Bittersweet

Well, I leave tomorrow afternoon, and I suppose it's time for a recap/fill you in on what's been going on since my last post.

Mostly, swing! Lanelle took me to a place in C-Springs called the VFW (I have no idea what it stands for) and we just had some fun swing dancing! I met new friends there, and started actually improvising new steps. Lanelle and I found our personal dance song, "Fire" I have no idea who that's by, either. Afterwards, new friends, Lanelle and I went to a surprise birthday party, and then all got home very late. Last night, we went to something even better! There's a swing place in Denver that nine of us drove up to (in two cars, obviously). Because of parental preferences, I got drafted to drive one of the cars, and Lanelle, her friend Karen, and the new friend, Gabrielle (Gabby) were with me. The rides there and back were almost as fun as the dance itself!
The place we went to was called the Mercury Cafe, and man, it was packed out! I swear, the swing contingent here in Colorado is two things: very talented, and very large! At the VFW and the Mercury, Lanelle and I danced with several different partners each, and had much fun. Lanelle introduced me to a great old man named Joe. He said he'd been swing dancing ever since he was a teenager in Brooklyn. I asked him when that was, and he said 100 years ago. He was one of the best, yet relaxed dancers out there, and every girl he partnered looked good. He has a talent for putting people at their ease, even when in awkward positions, and he knows how to treat a lady with dignity and respect. I was given many pointers.

Today, we go to Miramont Castle for the tours with Lanelle's father. After that, we just hang out, enjoying my last full day here. I'll be home soon, folks, and though I love you all dearly, I cannot say that leaving is without it's enormous dose of vinegar to accompany the sugar of seeing you all again. This will be the first time since Summer of '06 that I leave Lanelle instead of the other way around, and I'm kind of curious to see how everyone manages it, including myself. There has never been any doubt as to how close she and I have become, but strangely, I think being left behind is easier than leaving. At least, that's how I think it will be. I can almost already sense the enormous feeling of guilt that I had not told her enough how much I love her, or how many things we had left undone or unsaid. But, I suppose that's what cell phones are for these days. It doesn't compare, but I suppose I'll have to take what I can get.