& that's the way life goes

It hit me today that it’s almost 2010. Right, I know what you are thinking, ‘duh Ria!’

Thinking back 2000 was probably my best year yet.  Collectively that is.  2000 contained a Millennium party, spring break in Hawaii, prom, high school graduation and the start of college.

All big things in a girls life.  But when people say 2000, my first thought is Kik.  The parties camping.  The time where anything was possible.  I was an ‘adult’.  I was in limbo.  Right of high school and waiting for college.  It was 4 months of freedom.  Before everything changed.  Before I met douchebag, the boyfriend that corrupted my rosy world.

2000 = the best year of my life (so far)

So it really should be no surprise that when I actually realized that in a matter of days, it will be a decade ago…well I got sad.   A lot sad.  Like I want to sob all over the place sad.  Well maybe that’s a little drastic.  Maybe we get one year every decade that outdoes the rest.  If this is true, than that means this decade has a some big shoes to fill!

New Years Eve ©rialeilani

Spring Break ©rialeilani

roadtrip! ©rialeilani

Prom ©rialeilani

Graduation ©rialeilani

my happy place ©rialeilani

sad because MM was leaving for CMU ©rialeilani

What are you looking forward to in the next decade?  What will you miss?

A walk down memory lane…

I’m not a baseball fan, I never have been.  But every year when the world series starts I have fuzzy nostalgia.  This year was no different and it was little bit more substantial because yet again, the Yankees were in the finals.

I had known Landon since I was 12.  I always liked him, he was charismatic and I’m not sure how any could not like him.  He was a smooth talker without sounding like one.  It’s no surprise that I never let go of the crush I had on him.  He was magnetic.  Through the years we hung out as friends, giggled on the phone and then didn’t talk for months at a time

1999 ©rialeilani Sorry for the crappy pic it's the only one I have of us together

Then one day we’d run into each other at someone’s house and it would start up again. I remember hanging out at his friend’s apartment one year and getting drunk and heavily making out on the floor. I didn’t get home until after 5am that morning. I was in my senior year and I still can’t believe my mom didn’t question that one. He took me to see the re-release of the Exorcist at the movie theater. Holy crap I don’t think I slept for a month after watching that movie it was hella scary. It still gives me the goosebumps to think about it. After the movie he asked me to hang out with him on sweetest day but I had plans to go haunted housing with my friends that I didn’t want to break (points for me! I’m shocked I didn’t go!).

Obviously I love reminiscing…back to baseball…

So in my freshman year of college we started hanging out more…doing homework. Yes homework, not code for something else, and I’m not even sure how this started. But I would go over to his house with my government book and he would do his homework while I did mine with the world series (Yankees vs Mets) playing in the background. He made me laugh and we had a weird connection. I think he liked me too (hello he had me over to do homework) but there was a lot of history between Landon, his best friend (J) and I. Making out always seemed acceptable, because hello, it was only kissing.

I might have been the only girl that made him ahem…finish…without actually touching it…(I found this out years later from J, Lord only knows what brought on the conversation).

I was a tease ok? And I say it without shame and damnit I’m proud of it. I didn’t just give it away.  I made him wait years.  When we were 21 he took a break from his girlfriend and I was newly single after the breakup with my douchebag boyfriend.  I have no idea how we had come back into contact with one another.  Probably through J (who I had also known since I was 12 and was always close to. And no, despite what all J’s friends think, I never slept with him thankyouverymuch) who I talked to on a regular basis.

Anyhow, Misplaced Momma and I met up with Landon and J at the bar.  We were having too much fun so we headed back to Landon’s house.  His mom mistakenly thought I was his girlfriend (they were on a break!!) when she had to open the door to let us in because Landon forgot his key.  He earned points for telling her it was me.  Well, we’ll just say he earned more than just points that night.  We hung out once or twice more and then he got back together with the girlfriend.

(I have a thing with girlfriends, they never like me.  I think she didn’t because when they first started dating a couple years before  all of us were at a bowling alley where Landon got drunk and followed me out to my car and she was trailing behind him.  I think she was being kind of bitchy and he kept telling her he’d rather go home with me.  Yeah…But I was a saint and told him he was being an ass and to knock it off   see she shouldn’t have not liked me)

About a year and a half later he died in a motorcycle accident.   His funeral was hours long because there were so many people that wanted to share stories of him.  He was magnetic.  You couldn’t help but like him.

I still have dreams about Landon.  Nothing inappropriate, mostly we just talk.  It’s weird how 5 years later I still miss him and I didn’t see him that often.  Some people leave deeper imprints on our hearts.

Rest in Peace Landon

In junior high and high school I had good friends.  Misplaced Momma and JP (the one I recently met for dinner) .  I don’t even remember how it came about but we became Peace (moi), Love (Misplaced Momma) & Harmony (JP).  Thinking about it maybe it was prompted by a t-shirt I had with that printed on it.

(Shut your face! I was 13 in this picture. And it was cool back then to wear socks with your mary janes   You can barely see the Peace, Love, Harmony print, but it’s there I promise! And if you are curious it was a Valentine’s Day dance and he had his hands on my ass LOL not in this picture but on the dance floor.  I digress…)

I don’t know (obviously my memory isn’t as good as I thought it was) how we picked who was going to be who but ironically these pseudo names fit us perfectly.

I’m one of the most non-confrontational person you will ever meet.   I don’t know how to tell people to their face that they are being an ass (unless I’m really close to you cuz then I have no problems) or that I’m pissed at you for blabbing my secrets.  I’m not spineless I would always stick up for my friends.  I was the peacekeeper.  And if I was mad or hurt by you I’d much rather walk away from the whole situation.

Misplaced Momma was the nurturing one.  She worked in the nursery for her church and always loved babysitting and being around children.  She was the one that would make you feel better when you were having a bad day.  She always had a kind word or something to lift your spirits.

JP was the one that was quick to agree.  She never seemed to be on anyone’s bad side.  She was the model of harmony.  Through high school we drifted apart, not hanging out quite as much.

MM and I still kept our nicknames.  Writing notes to one another addressed as Peace and Love.   We had necklaces and trinkets with our logos on them. This was only the beginning of the nicknames we attached to one another.