my last weekend in Omaha
Jul. 19th, 2004 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
terrypurple73From Saturday morning....
A group of us played at Vicky’s last night. As Colin drove the flock of us girls home afterwards, I tried to verify with him my assumption that I would see him again this weekend. He instead told me of his busy-ness for the rest of the weekend, and my eyes got watery before we were even back in our driveway. It’s hard to know that someone I’ve grown up with over the last four years isn’t going to be around me on a regular basis. I told him I didn’t know how to be a professional social worker without him in the same city as me. There’s a lot more to our friendship, but that’s been a wonderful tie, a beautiful common connection. It’s more than that we’re both in the field, it’s that we’ve struggled in the field together. We both really are growing up, aren’t we? I sort of still can’t believe it. We’ve both got full-time positions in the social work field. I think it’s difficult to work so hard for something right alongside another person, and then still make the choice to move away right when the accomplishing is happening.
So we stood there in front of my house and hugged, and I just held on to him. I’m going to miss him a lot. And he was the first good-bye of the weekend, of my last weekend in Omaha.
When he left, I went inside to find my wife. Then Katie and I stood in the bathroom and hugged while we bawled.
From this afternoon....
That was just Friday evening. The weekend was one of the craziest I’ve had, not only in terms of busy-ness, but in terms of a range of emotions. I ended up driving with Mana’s mom to Omaha on Thursday when Dan couldn’t go with at the last minute. Judy and I had good talks, and I appreciated the chance to catch up. We went straight to Amanda’s apartment when we got to town; we were both excited to spend time with her, and Judy also didn’t feel comfortable driving the big van full of stuff in my neighborhood. It was wonderful to see Mana, as well as her home for the next year (at least). We helped unpack a kitchen and then assemble some furniture, and then I went out to dinner and things with Bill.
The chance to spend time with Bill was great. He makes me think about the way I live and behave, and he really trusts me and my values. I realize this sounds vague written out, but it’s incredibly apparent when we’re together. There’s a great trust level with him, a trust that lets us push each other further, all while really enjoying each other’s company.
By the time he brought me back to Mana’s apartment, it was 11:30 at night, and I was feeling a little guilty for coming in so late. Turns out that Mana and Judy were both still up, and we all stayed up for quite a while, waiting to hear how surgery and recovery were going for Mana’s grandma. Everyone’s emotions were jumping, and we were all awfully exhausted.
After a better progress report about June’s health, Mana put her Public Relations Specialist skills to work and gave her mom and I a grand tour of the Omaha World Herald. Then they needed naps before more unpacking, so I spent the rest of Friday with Vicky and the Community.
Saturday was Nick and Joanna’s wedding, which was beautiful and a blast. If I ever decide to go for an all-out, gorgeous and fancy wedding, I’d hope for it to be like theirs, and just as smoothly. Okay, smoother in preparation, but the ceremony and reception both went off without any hitches what I could see. The toasts and comments were funny and thoughtful, the food was delicious, the dancing and music were tons and tons of fun, and best of all, everyone was thrilled to be there celebrating. We danced up a storm, and there was quite the crowd. Even Vince danced by the end of the reception, which was fun. I spent a lot of time with him Saturday, and that was really nice. I don’t often get one-on-one with him, but we had some time together on Saturday. He told me he misses me, and that meant a lot. I don’t think he says that too often.
Plenty of SOP people (and greater community friends) came from out of town- Neal and Beth, Megan Hannon and Sara Schulte, Stefan, Peter and Alejandra!!!, Krista Phair, all sorts of friends. (Caitlin and I might have squealed when we heard Petey would be coming, and then we might have squealed a lot when he pulled into the driveway with Ale.) Between the ceremony and the reception, we had nearly two hours of free time, so we all came over to the SOP to hang out and have a drink on the porch, all of us wearing our fancy clothes. Spending time again this weekend and last with the older Community guys kind of reinforces the fact that I’m really in love with all of them. Okay, and with everybody.
