call me when he's ready to pick me up. So we go home, make the center pieces for the party at Lucy's. Uncle Glenn calls me, Neil calls me from work, Jeb calls, Kristen calls, random people I didn't even think remembered me called! It was so nice to know that people are much more inclined to be around me now that I'm not tied down with him. I asked why they called and they reply "Isn't it your birthday?" I say yes, but (in the nicest way possible) ask why they decide to just now start talking to me...and they told me why...and wow, I didn't realize how much drama "that" created and how happy I was to not be around it. These random friends and I talk for a bit, and then say I have to go finish up stuff but I'd love to see them later that night at whatever bar...they say that they'll make it...but I don't hold my breath. I go outside to find something on my car. I wonder what it is...hmmm it looks like a ticket, but I'm parked legally. I go over to it and find that it is a note from Day-day! It reads "HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY, ANGELA! Don't get too crazy tonight, I want to hear all about it! Love, Your Uptown Friend"...aw how sweet! David took the extra time to swing by my house on his way to work! Thanks! So it is now like 3ish. Mom starts making my cake using none other than my Lactaid milk! YES! A CAKE I CAN FINALLY EAT! Uncle BB got in town late the night before so he is sleeping. I take my shower, then get dressed for the Meet and Greet at Myra's. Mom leaves early so she can get there to help set up. I go with Uncle Beau and Aunt Helen and Ev follow. We get there, get our pins and everyone starts hugging each other, saying "OH MY GOD! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN __ YEARS!" or "BEAU! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE COMING IN!" yadda yadda yadda. I go to the back, find Stuart and Steph and run up to them and give Stu a huge hug and of course, Stephanie got one too. They both look at me and say "Well if it isn't the birthday girl!" just loud enough so everyone turns around and says "Who has a birthday today?" and of course I turn red and Stuart points to me...everyone comes over to me, gives me birthday hugs, tells me happy birthday, asks how old I am and before I can answer "21" they say, "What are you now? 17?" And I'm like uh...no...21. So that continues for 10 mins. I go to the front because I see Anne walk in with Billy, knowing that the girls can't be far behind. I see Caroline and Allison and they come up to me and say "Happy Birthday, Ang-eeee-laaaaa!" That made my heart grow :) They go off and sit in the back because they are afraid of Holly Bear and Winston. Poor kiddos. Then...it happens.
I see the front door open in slow motion. I see this guy I don't recognize and this lady who I've never seen before. I haven't seen most of the people in years...but I don't remember these people at all. Then. She turns around. I stop what I'm doing and yell, "Claire!!!!" She sees me, we run to each other and hug and she says, "Happy Birthday, Girl!" and hugs me again. We both said (almost at the same time!) "I feel like we've known each other for so long!" But we've just met. We go to the back, get some wine, take some pics, talk about everything (mainly boys! but also her plane ride in), have another drink and then my Dad calls and tells me that he is outside. So it's a little after 7, most of the people have left now, I tell everyone "bye" and get in my dad's car. He starts telling me all these stories about how he got tickets to Emeril's, but I tell him (afraid to hurt his feelings) that I didn't want to go there because I went there for MPB's Bacc. Mass Lunch and wasn't impressed with the food...and then he tells me that its ok, because the tickets were free, and he'd just use them later...(turns out, that was a story just so I would believe him...it worked!) Then, my phone rings and it is Grandmom and Pop Pop but I missed it. As I listen to the voicemail, we pull into the garage. I'm not paying attention because I'm tring to hear the message that I don't even realize where we are. The message is, "Well, Angela, you probably know where your Dad is taking you for your 21st birthday! We hope you enjoy it!" And then I call them back, realized where I was, and yell with excitement! I'm in Harrah's! I hand the lady my ID, she swipes it, the machine sings me happy birthday, she tells me happy birthday and lets me in. This is where I get nervous. I feel like I'm too young to be in here. Dad and I go eat (the food was pretty good) but there wasn't too much I could eat since a lot of it had butter...poo. Then....we hit the floor. We go over to a machine, I start playing and immediately win 75 bucks. I play for a bit longer, and then cash out. I go to the Wheel of Fortune game, win some money there, head on over to the Sizzling 7s. On my first spin I get the first sizzlin' 7, and the second one...and then NOTHING. Oh I was so pissed. 2 spins later, the 3rd one comes up...great. Just great. I play a bit more and cash out. The whole night I made $175.75 but only spent like 50. And it was my Dad's money, so he didn't care, he just wanted to see me happy. I realize that it is getting pretty late and I need to meet up with my friends. Dad orders me a Bud Lite, I drink it and then we go. He drops me off at home, and Mom brings me to Madigans to meet up with Tony. Jeb calls me and picks me and Tony up and we go to TJs where I see none other than my favorite JHS people....Steve, Ryan and Ryan! Like my brothers! Steve grabs me and gives me a huge hug, Ryan M does the same....but Ryan O...Oh boy. He is pretty toasted at this point. He buys me a shot, we do our "cheers" to "Angela's 21st and no cockblocks by you-know-who"...I never thought I'd hear Ryan say that...but I did. So Jeb then buys me a Tequila Sunrise. Tony is with me most of the night. He's a little upset because Jennie is mad at him, so he is my bf for the night. We start walking around. I see none other than Gia who points out Ashley and David....holy mother of god! I havent seen this girl and her bf since USM! Ash takes a picture since "I probably won't remember that I saw her"....but I remembered!
