We are a family like a giant tree....

The title is appropriate for the post, but also a nod to Dreamgirls. If you haven't seen it yet...GO, it's really a great film of the musical.

Derek and I board separate planes tomorrow to head down to Atlanta, GA. He is flying down as a workshop leader for the Junior Theatre Festival and well, I'm going to take a mini-vacation back in my old stomping grounds. Throughout undergrad my gays and I would get dressed up and go dancing at the now closed Backstreet in Atlanta for an exciting night out. We had some great nights there, including my 21st birthday when the drag queens fed me shots, brought me up to the stage and stripped me naked...nothing between me and the audience but a washcloth being held by a queen. Ahhh, the memories.

I'm excited to go back to Atlanta for many reasons. On Saturday, my Mom is going to drive over so that we can go shopping and spend the day together without the stress of the holidays. I miss her so much and being able to see her again, so soon after Christmas, will be nice. Also though, I am going to be able to see Steve, one of the above mentioned gays that I used to go out with. The last time I saw Steve was when he flew up to MA for my wedding (I still can't get over the fact that a few people actually got on a plane for me, it meant so much more than they know). Steve is one of those friends that always makes me smile and makes me feel right at home. We are going to grab dinner on Friday night and then find our way to one of the local watering holes/dance clubs for the remainder of the evening. Should be good times.

I'm also going to be able to see more recent friends. Marty, Steven, and Tim will all be in Atlanta for the festival. They are part of the crew that I spent a week in Ptown with over the summer and will, if everything works out, be headed back there with this summer. It was Carnival week in Ptown and I had one of the best vacations ever. We spent most days on the beach, would nap or go shopping, somebody would cook an amazing dinner for everyone, then we would walk down to one of the bars for adult beverages with the rest of the gays. It's a very liberating and amazing week. I highly recommend. Those guys have become quite special to Derek and I.

Also there for the weekend will be Cindy and Al Ripley. They are a great couple from the Buffalo area of NY, that will also be there as part of the Festival (Cindy is a teacher/administrator at a school that helps to launch the Broadway Jr. shows). We spent a weekend with Cindy, Al, and the above gays at Stage Door Manor almost two years ago. (For those of you who saw the movie, Camp, Stage Door Manor is the theatre camp it is based on and filmed at.) Anyway, we were stuck at this retro resort that freakishly reminded us of Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing. Seriously, it still had the same appearance and daily classes from that time period. Freaky, but hilarious!!

I talk about all this to show that just like my friend Alan said in a recent posting, your family is not just blood, they are the friends that you choose, or rather those that choose you. My family truly is a giant tree that branches in all directions. From my wonderful mother, my strained father and sister, to all the friends both from undergrad to my friends in MA, DC, NY, AZ, and FL. They all make up my family, as dyfunctional as it may be. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Thank you for making me laugh and cry, and to those I've yet to meet...I can't wait!