After the reception, the night ended on a note no one had expected. It looks like someone noticed all of us leaving in our finery from the porch at 6:00, because when we got home after the dance, we found that both houses had been broken into. A door at each house had been kicked in, and both houses were pretty ransacked, Little House especially. Out of the whole mess, only one electronic item was taken, as well as about $5 in change, but that’s all. Doesn’t make it a lot easier to live there, though. Katie’s things were thrown everywhere in Little House- her dresser drawers and clothes were all over our floor and in the dining room; her desk drawers were spilled and thrown in the third room; her purses, wallets, and picture albums were all opened. The door and frame were a mess, with pieces of our house all on the floor. Big House didn’t get as much mess, but people definitely had gone through it, bedrooms and kitchen especially. Laptops, the television, and prescription medicines were right where we’d left them, though. Nothing was destroyed besides parts of the doors (which Vince boarded up and nailed later), no graffiti or anything like that. I don’t know that there’s a lot the police are going to be able to do, since nothing is missing. They came over for a while, including the crime lab people, and we had Creighton’s public safety come over, too. We spend the night in Council Bluffs, where Kat’s parents live.
It’s just scary and sad. I shouldn’t have to feel suspicious of everyone who drives down my street. This shouldn’t happen to anyone, and I feel especially hurt that it happened after I’ve defended my neighborhood so much to other people.
After a bit of sleep at Kat’s we came home to try to adjust, and I spent time with Mana. I know I’ll see her in a month and a half, but that didn’t stop the need for pirate tissues after she left. I composed myself before Vicky came over. We spend time together, including lunch at Village Inn with Cait and Vince, and then she brought me to the airport after I said goodbye to the rest of my roommates. (Damn it, I still didn’t sign the wall in the basement!) How do you leave people and a place that you love so much? What do you do when you don’t know the next time you’ll see them or return? The emotions of the weekend, combined with less-than-enough sleep every night, pushed me into an exhausted sleep on the plane ride home. And I spend last night working to give Shannon an answer to the question of, “How was your weekend?”
A group of us played at Vicky’s last night. As Colin drove the flock of us girls home afterwards, I tried to verify with him my assumption that I would see him again this weekend. He instead told me of his busy-ness for the rest of the weekend, and my eyes got watery before we were even back in our driveway. It’s hard to know that someone I’ve grown up with over the last four years isn’t going to be around me on a regular basis. I told him I didn’t know how to be a professional social worker without him in the same city as me. There’s a lot more to our friendship, but that’s been a wonderful tie, a beautiful common connection. It’s more than that we’re both in the field, it’s that we’ve struggled in the field together. We both really are growing up, aren’t we? I sort of still can’t believe it. We’ve both got full-time positions in the social work field. I think it’s difficult to work so hard for something right alongside another person, and then still make the choice to move away right when the accomplishing is happening.
So we stood there in front of my house and hugged, and I just held on to him. I’m going to miss him a lot. And he was the first good-bye of the weekend, of my last weekend in Omaha.
When he left, I went inside to find my wife. Then Katie and I stood in the bathroom and hugged while we bawled.
From this afternoon....
That was just Friday evening. The weekend was one of the craziest I’ve had, not only in terms of busy-ness, but in terms of a range of emotions. I ended up driving with Mana’s mom to Omaha on Thursday when Dan couldn’t go with at the last minute. Judy and I had good talks, and I appreciated the chance to catch up. We went straight to Amanda’s apartment when we got to town; we were both excited to spend time with her, and Judy also didn’t feel comfortable driving the big van full of stuff in my neighborhood. It was wonderful to see Mana, as well as her home for the next year (at least). We helped unpack a kitchen and then assemble some furniture, and then I went out to dinner and things with Bill.
The chance to spend time with Bill was great. He makes me think about the way I live and behave, and he really trusts me and my values. I realize this sounds vague written out, but it’s incredibly apparent when we’re together. There’s a great trust level with him, a trust that lets us push each other further, all while really enjoying each other’s company.
By the time he brought me back to Mana’s apartment, it was 11:30 at night, and I was feeling a little guilty for coming in so late. Turns out that Mana and Judy were both still up, and we all stayed up for quite a while, waiting to hear how surgery and recovery were going for Mana’s grandma. Everyone’s emotions were jumping, and we were all awfully exhausted.