Later on, walking around, I meet this cute guy Kevin, talk to him for a bit and I meet his friend Sal. I see none other than Mr. John Correa. He slings his hair to the side and says, "HAPPY FUCKIN BIRTHDAY, ANG!" and gives me a bear hug. John, thank you for that! We had a nice chat, introduce him to Tony. My man is quite popular for being on MTV and all...lol. So we make our rounds. I see other random people not worth mentioning. Then I run into Mr. James Villarubia. What a guy. We chat, I gotta pee, so I jet off to the potty room. By this point, I'd already had 2 Tequila Sunrises, 1 shot, a beer and some wine earlier. I was feelin pretty good right about now. We make our way outside and Tony is stopped by all these people who want pictures of him, people are saying things like "I told you that was the MTV guy!" So I see Joe a Sigma Chi, and find out that his birthday is only 2 days after mine...we talk about birthdays, how James is, how he missed not seeing me on the weekends at the house etc...Then I meet these 2 older guys. I couldn't tell you their names to save my life. But I do know that one definitely copped a feel when I stumbled over, Tony caught me and shot the guy a dirty look and the other guy bought me 2 shots....I love turning 21. I was a little upset that Alex didn't make it out, though. But it was time to switch bars, I somehow lost Jeb along the way, but I had Tony with me and John decided that he wanted to go to Madigans. So he drove us there. I get there, find my roomie and the gang and am super excited! I buy them their beer (with their money of course!) and go outside. Had a smoke with Steve at TJs so I had to have one with Kristen at Madigans. I don't remember what I had there, but I think I had something...now keep in mind, I haven't had a lot to eat, I haven't had a drink since the Final 4 with Eric and the gang, and even then, I got pretty good. So it was almost 2 months since I had a drink...or maybe like a month...whatever. But my problem that night was I mixed my drinks...oh boy. I'll never do that again. John and Sal want to take me to Banquet so they can sing me happy birthday. We make it to St. Charles like a few blocks past ASH when John needs to pull over...and here it comes. John gets out to pee and Sal tells me to "keep it comin'" and that we are "almost there" I don't know if I can make it, so I ask John if he can drop me off at my house. He says sure but sounded a lil disappointed that I wouldn't be going with him. I was pretty coherent (other than the forgetting what else happened at TJs and Mads). Turns out, I threw up 4 times before I made it home. But I called mom and told her to open the back door, I managed to thank the guys, told them to have fun and be careful, stumble up the stairs and threw myself onto my bed in the front. I want to say it was close to 4...but I can't remember.
This is where I can't remember everything. I do remember a shreaking noise aka-my phone. It is Jeb trying to find out where I am. Mom answers and tells him (as I'm already out of my dress hugging the toilet) that I'm home and she is trying to get me changed into something to sleep in. About 20 mins later, I hobble into the front, throw myself on the bed and hope I don't puke. Mom gives me Aleve and water. I don't remember what else happened from there until I wake up at 1 in the afternoon. My phone was ringing for hours before (since freakin 10am) with people trying to find out if my birthday was fun, was I ok, was I at home etc....then it was Mom, Claire, Dad etc...trying to wake me up. A little advice: DON'T CALL THE BIRTHDAY GIRL WHEN SHE HAS A HANGOVER, NO MATTER HOW URGENT IT IS, DON'T LAUGH AT HER, ETC...(only exception, I had a hangover after the Final 4....I remember waking up in His bed and got a call from mom saying I had to come home b/c of Grandmom...that is the only exception because it wasn't my birthday, dammit!)
