end of a month

April's come and gone. It's been good (albeit wet). I've had my struggles and my joys. Enjoyed great friendships, made many memories, and advanced yet another month in this not-too-exciting life. As strange as it may seem, I'm optimistic about the future. This may indeed be the result only of the weather changing; this has been the wettest April on record for my hometown, and the sun's barely made a peep. Now, however, the sun's out (however laced in storm-clouds), and people are in better moods, including myself. I don't know what May will bring (hopefully May flowers, since the April showers have been quite redundant, much like this post and the resplendent mentionings of the weather), but, again, I'm optimistic (though to be honest, the optimism itself is stained with a bit of incredulity; realistically speaking, not much will probably change, and the adventures will continue to be on the same level-3-outta-10 that they've been for the past year or two). Nevertheless, I'm optimistic.

Dylan and I knocked April off with a good night of just hanging out. We smoked some cigarettes. Drank some beer. Climbed trees. Enjoyed the warm weather on the front porch. Shared a good many laughs. I'll sorely miss him when he's gone. In exactly a month--May 30--he's beginning his journey to Africa. His going-away party will be a good time. Dylan took some pictures of me and Sky and I threw them together as a collage. Take a looksey:

In other news, my best friend Jessie Myers is engaged to the goofy-looking and wonderful Tony Heckenmueller. She texted me late last night, and I got it but thought I was dreaming. Then at work I went through my phone messages and saw that, indeed, she's engaged. My heart goes out to her, full of warmth and love. They're a great couple, and I'm glad they're going to get married and co-journey in this life together. It seems some people are falling in love, and though it seems a rarity these days, that makes it even more worthy of celebration. I'll cheer them on in spirit with a shot of well-placed bourbon.