Party of Two... emphasis on the party

I've been getting a lot of advice lately about what to do come August when Alison takes up residence at Purdue University and Jeff and I have to remember how to live as a party of two again. 

Some veteran tell me it's terrible and warn of a great depression heading my way. Others say it'll be bad for a while then we'll get used to things. And then: she'll come back and it will be strange to have her back for the summer. I don't doubt we'll have an adjustment period. How could we not?

If the past weekend is a judge, we apparently are going to be taking the "party" of the "Party of Two" phrase seriously. We started at the Pride parade - happy to again be allowed to walk with our Ogden friends as part of the downtown YMCA contingent. That event is always a fun time and ends up at the festival which is even more fun.

But we ended Saturday with a bourbon share that included some of my friends who don't dabble in hard liquor like many of Jeff's friends.

I'd planned to have my friends sip champagne and make fun of the bourbon tasters as they ruminated over the "nose" the "legs" and whatever lingers after imbibing what to me always tastes like a blend of gasoline and lighter fluid. (Not that I've mixed those liquids but I can imagine.) Instead, we all kind of mingled and toasted or roasted each other as the occasion arose.

Some of us sampled more than others.

For my part, the thing that kept me lingering in bed had more to do with walking miles downtown than with the bubbly.

Speaking of downtown -- we had another great Pride experience. I swear it's the happiest day in Indianapolis. We ran into Jeph and Justin and a handful of other friends on the parade route and in the park. Other than the few protesters, the throngs of folks were happy to celebrate.

Someone estimated the crowd to be about 80,000. So imagine our surprise when Ali and I sat down to listen to some of the entertainers and found Jenna Tokash and some of her friends sitting to our left doing the same thing. It was super fun and another indication that Indianapolis is just a spread out small town.

Sunday was spent mostly in recovery, although Ali and I did manage to get to the gym. She's got another respiratory challenge so we went to the doctor's office where she was weighed and wasn't happy with the result.

"You have GOT to get me back to the gym," she said.

I apologized for her genetic code and the vagaries of life and then reminded her that she'd had popcorn and quesadillas after dinner, along with bits of European dark chocolate she'd been hoarding.

"It just gets harder, kiddo," I warned her.

She's working at Herron, helping with a summer gym class, so I'm sure she'll be back to swim condition in no time. I, on the other hand, will probably gain her Freshman 15 before Christmas.