So I eventually get up, manage to make it into the shower, get dressed, go with everyone (with a splitting headache) to the lakefront, lakeview, all around the city, to lakelawn to see Pere's tomb etc...We part ways knowing that we'll meet up in a few hours. We go back to the house to get ready for Lucy's. I get dressed, my headache subsiding some, and we all pile into the Vue and make it downtown. We set up for the party and people start flowing in. The slideshow was awesome, thanks to Liz. Claire shows up. Everyone starts to drink and I swear, I feel like I'm gonna vomit at the sight and smell of alcohol. Everyone asks how my night was and I tell them.They laugh and say "We've all been there..." and then that is when I see him. Across the room, I see his back. And I immediately know its him. I go over to him, tap him on the shoulder and say "Just what do you think you are doing?" and we hug....Buster! I haven't seen him in like 8 or 9 years. Not since Pere's funeral in 1997...so it was almost 9 years ago. We talked for a bit, took lots of pictures, mingled with everyone else and then in comes Ridgely...he was wasted by the time he got to my side of the room so we had a nice um..introduction. But the night goes on, pics are taken, people are drunk, laughter is everywhere. People begin to leave and thats when the cousins between the ages of 21 and 26 decide to go party. Claire and I get back to my house, and there's Austin. What the hell was he doing there? I told him I had a famiy reunion and I probably wouldn't have time to spend with him...but he showed up anyway. We miss the Lounge, but meet up with Ridgely and Charlotte at Mayfair. That is the coolest fucking bar I've ever been to. Too bad most of y'all either don't know where it is, or probably won't be able to get in...but shit, if we are ever together, I'll take you in. And I promise, Ridgely and Wes won't hurt you. Unless I ask them to.....
So the incident occurs, we go outside, meet my new boyfriend for the night, John, a lawyer, and then everything starts to fall into place. I get a shot from Char so I can "relax" but I tell her I have to drive...she gives it to me anyway, and then my phone "rings" and Claire follows me out. We tell everyone where to meet up and they all leave a few mins after Claire and I go out. As we are crossing the street, some sketchballs start yelling at us, so we start to run, which makes them yell louder and start walking towards us. Claire tells me to take my shoes off and I inform her that we are in fact in New Orleans, not Colorado and I don't want STDs picked up off the street...but it is either my life or well...my life. I kick those shoes off, I pick up one and Claire gets the other. We high tail it to my car, get in, lock the doors, start the car and head off to F&Ms. We meet up with Liz, Ben, Savery and Wes. We go in and who do I see be Celeste, Beka, and my all time favorite: Nate. What. The. Fuck. Since when did he get so much cuter and since when did I realize that we should have been together a long time ago? Um...try like March or April of 2004. But he had a gf and I had a bf. Then, we both went off to college in Mississippi. Randomly met up in NOLA during breaks. I introduced him to whats-his-name. RANDOM QUESTION: Why is it that you hear the same stuff over and over from various people, but it doesn't really kick in until you hear it from a particular person? Anywho...I shoulda listened to him back then. But I thought he just wanted to get with me...turns out he did, but he just wanted to see me happy and he told me (this night, not back when I was dating whats-his-name) that he had never seen me so unhappy and faking happiness so much. Well Babe, you know my number...you are the one that moved, not me. So we get to hang out for a bit. I tell him to find me before he leaves but in case we don't see each other before we leave to have a safe trip and be sure to call me when he is in NOLA again. Claire is kinda just hanging out by the wall just taking everything in. Nathaniel gives me a kiss (whoa!) and man, it was so worth that wait. So as I go to grab Claire's hand, I turn around to see him one last time and where is he but all up on me...giving me a hug, peck on the cheek and grabs my butt! Totally not what I expected from my best friend. We see Liz and Savery on the table and they definitely pull us up there...as soon as I get up there, Claire freaks out saying "I've NEVER done anything like this before!" and guys are snapping pictures, trying to grab our legs etc...we get Wes' attention and he goes over there and takes care of it. We all get a little tired so I have Savery and Claire in my car, Wes follows us to my house, takes care of the Texan situation, welcomes me home and brings the girls back to where they are staying.
Sunday is the final day of the reunion. I get dressed, and head over to the park. I hear little kids playing, walk into the Round Table Club and am again immersed in family conversations, I find questions coming at me from all different directions and I just can't take it anymore. I want to run home and just go back to sleep hoping that when I wake up, nobody would have found out about the night before. But, I'm a big girl and I know that these things happen...so I just take them all in stride with a grain of salt. I take pics with everyone, esp Claire and my lil angels. Back in 1997, at Anne and Billy's wedding/Christmas party, Jack deicded it would be funny if he sat on my lap. So he did. So now, every time we go back to the RTC, we take a picture...it is up on facebook, so go look at it if you don't understand or want to see a 74 year old guy sitting on a 21 year olds lap...its pretty comical. But y'all prolly won't think its funny cuz y'all arent a Loker. So the party ends and we all go by Aunt Helen's house to see what Katrina did. Then we part ways, not before we get upset and give each other hugs....I managed to hold back my tears when I had to tell Claire goodbye. I really feel like she is my sister. But in any case, she and her dad want to come down for Mardi Gras 2007. So we shall see if that happens. I hope it does! You know you have a place to stay. Later that night, we go by Grandmom and Pop Pop's. Of course, I wasn't invited to Stephen's Crawfish Boil (since it was hosted by Asshole and Bitch) but I show up to see my grandparents. I didn't even recognize Stephen at first. He grew up SO much, he lost SO much weight and just, I don't even know...just really built up some muscle. He plays baseball, which he is really good at (and should have no problem getting on the JHS team). I think he is thinking about wrestling, but not sure. So he has his friend Vincent with him and I find out that he, too, is going to JHS. Out of the 17 kids in Stephen's class, 15 of them are going to Jesuit. And that my friends, is why my son will go to Stuart Hall and my daughter will go to ASH. So I congratulate Vincent, they leave and shortly thereafter Mom and I leave.
