I was spooned by a woman without underwear...

Nothing allows you to be ridiculous quite like a special occasion. No time other than a friend's bachelorette party, for example, can you wear a necklace of candy penises out in public and not feel completely humiliated (only about 30% humiliated).

Last night was Molly's last hurrah. It was an incredibly unique day of "sending forth" our single friend into marriage, complete with a "shower" and a party. But, it was so much more than that. We began our day at Color Me Mine, a pottery-painting shop, to express our creativity (or frustrations) by choosing from a variety of pieces to apply as many of over 80 colors as we liked, however we liked. I made a necklace and a tile, that will serve as a trivet. This was not the "typical" Midwestern shower with finger sandwiches, pastel dresses, and silly games (like, um, my shower...which I loved, by the way), but it served the same purpose: for the women closest to our friend (who lived near enough) to "shower" her with love, affection, and of course, gifts. From there, we went to the Green Mill to eat, open presents, and have cake. Butternut squash ravioli with asparagus and sun-dried tomotoes=fabulous, just so you know.

The rest of the night took a turn for the raunchy, as we headed Downtown to a hotel. We played silly games involving nuts and bending far over (I could describe, but it is much more fun to let it dance around erotically in your imagination). A hotel room (suite, kind of, as it was quite nice) filled with women drinking, laughing, sharing, being silly, and ultimately having a splendid time in each other's company.

A tour of Irish pubs in the area, moments of embarassment during some "required" rituals of the bride-to-be, and lots of conversation totaled a night of FUN. Arriving back at our hotel room at 2:30, some of us drunk (myself included), some of us on the edge, and others who managed to completely sober up, we actually went very quickly to bed, but not to sleep. Conversations turn a little weird in the dark, a phenomenon I had forgotten from middle school sleepovers. But soon, the giggles and stories subsided to silence, and we slept.

The whole day was very fun, but not because of all the fun activities. (Is there a better word to use than fun? It seems like one of a few words that although used in many contexts, it just has no equivalent to perfectly express the joy of the moments.) Mostly, I enjoyed being with my friend Molly and her friends from the ages. This was the first time I had met her "other" friends, and it was so refreshing and not at all surprising that they are a wonderful group of women. I am honored to be in Molly's "group". Kelly, Molly's Matron of Honor (married just in April), planned the whole party and radiates energy. She and Molly smile and enjoy each other like comfy clothes. Chris, another bridesmaid and friend from high school, is beautiful and fun, enjoying (it seems to me, anyway) her recent single status. She laughs easily and pokes great fun at the annoying men who bother us during the night. Angie, wife of Molly's husband's dear friend, is down-to-Earth with her wine-making stories and comfortable, practical clothes, yet altogether intriguiging and inspiring with stories of nude beaches and nipple-piercing. She and I very much enjoyed people-watching together, finding flaws to giggle about in many of the passersby. Yvonne, a friend of Molly's also through a friend of her husband's, is spunky and sexy, muted only by the joy with which she speaks of her 3-year-old son, Brody. (Herein lies the title of this post, as she was my bed buddy, who had admitted previously to never wearing underwear, and I woke in the middle of the night to her arm wrapped around me, spooning me from behind. If I weren't so hot, I would've enjoyed the cuddle.) Jen, another high school gal, didn't spend the night, but enjoyed the night out with us by roping in most of Molly's "victims". She is fit and gorgeous, and the kind of woman you could hate easily if she wasn't so darn likeable. She is also self-admittedly blunt, which is so refreshing when so many people never speak the truth. Eireann, a friend from college I believe, was only out with us for a short while. She is a poet, and a teacher, and adorably coy. She blushed at the penis necklaces that the rest of us ate with fury. She was out of her comfort zone, I believe, and that made her presence there so much more special, because she was there to support her friend Molly.

Good friends. Good times. I look forward very much to spending another important night with them all in a mere 13 days. Congrats, Molly. We all love you.