Old Friends Returned

I had a rather unexpected weekend.  On Thursday I made a post on Facebook that a very old friend commented on.  In our discussion, via FB, I realized that she now lives in Raleigh and knows not a soul.  I called her up and invited her down to visit and since her husband was away on a work trip, she was delighted to come.

Colene and Lauren after Alive After Five

First let me back up and tell you how I know Colene - she is the daughter of my parents' old friends Patty and Dave.  Patty was friends with my dad since high school in Miami.  Growing up, we went on a few trips together and one summer, Colene lived with my family for a month, and then I went with her family to Fontana Village in the mountains for 10 days.  This was before cell phones.  Or maybe they just didn't work there.  I remember my mother being scared because I only called her once from a payphone the whole time.  Anyway, that is neither here nor there. 


Colene went to FSU and while I saw her once or twice over college, we really haven't had much contact since then.  She became an EMT and volunteer firefighter, got married and moved to Jacksonville, FL until the recent move to Raleigh.  While we always got along, it wasn't until this most recent visit that I realized how similar we are despite our differences.

I am very outgoing in situations where I feel comfortable - a.k.a., dances, game nights, amongst family/friends.  Initially, Colene comes off very introverted.  Yet in her role as EMT or when she feels comfortable in a situation, she too is outspoken and a strong personality.  On the other hand, among a group of people I don't know well who are talking about things I don't really care about, I become the introvert and would rather be at home reading. 

Hanging from the silk

That is but a small example of ways in which we are similar.  We also both have an affinity for reading, country music, dancing, silk aerial, board games, family, the mountains and the outdoors. 

After her arrival on Thursday, we met my friend Brandon uptown to go to a talk about 20-somethings in today's economy.  It was pretty interesting listening to the different takes of why this generation is so different from the ones before us.  Conclusion: our helicopter parents combined with the poor economy are to blame. ;)  Also, as it turns out, my friend Ford was on the panel.


Afterward, Brandon accompanied Colene and me to a nearby diner and then to Alive After Fire, which is basically loud and not-so-great live music surrounded by people drinking, smoking and groping each other.  Delightful.  Luckily, it was almost done when we arrived, so we just sat in the back and talked until it was over.  I ran into a couple friends and then we all went home.

Colene doing silks.

On Friday we went shopping for some leggings.  I learned in silk aerial it is best to have full-length leggings so you don't get silk burns on your lower legs.  Afterward, we watched So You Think You Can Dance and then went over to my grandparents house to visit.  Grandma invited us to go to the dining hall with her so we had a really delicious dinner. 

That evening, my parents finally returned from Charleston and Savannah where they'd gone for their 30th anniversary.  We only got to see them for a few minutes before we left to go to World Dance Center for a salsa dance.  It was a lot of fun and we both met new people and enjoyed ourselves.  Unfortunately, we had to get up fairly early the next morning to be at a silk aerial class in Fort Mill at 10 a.m.  Colene had only done silks one other time, but she caught on quickly.

When we got home, I showed her how to play Just Dance on the Wii.  That evening we went to church because on Sunday morning we had to go to a nearby Starbucks to cover a story about a Great Dane Rescue group that always gets together there. 

Hanging around!

We enjoyed seeing all the dogs which are so big, but very docile.  That afternoon we went to the mall then met the family over at grandma and grandpa's.  Poor Colene had to sit through over an hour of home videos, but it was really neat to see my family from over 10 years ago.  When we left there, we went to Pops in the Park which is an outdoor symphony performance held at a nearby park.  We set up a big blanket, brought Panera for dinner and had a delightful time.  My friends Christina, Brandon and Alex joined us and we all played travel Scrabble which was fun.  Even though Colene was the only one without a partner, she killed us.


After such a great weekend, yesterday left me feeling a little blue.  I had to leave to do an interview before Colene woke up, and when I got home she was gone.  However, I hope she'll be able to join us in the mountains for Fourth of July weekend.