The next day we go take my picture. Lots of fun, until we got to Myra's. Damn you, Lady. That damn bird just sunk its beak into my hand. It is still sore if you press on it and you can kind of see where its beak went into me. Anyways, we decided on a picture, Myra brought it to the place for us and now I just want to see what it looks like. I'm really upset that I won't be able to make it in for some of y'all's parties, but I'm slaving away (on the days I actually do work) for the mouse. Speaking of the mouse...Christie called me the other day to let me know that the Food Network was having a special on Disney Weddings and that Alice was at one of the wedding receptions and she thought of me. AWWW THANKS CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!!!!
But this is getting pretty long and I don't think y'all wanna read much more and I don't feel like typing much more...so I'll save the Disney stuff for later. I gotta go take a nap, my head is killing me again. But I hope this wasn't TOO much for y'all to read. (Allison, possibly Christie on the occasion, Kate and possibly my Maid of Honor) But just know that I'll have some more updates as soon as I get the time to write again! Until we meet again!
May 26, 2006: My 21st birthday!!
This. Was. FABULOUS. I've never had so much fun on my birthday, not even dating what's-his-face. It all started earlier that week. Actually, the week before. Grandmom was moved from Ochsner to the Rehab center (next door to where Mom works). So I would drive out there everyday to see her for an hour, then go back home so I could have dinner ready for when Mom got home. I've never seen my family so excited before. First, because Grandmom is better, then because the oldest grandchild is turning 21! I honestly didn't care about my birthday, I just wanted Grandmom to be out of the hospital before I left for Orlando. So the 19th was Uncle Scott's birthday. Not too much since he lives in La Jolla. Bummer. He's one of my favorite uncles. When I was little, he used to help me put all my Barbie stuff together...I remember when I got Barbie's Soda Shoppe. I didn't open any other presents until I had that put together and he played with it with me for like 10 mins...then I opened another present and it was Barbie's Plane Set and Limo Set...of course, I had him help me put it together and we played with that for hours...then I finished opening up the other presents. I remember it like it was yesterday. where did 16 years go?! (Meaning I was 5, idiots.) Anyways, so the rest of the week progresses, the 21st was Ev's 24th. Nothing really for her b-day since she was getting ready for the reunion and packing for Greece. Eily called me on the 23rd all excited at 2:30am my time...10:30am her time..she was in Greece at the time (and still is, come to think of it...) She was all "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE! WHAT'D YOU DO?!" and I'm like, Ei, I'm not 21 yet...and then she felt bad...but thanks for the early birthday wishes! lol So on the 24th we are putting the bags together for the reunion. I go to Myra's after babysitting my angels and find Myra, Wes, Mimi, Jeanne, Aunt Helen, Ev and Mom working to stuff the bags. I arrive with a few extra things I got earlier in the day from Mr. Henry and I get the fun task of labeling all the bags! WHAT FUN! Of course, Claire and I are counting down the days, then hours until her plane lands in NOLA...so the 25th is the day.
GRANDMOM IS OUT OF THE REHAB CENTER! We are SO frikin happy. I've never seen Pop Pop that happy. This was seriously a miracle. She was on her death bed, had her last rites read to her, we were all expecting her to not make in through the night. Much to our surprise, she made it through the night, and the next, and the following week, 2 weeks, month, and the next month all the way from March 19 (when she went in for emergency surgery) until May 25 (when she got out of the hospital crap all together!)!!!!!! So on the 25th, Alex comes to get me at like 9:30 in the morning to drive up to BR to get my bed. We have a nice drive up there. Catch up on a bunch of stuff (like from my Soph year in HS until Soph year in college and of course that would be his Sr year in HS until graduation, just a week earlier...) I knew he was going into the Army, I just didn't know when he was leaving, where he was stationed etc...so I find all this out. It came as a shock (some of it) but I was expecting some of it, so it turned out ok. One thing I didn't expect to find out was that my Lil Alex DIPS! I flipped out! When we dated he was like the most straight-edge person EVER. He didn't drink at all because it "made his stomach hurt" he didn't smoke, he didn't curse, he was adorable. I loved this guy (and still do). He was (and still is) the PERFECT gentleman. Like honestly, take the picture perfect husband, bring him to life, and you have my Alex. I remember his prom like it was last night.....but thats another story...so anyways, we get my bed, bring it back down to NOLA, hang out for a bit and we decide to wash my car. So I get changed into my bikini and get everything together. We go outside and of course he thinks it is just the funniest thing to squirt me with the hose. ha. ha. I HATE being partially wet...I'm either taking a shower or swimming, or I'm completely dry. So he just has a blast spraying me with the hose. He puts it down, and helps me wash my car and I tell him I have soap in my eye, so I'm just gonna go inside to rinse it out and I'll e right back...but being the "sneak" I am, I go around him and he gets a giant bear hug and he gets wet boob spots on his shirt.....I know y'all don't think it's funny but it really is. So we finish washing the car and mom decides she wants her car washed, too...so we wash it for her. Well, Alex volunteered us...just so he can squirt me with the hose again. Thanks, cutie.
