So I had a going away party before I left. It was my first one, and I guess I just wasn't too sure what the "etiquette" was for a going away speeches. We had a keg, pounds upon pounds of ribs, pork, chicken and cake (thanks to Andre and Kristina!), and everyone was having a great time so I didn't want to break up the momentum.
But I did spend a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say to the folks who showed up, so I'm going to paraphrase here.
The year was 2009 and I went on a "mother/son" vacation with... wait for it... my mom! We went down to Fort Meyers, Florida where my folks have a rental condo on the beach. If you're interested in renting a spot down there, let me know!
Anyways, we were cruising around down town Fort Meyers when my roomies, Jupe, Ski and Bauman, (all of which are in the pic above) buzzed me up on my cell to let me know that our house had been broken into AGAIN, for the THIRD TIME. Needless to say I was a bit perturbed. We went to a Mexican spot called the Iguana or something, and the first thing I ordered was a double shot of tequila to "calm my nerves," to which my mom didn't even bat her eyes.
Well after my appetizer shots, some tacos, and a margarita or two my mom and I end up on the lanai (which is a fancy word for screened in porch) cocktailing and having what some would consider a "heart to heart."
The conversation came up about software development or something (foggy memory) and I related it to the development of a young man such as myself. Version 1.0 is released, and a team of people influence the development of the second iteration of the software; ironing out "bugs" and adding new "features and benefits" etc. etc. etc. Think of iPhone 1 and how you couldn't send picture messages? WTF was that? Major fail, right? But then also think about all the sweet shit in iOS or any piece of software that pops up as it's bugs are fixed and functionality is fine tuned over time. Anyways, I think I kind of got through to her on how a young man like my self "grows" into himself.
Continuing along that theme, my plan was to look around the room and call out the people who have played a role in my "development." Most of you know who you are, and can probably point out all my wacky "bugs" that have been fixed over the years. I wanted to credit the folks in the room for helping shape me into the person I am now. Lots of laughs along the way. I think of people from CFNA and how that's changed my life. My friends; 1 year friends, 3 year friends, 10 year friends, life long friends all in one room. Their families, and the impact that they all have had on who I've become, and all the tom foolery of "growing up" they have dealt with. I wanted to thank them all for all the love and support.
Most importantly I wanted to thank my family. Throughout Luke Version 3.0 and 4.0 aka the High School and College years, I really took them for granted. Then as I became consumed in my "professional" life and set aside time to work at CrossFit and play Flag FB and other sports, it left very little time for me to spend with them. Even through they were far more prominent in my consciousnesses I still feel like I could have spent more time with them. And then I decide to move to Cali, and put even MORE distance between us! But the thing is my mom, dad and sis, while sad to see me go, were super supportive and reminded me what it means to be family. I missed them before I left, and I miss them now. But I know in my heart they'll always be there. Plus Skype is free!
So now it's on to Cali, and it's time for a software upgrade; Luke 7.0 is in development!
Luke 5.0 was classic
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