Traditions...it seems that everyone has them for this time of year. My New Years Eve tradition is slowly evolving as I get older (as it should.) When I was a kid, it was usually spent with family everyone hanging out and playing games, toasting the New Year in with sparkling cider, then heading outside to watch the fireworks. During high school it changed a little, we would hang out with my uncle and aunt and we would pray the New Year in. And as I get older my traditions continue to change. Now there are multiple parties to attend (because all my different friend groups are throwing them), family functions to make appearances at (my uncle and aunt are still praying), as well as a need to figure out what kind of tradition I want to start for me to bring in the new year.
So I thought one year with my hula family, one year with my friends, one year with the family would be a good tradition to start...then I missed a year with my hula family, I was sick for two New Years and spent them at home, so really right now I have no tradition. But I guess I could count this year, 2008, as my friends year (although last year, 2007, was a friends year too ) and get back on my rotation.
This year, the plan was to head downtown for a little grooving, dancing, and a midnight kiss at Tiki Bob's in Seattle. We met up at my house before we went out to share in a little pre-funk and food. I made a bunch of little pupus and a bucket-0-drinks and waited and waited and waited...No one was coming, so I decided I would take a sad picture of myself with my drink, my food, and a super sad face. Just as I was going to pick up my camera the doorbell rang and it was my first guest. RATS! Spoiled! I took the picture anyway!
(That's my super cute apron, I wore as to not get my cute shirt dirty.)
We all shared in a drink,
set goals for a midnight kiss, and then headed downtown for a night for fun. When we got there at about 10 the place was already bump-in (so there were people dancing and drinking-it wasn't full yet, but you could tell there was a party atmosphere) We decided to head next door for a quick cheap drink and then come back and join the festivities. We made our way next door and I spotted a nice young gentleman. He was all spiffed up and wearing a tie even. We had our drinks (I only had 1, so if your counting that's 2 so far) and then went back to Tiki's. We got another drink (up to 3) and then headed out to the dance floor. We danced and danced and danced. The music was really good and the dance floor was starting to fill up.
As we were dancing the nice young man with the tie made his way to the dance floor I spotted him and thought, there he is my midnight kiss. We danced some more and then needed a drink to cool down. We, T and I, went up to the bar and ordered another drink for everyone. I had a soda. T stopped me before we went back and told me that time was getting close to midnight and if we, all of us girls, were going to get kissed we needed to step it up in finding someone. I looked at the clock and we had only 9 min. We went back to the dance floor and I couldn't find the guy with the tie. I was super sad, was I not going to make my goal! I then remembered there was someone else that I had had my eye on, but when I went to look for him, he, too, was nowhere in sight. What happened to all these guys, did they all have to go to the bathroom all of a sudden?!?!?!
Right, when I turned around, there was a different guy with a tie on and he wanted to dance, so I danced with him. The countdown started 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, I looked around and couldn't see the first guy with a tie or the other cute guy I thought I would dance with, 4, 3, 2, 1...I grabbed the guys face I was dancing with and kissed him. We ended up dancing together for the rest of the night. I never saw the cute guy again, but the first guy with the tie was friends with the guy I kissed, so he came around later.
We ended up shutting down the bar and then eating a much needed hotdog because the pupus were long gone. We all came back to my house, recapping the night the whole way home. Once we were here we decided that cheese quesadillas and a salami sandwhich would hit the spot. We ate and talked more, before both girls fell asleep on my couches and I headed to my own bed.
and time to make many wonderful memories.
-Maybe I don't want a Happy New Year, he said. Maybe I want an intense New Year with a lot of growth experiences. 