So afterwards, I dry off, go babysitting, and then go see Grandmom and she is excited to see me, telling me how sorry she is that they won't be able to have anything for my birthday the next day, and I just want to cry. But I hold it all in and look at her with a huge smile and say, "Grandmom, this is the best birthday present I could have hoped for-you being out of the hospital is all anyone wanted...and you've just given me the one thing that I wanted and you can't buy in any store." She starts to tear up so I quickly change the subject to something she knows and loves...the angels. "So I guess this is my last angel, huh?" She laugs, Pop Pop laughs, everyone laughs because every year the girls get an angel (getting taller each year) and we all know that if we don't get anything else, that is the one thing we are guaranteed to get. She starts to tell me how it was Stephen's graduation (he graduated from Stuart Hall! Now my lil cousin is a BLUE JAY!!)
Anyways, I leave a short while later and go home to get my beauty sleep. I get a phone call from Day-day at exactly 12:00 singing me happy birthday. But not before Mom sings me happy birthday as soon as we see the clock on the computer flip over to 12:00am. I'm typing a story of Jack's so I don't even pay attention and then I hear LOUD singing in my ear. Startled me and then I get a big smile on my face. I'm finally 21. Legal to drink, go to casinos and gamble and all that jazz. Woop de doo. So it is the 26th. Wow. Another day. For some reason, I wasn't very excited about turning 21 as I was about turning 18, 19 and 20...but why? Was it because I didn't have a boyfriend? Was it because I've realized that I really am getting older? Or was it because of something totally different? Whatever it was, I'll never know. But here is where the fun begins. I wake up at 8:45, go with Mom to Wal-Mart so we can get copies of her pics made so we can give the CD to Liz so she can do the slideshow. While we are there, I decide to buy my alcohol. I grab a bunch of stuff, mainly the stuff I like to drink :) Yes, that included my Smirnoff, B&Js and a bottle of Vodka. I go to the cash register and the lady looks at me and says, can I see your ID please? I gladly whip that baby out and show it to her. She looks at me and says, "Well happy 21st, Angela!" I get this big grin on my face, say thank you and go on my merry way. All the while, I'm getting phone calls like crazy.
Dad calls and is all excited about that night. He was taking me out. Just the 2 of us. I still had no idea where he was taking me, but he asked if I had bought my alcohol yet, I say that I in fact just bought it. He laughs and tells me not to get too crazy. I assure him I won't and tell him to call me when he's ready to pick me up. So we go home, make the center pieces for the party at Lucy's. Uncle Glenn calls me, Neil calls me from work, Jeb calls, Kristen calls, random people I didn't even think remembered me called! It was so nice to know that people are much more inclined to be around me now that I'm not tied down with him. I asked why they called and they reply "Isn't it your birthday?" I say yes, but (in the nicest way possible) ask why they decide to just now start talking to me...and they told me why...and wow, I didn't realize how much drama "that" created and how happy I was to not be around it. These random friends and I talk for a bit, and then say I have to go finish up stuff but I'd love to see them later that night at whatever bar...they say that they'll make it...but I don't hold my breath. I go outside to find something on my car. I wonder what it is...hmmm it looks like a ticket, but I'm parked legally. I go over to it and find that it is a note from Day-day! It reads "HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY, ANGELA! Don't get too crazy tonight, I want to hear all about it! Love, Your Uptown Friend"...aw how sweet! David took the extra time to swing by my house on his way to work! Thanks! So it is now like 3ish. Mom starts making my cake using none other than my Lactaid milk! YES! A CAKE I CAN FINALLY EAT! Uncle BB got in town late the night before so he is sleeping. I take my shower, then get dressed for the Meet and Greet at Myra's. Mom leaves early so she can get there to help set up. I go with Uncle Beau and Aunt Helen and Ev follow. We get there, get our pins and everyone starts hugging each other, saying "OH MY GOD! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN __ YEARS!" or "BEAU! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE COMING IN!" yadda yadda yadda. I go to the back, find Stuart and Steph and run up to them and give Stu a huge hug and of course, Stephanie got one too. They both look at me and say "Well if it isn't the birthday girl!" just loud enough so everyone turns around and says "Who has a birthday today?" and of course I turn red and Stuart points to me...everyone comes over to me, gives me birthday hugs, tells me happy birthday, asks how old I am and before I can answer "21" they say, "What are you now? 17?" And I'm like uh...no...21. So that continues for 10 mins. I go to the front because I see Anne walk in with Billy, knowing that the girls can't be far behind. I see Caroline and Allison and they come up to me and say "Happy Birthday, Ang-eeee-laaaaa!" That made my heart grow :) They go off and sit in the back because they are afraid of Holly Bear and Winston. Poor kiddos. Then...it happens.
