My Top 11 Events from 2011 (in somewhat chronological order)
11. My New Year’s resolution was peace, love and happiness.
I was still battling a lot of demons, so I enrolled myself in DivorceCare at
The Crossing. I went in hoping for some closure. I may have come out with more
questions than I started with, but at least I felt like I knew the right
questions, finally. I made a lot of progress toward forgiving myself. And I
think I have a really good grasp on what it takes to make marriage work, because
it’s far too sad and cynical to think that I’d never get married again.
10. I traded in the late-March snowstorm in Missouri for
sunny San Diego for the Team USA Training Camp. I blogged all about this here,
but the highlights include riding around a gorgeous golf course in perfect
weather, hanging out the back of a van on a bike trail and, of course, falling
in love with the athletes who would represent the USA at World Games.
9. Kimmie, Erin and I set out on the first road trip of the
year for Annaleigh’s bachelorette party. Erin got hit on by a 90-year-old man,
I conquered my fear of driving across the Lake Ponchartrain bridge and we didn’t
even get lost. Um, let’s see, what is printable about the actual party? Well,
we ate a lot of good food. And we danced a LOT. And we laughed more than we
danced. There was Lady Gaga and a beach bar and sunburns and street art and
beads and champagne and frozen drinks. It was kind of everything you’d expect
if you’ve met Annaleigh and ever been to New Orleans and/or a bachelorette
party. (Except the only stripper in the hotel was actually trying to break into
our room. We didn’t hire him. I promise.)
8. Erin, Eric, Jeremie and I set out for Alabama for
Annaleigh’s wedding a few weeks later. We made the requisite stop at Lambert’s
and then talked about nothing but Hunger Games until we gorged ourselves at the
first seafood joint we could find. Then we arrived at the Craft house, which
happens to be right out of a movie set: big white colonial right on Dog River
surrounded by droopy trees. Annaleigh continued to prove that everything she’d
ever told us was, in fact, true. We reunited with our Alabama BFFs and the
girls headed to a nail salon, where we munched on chips and sipped beer. The
rehearsal dinner was delicious and picturesque, and I got to ride on Bob’s boat
back to the house. Then we all went to Meghan’s where we played beer pong and
proved that Mobile is not better than The World. (Seriously, beer at the nail
salon and beer pong the night before your wedding? There is NO ONE in the world
like my Annaleigh. J)
The morning of the wedding, we watched the coverage of William and Kate while
we got our hair and makeup done. The 13 bridesmaids were all soft and lovely in
their dresses, and Annaleigh made us all cry when she came out in her dress. The
wedding went off as planned, I gave a compelling reading from Genesis 2, and
Annaleigh got married – just like I always knew she would. The weather was
perfect for the backyard reception, where the wedding party made the grandest
of entries on a yacht. We ate delicious Southern comfort food (I’m thinking I
should blame the 2011 brides for my inability to lose weight this year) and
drank from mason jars. We danced harder than maybe I’ve ever danced in my life.
We threw dynamite in the river. And then, when the reception was over, we
walked downtown – Annaleigh still in her wedding dress – and danced some more.
7. I made a ton of trips to St. Louis this year, but none were more memorable than for the nuptials of the city’s most-missed couple: Erin and Eric. They had inadvertently set their date on the day of rapture, so that almost ruined everything, but luckily that guy turned out to just be a kook. This ceremony goes down as the least-traditional wedding I’ve ever witnessed, and every detail screamed Erin, right down to the squashed penny on the program. Annaleigh officiated, and there were readings from both Hemingway and Where the Wild Things Are. Erin was stunning and so relaxed, and she never even had to grasp at her throat for air. If I thought my friends brought the party to the dance floor in Alabama, we were matched by the rest of Erin and Eric’s guests, including his adorable grandpa. It was one of the happiest, biggest celebrations I’ve been a part of.
