Out on the Town with New Friends

Sunday, 11 September 2005

This weekend was a busy one of impromptu "hittin' the town" with some new friends. Friday night, after working five more hours than I had to, I went to an O'ahu MDA support group meeting. This support group is different from the one the whole family usually goes to. This support group is more for the kids and families of those who have any sort of Muscular Dystrophy disease, not just ALS. It's more of a social group, and after meeting the children and families at the telethon last week, I decided to go. There was tons of potluck food and BINGO for the kids afterwards. It was great to recognize and network with more families. Jennifer, the director of the group, was entertaining a friend visiting from New York. We went out afterwards to meet her Punahou friends at a trendy bar and enjoyed some cocktails. It was great to talk to her friend, who used to travel a lot when he worked for CNN, about Southeast Asia and other places he's been.

Saturday, I went to yoga, and although it felt good, my back still hurts from a few days ago when I hurt it while lifting my dad. The pain comes and goes, but my left side is swollen, so I probably should take it easy. That night, I didn't take it so easy when the New Jersey girls (Emily, Amanda, and Kelly) called me to go out. Emily (who teaches 2nd grade at my school) was celebrating her 23rd birthday, and they were out in Waikiki. All three gals moved out to Hawai'i a month ago to start their first year teaching jobs (Amanda teaches 5th and Kelly teaches 6th) at Kahala. They are all living together in a house and enjoying the sun. They go out and party in Waikiki every weekend. So, I went to go meet them, but warned them that I don't really go out in Waikiki too often, as it's usually just military men and tourists, so I'd probably need directions. We went to a couple places, and another co-worker from Wisconsin met up with us. A few drinks and shots later, we ended the night. I dropped off one of their friends, a new teacher who just moved from Philadelphia, and I got home by 4 am. It was a long night! Next time, they told me I should show them where the local places are!