wrapping it up

what a wonderful evening. what a wonderful weekend. i feel so fortunate to be sitting here in perfect lighting this evening, listening to Alison Krauss & Union Station's live dvd, and reflecting a bit on all that's transpired these few days past.

friday evening, my roommates and i hosted a christmas in july party, equipped with a fake palm tree, paper snowflakes, and mistletoe cocktails. i've always wanted to have a christmas in july party since i discovered that my parents met at one in the summer of '69. there's something in recreating events of my parents' 20-something days in my own 20-something days that makes their young adult years seem much more tangible.

we have really great friends, and there's little i enjoy more than a noisy home. at times, i wanted to silently shut my door, press my ear against it, close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the people. it reminds me of my parents' euchre nights back in ohio. it seemed like the perfect way to fall asleep: parents laughing with their friends downstairs, playing cards, eating salami, cheese cubes and pickles on toothpicks, and enjoying themselves. looking back now, i think it made me feel like the world was bigger than me. like my parents had a life outside of me, like their lives didn't revolve around their kids, like someday i'd get to have a grown-up life, too. it made me feel hopeful.

having noise in the house is as pleasurable as watching fireworks with hundreds of people. you know ... everyone's chatting away until the first boom throws a chandelier of orange sparks into the sky and then everyone's eyes turn up towards the sky, and conversation slowly ceases. i love that sound of people watching, of earthshaking blasts of color vibrating in your heart. they both draw a very similar feeling of things being just as they were meant to be.

and then tonight, at the folk and roots festival, some friends and i caught up with a colleague's family. together, we danced to bob marley cover songs and a fusion of reggae and indian tunes. i love that, too. people dancing as the music moves them, kids and adults dirty from running around, and soaking up every bit of freedom that summer offers.

i came home to greet my roommate, my old roommate and her fiance. i hadn't made it back in time for either dinner or dessert, but i couldn't have dreamed up a better way to cap off a beautiful weekend: the perfect lighting, the music of alison krauss and union station live, and a moment to offer thanks.