We arrived in the Isle of Rhodes, where the local law
enforcement promptly confiscated our passports. We got them back the next day,
but it was still a little unsettling. Michele and I set up in our suite, only
to discover abundant issues with getting online. We finally got that situation
mostly figured out, after basically rearranging all of the furniture. I’m sure
the maids hated us. Other things about Rhodes: you can’t flush the toilet
paper, we bought the wrong kind of electrical converters, there are no
guardrails, pedestrians never have the right-of-way, a desert does not make for
a good golf course, and it is a terrible idea to pack 600 Special Olympics
athletes into a seaside discothèque. All part of international travel, I guess.
But man, it was gorgeous.
After a few days of training, we took a 16-hour overnight
boat ride to Athens. I am pretty sure by the time we got to the other side of
the Aegean Sea, nearly everyone would have offered to shell out the extra $100
or so it would have cost to get a plane ticket instead!
The Opening Ceremony was incredible. There’s nothing on Earth
like walking into a stadium full of people cheering for you, and seeing the
athletes’ faces light up in awe was probably one of the most emotional moments
of my life. It all felt like slow motion. The trip out of OC, however, was not
so delightful, and I actually feared that someone would be trampled. If Greeks
are one thing, organized is not it.
Back at the hotel the next morning, Michele and I were
relieved to learn we had a driver and interpreter to split between the two of
us. However, the hotel would not clear him to drive up to the front door, so we
had to walk down the drive past the gate. It was hot, so we were ready to enjoy
a nice mist from the sprinklers, when suddenly we realized … they were
irrigating their lawn with recycled sewer water. You have never seen two PR
ladies loaded down with cameras run across a parking lot so fast! After a long,
exhausting run-around trying to get our media credentials, we were pretty much
deflated, so our interpreter took us to a Greek fast-food place, where we had
heavenly gyros. Eventually, they stopped caring about media credentials, which
made that first day all the more frustrating. The rest of the time there, we at
“cheese rolls” which are basically a buttered hoagie loaf with one long piece
of cheese. If you were lucky, there was also a slice of meat. The bocce team
started hoarding lunchmeat from their hotel to take to the venue. I resolved to
never complain about a SOMO turkey sandwich again.
Needless to say, between the long hours, long commutes and
sketchy internet connections, I wasn’t getting much sleep. Our room only
included one bed and one cot, and I knew I’d be sleeping hard, so I took the
cot. Which was fine, except for the occasional collapse that startled me awake.
I was happy if I got four hours, so I
used the time in the van to catch a few extra minutes when I could. I became
very good at falling asleep the moment the motor started, or, as I like to call
it, carcolepsy. I worried that I was becoming so conditioned to this that I’d
never be able to drive myself anywhere again, but luckily I reverted back.
Greek people really like to argue. Or converse loudly with
angry faces and lots of exaggerated arm gestures. It stressed Michele and me
out, but they kept saying it was normal. The craziest was one day when our
driver, Dimitris, was trying to get us to the softball and cycling venue. We
arrived at the gate and he was told he had to drop us off there (basically like
two arena-sized parking lots away). I was on the phone with a reporter, and
Michele insisted we could walk. Dimitris said no, then continued to argue with
the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper slid the van door open, so we got out. Dimitris
motioned for us to get back in, then made a phone call. Our interpreter,
Andreas, screamed into view on his moped, then joined the loud talking with arm
gestures. Michele tried insisting again that we could walk, to which Dimitris
and Andreas both looked at us and shouted “NO!” Then a taxi showed up with a
couple who were trying to get to the badminton venue for their son’s match. The
taxi driver was also told he had to drop them off, so they got out. Andreas and
Dimitris continued talking loudly and making wild arm gestures. Suddenly, the
couple from the taxi got into our van, the door slammed shut, and we were
moving. I was still on the phone with the reporter. I stared at Michele
wide-eyed, trying to convey my thoughts (which were pretty much WTH?!). She
shrugged and we made a wide loop around the parking lot on two wheels of the
van before dropping off the couple from the taxi. I finished my call, and
Dimitris dropped us off in front of the softball venue.
