simply see you later - not a goodbye

Last night was my pre-move gathering with my friends. We met up at Urbana for one last hurrah, since I anticipate tonight to be a scrubbin' fantastic time (as to avoid any fines/penalties for the apartment complex having to clean up after my two months of clearly filthy living). Sitting at the bar, it was comforting to be surrounded by familiar faces. Many that I see regularly. Some I wish I had seen more of in recent days. But I was reminded about the bad thing of being the common thread -- you just don't get to talk to each one enough.

So as the crowd dwindled down, I was a bit sad that so many that came (and thank you all for coming - it really means the world to me) I only was able to manage a brief exchange before they had to depart. As our group momentarily overtook the classy bar at Urbana, I was reminded of all of the fabulous people I've managed to encounter here in DC...

There's the Tour Guide... the longest standing DC connection. One of the few other University of Maryland Summer in Spain participants who was from another school. It's amazing how with some people you don't have to be physically present on an ongoing basis to still be able to develop a relationship strong enough that when you are face-to-face again, you forget there was ever a time where you were not. The TG summed it up perfectly in the card she gave me last night, saying she's glad that even though I ultimately ended up making the move I always thought I would make to NYC that I had a stop in DC along the way. I couldn't agree more.

There's the great group I was fortunate enough to encounter at church... from DrP to Tx to Coop to MM. It was the first time I'd had a chance to really talk a lot with Tx. Lots of special memories of ACL there. And I love talking music with Tx because she is passionate about it too. She'd never think I was crazy for flying to see multiple Tori Amos shows. DrP and I have the Southern connection. She's a Georgia gal and with my mom's family being from GA, we clicked instantly. I'll truly miss her, but she's one of those who will definitely stay in touch, so I know I will be seeing her soon and very soon. It's interesting all of the different levels on which you can truly connect with people.

There's my fellow Junior League New Member Group member, where we randomly found out that 1/2 our group was comprised of DC Bama girls. A Bama connection is hard to beat. And it's funny how one person can be your key ... a connection to a whole different set of people you never would have encountered. Or I guess I shouldn't say that... as one thing I've learned in DC is that it doesn't take long for you to bump into that same crowd from another angle. And it was through the Fashionista that I met WT, who will likely be my first in-house guest in November - and I just can't wait!

There's MsH. My lunch and shoe shopping buddy, who I will miss tremendously. Our frank lunchtime chats have remained a thing off the record for blog purposes, for sure - and definitely served to keep me sane during my time here in DC. Hopefully someday she'll forgive me for my exit just short of her housewarming party. I'll be thinking of you that weekend, and we'll just have to do the celebration separately. Thankfully today we can celebrate with one last lunch. I'll be thinking of you come lunchtime next week as I'm figuring out where on earth to eat my midday meal.

There's Rio, who's that friend who just gets you more than many others do. Where you don't have to explain yourself ad nauseum because they just know how to interpret the silence. I've never had another friend where we met in once city and then proceeded to run into one another in a different city. I hope he finds the warmth of the people of DC to be as rewarding as I have. It's great to have someone who loves photography to talk photos with. That's something on the to-find list once I settle into NYC.

And now the countdown's truly on. The boxes are overtaking me at this phase. I can't get to stuff for the heavy boxes obstructing my path through my little 615 square foot world. All my empty boxes are filled and I'm off to buy more last minute supplies tonight. I've gone through 300 feet of bubble wrap. I'm on my second box of 140 sheet wrapping paper. I have my shirt for tomorrow and a pair of jeans out. That's it. Oh, and five pairs of shoes...