I see the front door open in slow motion. I see this guy I don't recognize and this lady who I've never seen before. I haven't seen most of the people in years...but I don't remember these people at all. Then. She turns around. I stop what I'm doing and yell, "Claire!!!!" She sees me, we run to each other and hug and she says, "Happy Birthday, Girl!" and hugs me again. We both said (almost at the same time!) "I feel like we've known each other for so long!" But we've just met. We go to the back, get some wine, take some pics, talk about everything (mainly boys! but also her plane ride in), have another drink and then my Dad calls and tells me that he is outside. So it's a little after 7, most of the people have left now, I tell everyone "bye" and get in my dad's car. He starts telling me all these stories about how he got tickets to Emeril's, but I tell him (afraid to hurt his feelings) that I didn't want to go there because I went there for MPB's Bacc. Mass Lunch and wasn't impressed with the food...and then he tells me that its ok, because the tickets were free, and he'd just use them later...(turns out, that was a story just so I would believe him...it worked!) Then, my phone rings and it is Grandmom and Pop Pop but I missed it. As I listen to the voicemail, we pull into the garage. I'm not paying attention because I'm tring to hear the message that I don't even realize where we are. The message is, "Well, Angela, you probably know where your Dad is taking you for your 21st birthday! We hope you enjoy it!" And then I call them back, realized where I was, and yell with excitement! I'm in Harrah's! I hand the lady my ID, she swipes it, the machine sings me happy birthday, she tells me happy birthday and lets me in. This is where I get nervous. I feel like I'm too young to be in here. Dad and I go eat (the food was pretty good) but there wasn't too much I could eat since a lot of it had butter...poo. Then....we hit the floor. We go over to a machine, I start playing and immediately win 75 bucks. I play for a bit longer, and then cash out. I go to the Wheel of Fortune game, win some money there, head on over to the Sizzling 7s. On my first spin I get the first sizzlin' 7, and the second one...and then NOTHING. Oh I was so pissed. 2 spins later, the 3rd one comes up...great. Just great. I play a bit more and cash out. The whole night I made $175.75 but only spent like 50. And it was my Dad's money, so he didn't care, he just wanted to see me happy. I realize that it is getting pretty late and I need to meet up with my friends. Dad orders me a Bud Lite, I drink it and then we go. He drops me off at home, and Mom brings me to Madigans to meet up with Tony. Jeb calls me and picks me and Tony up and we go to TJs where I see none other than my favorite JHS people....Steve, Ryan and Ryan! Like my brothers! Steve grabs me and gives me a huge hug, Ryan M does the same....but Ryan O...Oh boy. He is pretty toasted at this point. He buys me a shot, we do our "cheers" to "Angela's 21st and no cockblocks by you-know-who"...I never thought I'd hear Ryan say that...but I did. So Jeb then buys me a Tequila Sunrise. Tony is with me most of the night. He's a little upset because Jennie is mad at him, so he is my bf for the night. We start walking around. I see none other than Gia who points out Ashley and David....holy mother of god! I havent seen this girl and her bf since USM! Ash takes a picture since "I probably won't remember that I saw her"....but I remembered!