After a better progress report about June’s health, Mana put her Public Relations Specialist skills to work and gave her mom and I a grand tour of the Omaha World Herald. Then they needed naps before more unpacking, so I spent the rest of Friday with Vicky and the Community.
Saturday was Nick and Joanna’s wedding, which was beautiful and a blast. If I ever decide to go for an all-out, gorgeous and fancy wedding, I’d hope for it to be like theirs, and just as smoothly. Okay, smoother in preparation, but the ceremony and reception both went off without any hitches what I could see. The toasts and comments were funny and thoughtful, the food was delicious, the dancing and music were tons and tons of fun, and best of all, everyone was thrilled to be there celebrating. We danced up a storm, and there was quite the crowd. Even Vince danced by the end of the reception, which was fun. I spent a lot of time with him Saturday, and that was really nice. I don’t often get one-on-one with him, but we had some time together on Saturday. He told me he misses me, and that meant a lot. I don’t think he says that too often.
Plenty of SOP people (and greater community friends) came from out of town- Neal and Beth, Megan Hannon and Sara Schulte, Stefan, Peter and Alejandra!!!, Krista Phair, all sorts of friends. (Caitlin and I might have squealed when we heard Petey would be coming, and then we might have squealed a lot when he pulled into the driveway with Ale.) Between the ceremony and the reception, we had nearly two hours of free time, so we all came over to the SOP to hang out and have a drink on the porch, all of us wearing our fancy clothes. Spending time again this weekend and last with the older Community guys kind of reinforces the fact that I’m really in love with all of them. Okay, and with everybody.
After the reception, the night ended on a note no one had expected. It looks like someone noticed all of us leaving in our finery from the porch at 6:00, because when we got home after the dance, we found that both houses had been broken into. A door at each house had been kicked in, and both houses were pretty ransacked, Little House especially. Out of the whole mess, only one electronic item was taken, as well as about $5 in change, but that’s all. Doesn’t make it a lot easier to live there, though. Katie’s things were thrown everywhere in Little House- her dresser drawers and clothes were all over our floor and in the dining room; her desk drawers were spilled and thrown in the third room; her purses, wallets, and picture albums were all opened. The door and frame were a mess, with pieces of our house all on the floor. Big House didn’t get as much mess, but people definitely had gone through it, bedrooms and kitchen especially. Laptops, the television, and prescription medicines were right where we’d left them, though. Nothing was destroyed besides parts of the doors (which Vince boarded up and nailed later), no graffiti or anything like that. I don’t know that there’s a lot the police are going to be able to do, since nothing is missing. They came over for a while, including the crime lab people, and we had Creighton’s public safety come over, too. We spend the night in Council Bluffs, where Kat’s parents live.
It’s just scary and sad. I shouldn’t have to feel suspicious of everyone who drives down my street. This shouldn’t happen to anyone, and I feel especially hurt that it happened after I’ve defended my neighborhood so much to other people.
After a bit of sleep at Kat’s we came home to try to adjust, and I spent time with Mana. I know I’ll see her in a month and a half, but that didn’t stop the need for pirate tissues after she left. I composed myself before Vicky came over. We spend time together, including lunch at Village Inn with Cait and Vince, and then she brought me to the airport after I said goodbye to the rest of my roommates. (Damn it, I still didn’t sign the wall in the basement!) How do you leave people and a place that you love so much? What do you do when you don’t know the next time you’ll see them or return? The emotions of the weekend, combined with less-than-enough sleep every night, pushed me into an exhausted sleep on the plane ride home. And I spend last night working to give Shannon an answer to the question of, “How was your weekend?”
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-20 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-23 08:59 pm (UTC)This isn't common. Nothing this bad has happened since I've lived there.
Hope to see you sometime, as well. Until then, enjoy living in 3212B, my old bedroom!
with love,
~Terry
hey weepy wife
Date: 2004-07-29 06:25 am (UTC)My packing begins today.
Love, Katie
Re: hey weepy wife
Date: 2004-07-29 07:00 pm (UTC)I'm sort of a wreck tonight, as evidenced by the entry I just posted. I'll email you later, though.
I love you, and I'm glad you got to sign the wall.
~your wife