The great joys in life.

For me, the joys in life are simple. A sunny day, a beer in my hand, good music going  in the background. Ah, life. :) But over the past year, I've realized that one of my favorite things in life is being able to see just how much people care about each other. I love, love, love being able to see and experience this.

A quality photograph from the float trip.

I like to visit my friends (and sometimes surprise them) because of this. They all obviously mean a lot to me (or I wouldn't be driving nearly 4 hours to see them!).  But I also get to see just how much I mean to them. How? Well, after a float trip with the girls a month or so ago, shit got kind of out of hand pretty quickly. Long story made short, Coley was getting railed in the back of the head by a huge bitch while she was on the ground. We're talking like "she's going to go to the hospital" type beating over the head. I would easily go to the hospital to help this girl out. She's amazing. But what I found out was that I was the only one in the group of friends that was willing to do that for her. After the two of us recovered and figured out what the hell just happened, it was pretty clear who our friends really were. That's one of those times where you find out how much someone means to you. Another example is from a couple of nights ago with the same friend. :) Phi Kaps semi-formal: pitcher die with Coley, Chelsea and John Dough. (And in case you're wondering, pitcher die is a terrible idea.) Well, I stupidly made the statement that if Chelsea or John made it in my cup of Large Farva, I'd gladly chug it. And of course, John Dough made it on the next throw. I power stanced in a dress, and Coley held my dress down so no one would get a free show of my vagina (because hey, we're classy). I made it through almost all of the drink until I made it to the cheap vodka layer. I nearly vomited on Coley, but she just stood there and held my dress, waiting to get puked on. Now I don't know about you, but that's a fucking friend!

Holz, my dad and myself... and our evil cat.

But I also have the unique experience of planning my dad's surprise 50th birthday party (and now we're getting to the real reason for the post). A year ago, I didn't think I would have ever been planning this, being that my dad was battling very aggressive cancer. Now, 5 months of clean scans later, I am able to see the enormous outpouring of support that my parents have. For a little back story, my dad used to work at a telecommunications company downtown. When his doctor couldn't say that he would be back to work within 6 months, he was fired. So needless to say, money is a little tight around their house. My mom has been working her ass off to keep the house. (Not that I'm trying to tell a sad story, this is just how it is.) So, back to my original point... upon inviting all of his friends, I wasn't expecting what I got. Almost everyone who was invited has offered not only wonderful words of encouragement and excitement that his health is much better now, but they've offered to help in any way they can. People are offering to bring food to help out. One woman is designing a gourmet layered cake incorporating his favorite hobbies, flying fishing and hunting. And another woman is putting together (without my help) a fundraiser for my parents. I obviously can't tell anyone in my family about this, and it's making me want to burst. I just want to tell my mom that her friends are freaking amazing whenever I talk to her, but I'll have to keep my mouth shut for another week and a half. I know that this gathering of friends is going to mean so much to both of them, I can't wait to see both of their reactions.