Farewell Tour

I had one of the best weekends of my life this past weekend. It started with my last day at K & M. The end of the first job I've thought twice about leaving. I rode in with friends, and headed out a little early to go to Friday's for a happy hour in my honor. A friend, Shannon, who has tried valiantly to make me change my mind, sent an office-wide email invite. A few mentioned that they'd try to make it (read: I'm still looking for a solid excuse not to go, in my book), and a few said they'd be there. I don't pressure or guilt people to go to events. I figure I don't want them there if they would rather be somewhere else. The turnout, however, was amazing. The waitstaff reserved tables, plastered with signs complete with my name (I saved one, of course), and the general manager had to come over mid-way through to apologize that they had physically run out of tables to put together for my guests. People I had only spoken to in passing came to see me off, and tell me I'd be missed. My replacement came to buy me a drink, which made me feel sort of guilty for my snippiness the last week (sort of). My closest friends and I had decided to go to the City Museum afterwards, but later decided that we'd postpone it to this Friday instead, because so many people wanted to go but hadn't had enough notice. It was just right; There were three or four distinct groups of conversation, and I could float between all of them easily, and guiltlessly. I felt loved and appreciated, but not the center of attention, not embarrassed. After Fridays, Bryan had made it to town, so Brett and his wife Tracy and I got ice cream (their creation at Coldstone, and it was AWESOME), and picked up Bryan. We watched Transformers (I AM MEGATRON), and chatted. They're really good people, I'll do my best to keep them. Brett trained me at K & M and within a few weeks (it took me a bit to prove myself to him, I think) people were asking how long we'd known each other, assuming that he'd gotten me a job there. We have the same outlook on life, in general, I think.
Saturday I spent the morning and part of the afternoon with mom. We picked some new glasses for her (wish I could see them before I go-SO cute), and looked at the APA, Petsmart and the county shelter for a puppy, but they were all wrong for her. Too small, or loud, or jumpy-one even growled; he needs a crash-course in marketing. I got passed off to Bryan after a nice early dinner for some window shopping and then to see Sweeney Todd. The popcorn tasted funny (like lamb, somehow), and it was WAY too loud, and musicals are always a little wierd ( I can say that I rarely feel the need to break into song during normal conversation-is that just me?!) but I like Jonny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and it was OK. Gruesome, and dark, but OK. It really felt like a date when neither of us felt like going home, so we headed to a nice dessert restaurant for huge yummy coffees and delicious desserts. It was another one of those days that you learn so much about the person you think you know the best.
Sunday was the quintessential Bryan and Amanda Day Out. We started at the Loop, with lunch and a stroll, and then took the Metro downtown. We walked to the arch, the landing, and the new casino 'Lumiere Place'- chi-chi, no? We made it through downtown, up to Washington and back to Kiel center and the Metro to the Central West End for dinner. Then, back on the Metro to hop off early for the Loop stop and walk to meet Laura for, you guessed it, more walking.
Monday we ran errands and generally just enjoyed each other's company until it was time for him to get back to Iowa to gear up for his next adventure, while I turned upstairs for mine.