Sometimes I post about this topic and I get reflective because I want so badly to help. This is not one of those posts. It ends in a bar crawl with a giant cardboard cut out.
Last weekend I flew to Indy for the 2nd annual Cocktails and Chemo Fundraiser/Silent Auction for my college friends Joe and Amanda (read their blog HERE). Since they have a new baby and Joe is currently undergoing treatment in Florida they couldn’t make it to the event, but my two besties Lauren and Jessica both met me in Indy along with their husbands and some other friends from college.
I LOVE Indianapolis. I love the whole vibe of it. I love that it’s kind of rustic and cowboyish and urban at the same time. I love that it’s a hip city full of midwestern values. I love that somehow it seems really old but still really clean. I just feel inspired when I’m there. I took myself on a little walk and snapped a few of the beautiful little quirks I saw. Then I stopped to take a picture of a gorgeous old abandoned church and SCREAMED when I noticed a homeless man sleeping 2 feet away from me on the front step. Reeeeal cool, Emily. So cosmopolitan! He was probably like, that girl is a total A-hole. Anyway, I walked away without getting the shot. It strikes me that it probably would have been a really cool photo if an actual photographer had taken it, but when it’s just me and my iPhone I guess I’m more of a tourist than an artist.
We all stayed at Lauren’s parents condo in downtown Indianapolis. Lauren’s mom has a knack for decorating, as you can see from a couple of these pictures of the condo living area. Tres chic!
The second I saw all of these people I’ve known since college I was instantly transported back to that fun, warm, nostalgic place and all the memories came flooding back. We spent the afternoon setting up the silent auction at the church gym where the fundraiser was held. Amanda’s friends from High School had pitched in to coordinate different restaurants bringing small bites, the whole place was decorated so joyfully, and Amanda’s dad’s band set up. It felt so good to hug Amanda’s mom and grandma and just be there to show our love and support.
Lauren was in charge of the silent auction and I was completely in awe of how many amazing prize packages and one of a kind items she pulled together. She is a business woman, mommy, wife, and basically a rockstar and one of the most generous people I know. My favorite thing was this painting of Mira’s Tree that Joe replicated for the silent auction. I tried to get it for Avery’s room but I was outbid at the very end!
Someone made this awesome step and repeat where people could pose with a cardboard cut out of Joe, Amanda and Mira. It was half comforting and half creepy to “see” them there as you glanced across the room, but everyone had a blast taking pictures with them!
The party started and it was a huge success. I worked the check in table for a while and then danced the rest of the night away as Amanda’s Dad’s band played classic party music (think Earth Wind and Fire!) We were having so much fun being silly that during a particularly snazzy dance move, I threw my hands up in the air, then straight back down behind me (kind of like Flashdance…but not at all sexy) however at that precise moment a man was walking by and my jazz hand made contact with his jazz crotch. I don’t know who was more shocked, but Jessica’s husband Tim saw it happen and he and I stood there, speechless, as the man hobbled by while grabbing his crotch protectively and maintaining eye contact with me the entire time. His wife trailed behind, also glaring at me. The only place I should ever dance is alone in front of a used-car lot, because I look like this:
When all was said and done, someone had the brilliant idea to put the cardboard cut out in the car and take it back to the condo, where it then ended up going on a bar crawl down Mass Ave. I think the next set of pictures speaks for itself. What I will say is that it’s nice to know that no matter how old we get, how much life goes by, we can still be us. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard or felt so nostalgic for my 20 year old self. However, as I said to Tommy before we left, we are 30 years old and we are STILL doing this. Still having fun. Still being ridiculous. And still waking up on Lauren’s parents’ couches. It doesn’t matter how many years go by, when you find people who really get you and love you for who you are, time stands still when you are together.
The only thing that could have made this night better is to have the REAL Clark family with us! Baby Mira included, if there’s one thing I’m sure of, that girl knows how to work a room!
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