Against my better judgement I pretty much skipped out on work this weekend and drove to Helen with the wife and a friend of ours. I have been wrestling with it all week because I don’t particularly want to hassle with my boss. So much for that.
Friday we cooked breakfast for 150 teachers at my wife’s high school. I went in around 5AM or so and got everything started and we made it to the school around 8:30 or so and got out of there by 11. I had planned on getting the girls from the wife and shooting out of work early but the stores got a bit busy so I helped until almost two before I was able to leave. I was hoping to get the hell out of Temple and through Atlanta before Friday afternoon traffic but no such luck. I took almost four hours to make the two hour drive.
As we drove into the parking lot I knew it would be an interesting evening. Most of the bloggers were standing around the parking lot of the Kristy sampling Chatham Artillery Punch and meeting folks they hadn’t met before or greeting old friends. Let’s see if I can remember who was there. Elisson and SWMBO, Sam left his evil twin at home but did bring the wife, Zonker, Catfish, Recondo32 and Georgia, GuyK, Erica, Jimbo and the bodyguard, Joan of Argghh and the Jolly Roger, The Grouchy Old Cripple, Key and V-Man, Leslie, and shortly after we got there, Dax Montana himself.
Once everyone had been greeted I checked in to my cabin. The last thing I had eaten had been several hours prior and I was starved. We unloaded the truck (rental) and walked up to the “strip”. The Chalet Kristy is right on the Chattahoochee smack dab in the middle of town so there was no a long walk. I don’t drive once I start drinking somewhere which is one of the reasons I like having the blogmeet right in town.
The restaurant/bar we went to was full of bikers and other tourists. The atmosphere was pretty cool but it took fucking forever to get my food and by that time the live band 20 feet behind me had started blasting out rock & roll tunes. Pretty good stuff until they got to Van Morrison, which spoiled the mood. I ran outside at 9PM so that I could get sales and staffing for my stores. All I had until that point was soft drinks as I was really afraid I would have to drive back to work and didn’t want to attempt it even with one beer.
We got back to the hotel and rather than partying in one of the cabins we all ended up in/around Erica’s room and overflowing into the parking lot. I hung out there for awhile but after a couple of beer I was damn tired and retired to the cabin to get some much needed sleep. Prior to going to bed though, Sam and I picked up Elisson’s date…
Thanks to GuyK for the photograph. I had the camera with me (I think) but was so busy laughing that I forgot to take any pictures. The sheep is a “gotta be there” thing. Elisson put up a post a few months back about being in one of those stores that sell interesting things such as the Love Ewe and he was wondering what kind of self-respecting guy couldn’t get a date with a real sheep…I immediately went online and found one for him.
Somewhere there are pictures of me blowing the sheep, or rather, inflating the sheep. I am sure they will come out sooner or later.
Apparently RSM showed up Friday evening as well. I missed him until the next night. It’s nice to see that he is doing well. I got out of the habit of going over to When the Smoke Clears while he was in basic training. I need to rectify that and go visit more often as he is a pretty talented and descriptive author.
Tomorrow I will try and post about Saturday. It’s going to be a long day and I have to deal with the fall-out of ignoring work entirely after Saturday afternoon (I will get to that later). All I know is that it might get ugly. It is time for my beauty sleep now. After all of the alcohol I consumed this weekend I need plenty of it.