Raindrops, Laughter, and Friends...

The other night Jan decided last minute to get together a small intimate group to go hang out at the beach pavilion "13 Fishermen". Nay, Van, Derek, Vaaia, and Leo. When she told me, I was so damn excited! She got the list of people, and we made our plans for after they all got off work that night. Nerves really had the best of me till I got a drink in me.

Getting ready for me was crazy. I think I tried on 6 t-shirts... T-SHIRTS for gods sake! I mean shoot, its not like we were going out somewhere that I needed to get all crazy dressed but still, I kept trying on till I found something I was comfortable in. (maybe this is something I should keep to myself...hm....)

Anyways, as soon as they began showing up, their

warmth honestly m

elted away any fear I had about meeting new people. Back home, though I don't get freaked out about meeting new people, I am always thinking, I wonder if they are thinking about my size.... I wonder if they are judging me. Here, especially with the locals, I dont feel that way. I honestly feel comfortable. They open up to me, which in turn allows me to calm my fears.

Anyways, Derek brought his guitar, which allowed a tipsy Jan to show us her singing...uh.....talents. Love you Jan. I got to meet Va

aia fo

r the first time. She invited me to join the paddling team here, which at first I was very excited about, but when I talked to Jan about it... she reminded me... um.... I cant swim*giving my mother a LOOK* :-) But it really meant a lot that I would be invited to something so soon. Of course the first thing I asked her, " are there any other out of shape girls on the team"? Just thinking about the visual of me sitting there about to pass the hell out while everyone was paddling away!

The best part, besides the nice drunk :-P was that it began to rain not to long after we got there. I love the rain. I love thunder, and lightening. And the best, I love the earth after it rains. It looks so beautiful.

Well, I hope that we get together with them again. You know, one of the things I love about Jan and me, is that when we are out with people, we don't have to be stuck up each others asses. I honestly hate that. Its just nice to know that the people we are with, and the trust we have for each other, allows us to just go out and have fun. I mean, keep in

mind, its not like we are going out party hardy but still. Just a thought I had.....

I did wish that my closest friends/family

who I usually chill with were here. And my sister katie would have loved the atmosphere of it!

One last thought: “Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”