Okay, I’m taking up too much space here, so let me wrap this
up. One of the best parts of the trip was on the plane ride home, finally
descending, when a pillow fight broke out. Exhausted, cranky, ready to be home,
and our athletes can’t pass up the chance to have fun. Despite all of the
challenges, they reminded me that the trip was well worth it. I have a ton more pictures I could upload, but it's easier if you just click this link.
5. I had been wanting to go to NYC to visit Doug since he
first moved there eight years ago. After his aneurism, it became even more
important. And now that he has a posh apartment in Harlem, it was the perfect
time. We visited art museums, shopped, drank wine and walked so much, I thought
my feet would fall off. We saw the Statue of Liberty, Top of the Rock, Stone Street
and the High Line. We went to Sister Act. I pretended I was a local and
followed Doug and Roldan around a supermarket. Roldan cooked butter chicken and
let us share his birthday gift certificate to one of the most elegant French
restaurants in town. I’m sold on the city, and I’m determined to get back there
at least every-other year. Oh, and I even managed to make the bus trip back to
the airport all by myself.
4. Somehow, Kimmie and Ryan are the first of my friends to realize that the only way to get married is on a beach. Mary, Mark and I made the long journey down to Tybee Island with a quick overnight stop in Nashville so Annaleigh and Shane could follow us. I had booked a four-bedroom house for the Marys, Leslies, Nancys and myself and Jeremie, but a few days before the trip we learned that it was under construction. I was pretty excited at the solution I negotiated: an upgraded house! When we arrived, we spent a good 10 minutes just wandering around and exclaiming “Wow!” Within a few minutes, we had spotted a pod of dolphins just off the back deck. Once the rest of our party found us, we headed to a popular restaurant, where, for some unfathomable reason, there are baby alligators that you can feed. I overcame my fear and posed for a few pictures, then swiftly walked to safer ground. We spent the morning of the wedding playing in the ocean, where baby Owen experienced saltwater for the first time. We showered and headed back to the beach for the wedding, which was so understated and beautiful, just like Kim. The food was delicious, again, and we overtook the dance floor, again. Jeremie had a meeting in Chicago with his new job, so he flew down and met us at the beach house right after the reception, where ¾ of the guests moved for an after-party. Sunday, the wedding party all piled their luggage into the house and we spent another afternoon on the beach. It was just like we had dreamed of in college – the first of many family beach vacations. In all, 17 of us sat down for dinner together and 15 of us slept there that night (even Julie’s boyfriend Rick came!). Once again, anyone who says that being in a sorority is like buying your friends has clearly not met my friends. We closed out the weekend with brunch at Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room in Savannah.
3. In October, I celebrated my birthday in three cities for 10 days. Andthen I learned that I would finally be able to move to St. Louis. And then the Cardinals won the World Series.
2. Thanksgiving marked my first official holiday with Jeremie. Upon arriving at his grandparents’ house in Kansas City, we were put to work, making a pumpkin cheesecake and deviled eggs. I was glad they found a couple of things that I was able to help with, since I am completely intimidated by their cooking! We celebrated the actual meal at Jeremie’s aunt’s house, where her boyfriend proposed! It was an eventful day, and fun to be a part of. That evening, we headed to the Plaza, where we watched Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family flip the switch to the famous lights. Friday, we picked up the kids and headed to Crown Center for ice skating. Then we did a little shopping before watching the Mayor’s Christmas tree lighting. Saturday, we did a little more shopping, then ate pizza and headed to see the Muppet Movie. We were proud to see that both kids enjoyed it.
1. All of that, and I’m still not done for the year. Friday, I will leave for Spokane, where the entire Steward clan will spend Christmas together. I’m sure it will hold its own set of stories, but I’ll save that for another time.
So, did I accomplish my resolution? Maybe not exactly. My
bank account shrank from all the travel, and I may have a few more laugh lines
around my eyes. But I would say I grew in friends, wisdom and happiness, and I
can’t imagine much there’s more valuable than that.
*I realized when I got
to the end that I had written the 11 in descending order, like No. 1 was going
to be the best, but then I wrote them in chronological order. I considered
switching them, but decided against it. Even if each event didn’t top the
previous one, my year got better with each one. 