Later on, walking around, I meet this cute guy Kevin, talk to him for a bit and I meet his friend Sal. I see none other than Mr. John Correa. He slings his hair to the side and says, "HAPPY FUCKIN BIRTHDAY, ANG!" and gives me a bear hug. John, thank you for that! We had a nice chat, introduce him to Tony. My man is quite popular for being on MTV and all...lol. So we make our rounds. I see other random people not worth mentioning. Then I run into Mr. James Villarubia. What a guy. We chat, I gotta pee, so I jet off to the potty room. By this point, I'd already had 2 Tequila Sunrises, 1 shot, a beer and some wine earlier. I was feelin pretty good right about now. We make our way outside and Tony is stopped by all these people who want pictures of him, people are saying things like "I told you that was the MTV guy!" So I see Joe a Sigma Chi, and find out that his birthday is only 2 days after mine...we talk about birthdays, how James is, how he missed not seeing me on the weekends at the house etc...Then I meet these 2 older guys. I couldn't tell you their names to save my life. But I do know that one definitely copped a feel when I stumbled over, Tony caught me and shot the guy a dirty look and the other guy bought me 2 shots....I love turning 21. I was a little upset that Alex didn't make it out, though. But it was time to switch bars, I somehow lost Jeb along the way, but I had Tony with me and John decided that he wanted to go to Madigans. So he drove us there. I get there, find my roomie and the gang and am super excited! I buy them their beer (with their money of course!) and go outside. Had a smoke with Steve at TJs so I had to have one with Kristen at Madigans. I don't remember what I had there, but I think I had something...now keep in mind, I haven't had a lot to eat, I haven't had a drink since the Final 4 with Eric and the gang, and even then, I got pretty good. So it was almost 2 months since I had a drink...or maybe like a month...whatever. But my problem that night was I mixed my drinks...oh boy. I'll never do that again. John and Sal want to take me to Banquet so they can sing me happy birthday. We make it to St. Charles like a few blocks past ASH when John needs to pull over...and here it comes. John gets out to pee and Sal tells me to "keep it comin'" and that we are "almost there" I don't know if I can make it, so I ask John if he can drop me off at my house. He says sure but sounded a lil disappointed that I wouldn't be going with him. I was pretty coherent (other than the forgetting what else happened at TJs and Mads). Turns out, I threw up 4 times before I made it home. But I called mom and told her to open the back door, I managed to thank the guys, told them to have fun and be careful, stumble up the stairs and threw myself onto my bed in the front. I want to say it was close to 4...but I can't remember.
This is where I can't remember everything. I do remember a shreaking noise aka-my phone. It is Jeb trying to find out where I am. Mom answers and tells him (as I'm already out of my dress hugging the toilet) that I'm home and she is trying to get me changed into something to sleep in. About 20 mins later, I hobble into the front, throw myself on the bed and hope I don't puke. Mom gives me Aleve and water. I don't remember what else happened from there until I wake up at 1 in the afternoon. My phone was ringing for hours before (since freakin 10am) with people trying to find out if my birthday was fun, was I ok, was I at home etc....then it was Mom, Claire, Dad etc...trying to wake me up. A little advice: DON'T CALL THE BIRTHDAY GIRL WHEN SHE HAS A HANGOVER, NO MATTER HOW URGENT IT IS, DON'T LAUGH AT HER, ETC...(only exception, I had a hangover after the Final 4....I remember waking up in His bed and got a call from mom saying I had to come home b/c of Grandmom...that is the only exception because it wasn't my birthday, dammit!)
So I eventually get up, manage to make it into the shower, get dressed, go with everyone (with a splitting headache) to the lakefront, lakeview, all around the city, to lakelawn to see Pere's tomb etc...We part ways knowing that we'll meet up in a few hours. We go back to the house to get ready for Lucy's. I get dressed, my headache subsiding some, and we all pile into the Vue and make it downtown. We set up for the party and people start flowing in. The slideshow was awesome, thanks to Liz. Claire shows up. Everyone starts to drink and I swear, I feel like I'm gonna vomit at the sight and smell of alcohol. Everyone asks how my night was and I tell them.They laugh and say "We've all been there..." and then that is when I see him. Across the room, I see his back. And I immediately know its him. I go over to him, tap him on the shoulder and say "Just what do you think you are doing?" and we hug....Buster! I haven't seen him in like 8 or 9 years. Not since Pere's funeral in 1997...so it was almost 9 years ago. We talked for a bit, took lots of pictures, mingled with everyone else and then in comes Ridgely...he was wasted by the time he got to my side of the room so we had a nice um..introduction. But the night goes on, pics are taken, people are drunk, laughter is everywhere. People begin to leave and thats when the cousins between the ages of 21 and 26 decide to go party. Claire and I get back to my house, and there's Austin. What the hell was he doing there? I told him I had a famiy reunion and I probably wouldn't have time to spend with him...but he showed up anyway. We miss the Lounge, but meet up with Ridgely and Charlotte at Mayfair. That is the coolest fucking bar I've ever been to. Too bad most of y'all either don't know where it is, or probably won't be able to get in...but shit, if we are ever together, I'll take you in. And I promise, Ridgely and Wes won't hurt you. Unless I ask them to.....
So the incident occurs, we go outside, meet my new boyfriend for the night, John, a lawyer, and then everything starts to fall into place. I get a shot from Char so I can "relax" but I tell her I have to drive...she gives it to me anyway, and then my phone "rings" and Claire follows me out. We tell everyone where to meet up and they all leave a few mins after Claire and I go out. As we are crossing the street, some sketchballs start yelling at us, so we start to run, which makes them yell louder and start walking towards us. Claire tells me to take my shoes off and I inform her that we are in fact in New Orleans, not Colorado and I don't want STDs picked up off the street...but it is either my life or well...my life. I kick those shoes off, I pick up one and Claire gets the other. We high tail it to my car, get in, lock the doors, start the car and head off to F&Ms. We meet up with Liz, Ben, Savery and Wes. We go in and who do I see be Celeste, Beka, and my all time favorite: Nate. What. The. Fuck. Since when did he get so much cuter and since when did I realize that we should have been together a long time ago? Um...try like March or April of 2004. But he had a gf and I had a bf. Then, we both went off to college in Mississippi. Randomly met up in NOLA during breaks. I introduced him to whats-his-name. RANDOM QUESTION: Why is it that you hear the same stuff over and over from various people, but it doesn't really kick in until you hear it from a particular person? Anywho...I shoulda listened to him back then. But I thought he just wanted to get with me...turns out he did, but he just wanted to see me happy and he told me (this night, not back when I was dating whats-his-name) that he had never seen me so unhappy and faking happiness so much. Well Babe, you know my number...you are the one that moved, not me. So we get to hang out for a bit. I tell him to find me before he leaves but in case we don't see each other before we leave to have a safe trip and be sure to call me when he is in NOLA again. Claire is kinda just hanging out by the wall just taking everything in. Nathaniel gives me a kiss (whoa!) and man, it was so worth that wait. So as I go to grab Claire's hand, I turn around to see him one last time and where is he but all up on me...giving me a hug, peck on the cheek and grabs my butt! Totally not what I expected from my best friend. We see Liz and Savery on the table and they definitely pull us up there...as soon as I get up there, Claire freaks out saying "I've NEVER done anything like this before!" and guys are snapping pictures, trying to grab our legs etc...we get Wes' attention and he goes over there and takes care of it. We all get a little tired so I have Savery and Claire in my car, Wes follows us to my house, takes care of the Texan situation, welcomes me home and brings the girls back to where they are staying.
Sunday is the final day of the reunion. I get dressed, and head over to the park. I hear little kids playing, walk into the Round Table Club and am again immersed in family conversations, I find questions coming at me from all different directions and I just can't take it anymore. I want to run home and just go back to sleep hoping that when I wake up, nobody would have found out about the night before. But, I'm a big girl and I know that these things happen...so I just take them all in stride with a grain of salt. I take pics with everyone, esp Claire and my lil angels. Back in 1997, at Anne and Billy's wedding/Christmas party, Jack deicded it would be funny if he sat on my lap. So he did. So now, every time we go back to the RTC, we take a picture...it is up on facebook, so go look at it if you don't understand or want to see a 74 year old guy sitting on a 21 year olds lap...its pretty comical. But y'all prolly won't think its funny cuz y'all arent a Loker. So the party ends and we all go by Aunt Helen's house to see what Katrina did. Then we part ways, not before we get upset and give each other hugs....I managed to hold back my tears when I had to tell Claire goodbye. I really feel like she is my sister. But in any case, she and her dad want to come down for Mardi Gras 2007. So we shall see if that happens. I hope it does! You know you have a place to stay. Later that night, we go by Grandmom and Pop Pop's. Of course, I wasn't invited to Stephen's Crawfish Boil (since it was hosted by Asshole and Bitch) but I show up to see my grandparents. I didn't even recognize Stephen at first. He grew up SO much, he lost SO much weight and just, I don't even know...just really built up some muscle. He plays baseball, which he is really good at (and should have no problem getting on the JHS team). I think he is thinking about wrestling, but not sure. So he has his friend Vincent with him and I find out that he, too, is going to JHS. Out of the 17 kids in Stephen's class, 15 of them are going to Jesuit. And that my friends, is why my son will go to Stuart Hall and my daughter will go to ASH. So I congratulate Vincent, they leave and shortly thereafter Mom and I leave.
The next day we go take my picture. Lots of fun, until we got to Myra's. Damn you, Lady. That damn bird just sunk its beak into my hand. It is still sore if you press on it and you can kind of see where its beak went into me. Anyways, we decided on a picture, Myra brought it to the place for us and now I just want to see what it looks like. I'm really upset that I won't be able to make it in for some of y'all's parties, but I'm slaving away (on the days I actually do work) for the mouse. Speaking of the mouse...Christie called me the other day to let me know that the Food Network was having a special on Disney Weddings and that Alice was at one of the wedding receptions and she thought of me. AWWW THANKS CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!!!!
But this is getting pretty long and I don't think y'all wanna read much more and I don't feel like typing much more...so I'll save the Disney stuff for later. I gotta go take a nap, my head is killing me again. But I hope this wasn't TOO much for y'all to read. (Allison, possibly Christie on the occasion, Kate and possibly my Maid of Honor) But just know that I'll have some more updates as soon as I get the time to write again! Until we meet again!