So grandpa?

Not so bad after all....

Last week, I left off having just imparted to you, the humming of nerves in my chest. GC's grandfather had "things to say" about me.

Yikes.

As a person who enjoys, no- make that, thrives, on others' good opinion of me, the thought of having my main squeeze sequestered in a hallway with his grandfather passing judgment on me after only 3 months of girlfriend-dom, stirred in my gut those ever present fears of not being good enough, of being found out as a fraud who tries really hard, but still comes up short. 90% of the time I realize these fears are re-donk-ulous- it's the other 10% of the time I struggle with- which, all things considered, is probably about an average ratio. It's just one more piece of evidence to support the fact that I am human, despite my deep desire to strive for the unattainable goal of being all things to all people.

But this time, Praaaaise Be!, my fears of disapproval were wholly without merit. The scene went as follows:

A handsome young man walks through a dark, some would even call it dangerous, hallway. Harsh lights cast unnatural shadows of door jams and water fountains on the water-stained concrete floor. Suddenly, as if appearing between blinks of an eye or a flicker of the fluorescent lights, an old man with a face worn from years of life spent in the cooler, stands before the handsome man.

At once, the laughing eyes of the handsome man transform into the the wary danger-sensing look of a cat, pacing before an enemy. The old man begins,

"GC, so that girl at the food show...?"

Responding with a hesitancy trained into him after a lifetime of eggshell dancing, "Yes Grandpa?"

"You don't see a girl like that every day."

GC does his best to respond, embarking on the song and dance of, "We are having a good time so far, getting along really well and all,"

To which Grandpa replies, "Her head isn't filled with nonsense like all the other girls today"

Unsure of what to say at this point, the comments being so entirely out of character for his often stoic and negative-tending grandfather, "Yeah, she's very nice..."

Becoming embarrassed, his grandfather begins walking away, "I, uh, I don't know why I just said that, but she's, she's something else."

end scene.


Ok, so I may have dramatized the scene a just a tad, but the content was legit, promise. Having the grandpa seal of approval, I've gotta say, it feels pretty good.

(Just for the record, I didn't make GC suffer quite as much for withholding information as I originally intended, given the greatness of the information. Some form of payment was still, certainly due, but I let him live with only a minor sentence.)

Feeling Lucky

I started this post right after I got back from Los Angeles, and only now do I have the time to finish it, such has been the state of my Trinabags making frenzy. But though slightly delayed, the sentiment is fully the same:)

I am severely jet lagged, I can't really hear out of one ear at the moment because airline travel and colds don't mix, and the rapid change in climate from east coast to west and back again has caused my eczema to rear its ugly head and take my right hand hostage. But to tell you the truth, I couldn't feel better. I just spent 5 days in Los Angeles with people who love me and I love them. These people are more commonly referred to as my family and include my Momma, sisters Haley and Corrie, and Haley's boyfriend Thomas.

The trip itself was a ton of fun; cut to scenes of my family and I on horseback, leisurely trotting along the hillsides and ravines of Griffith Park, the hazy LA sun high in the sky, and the city landscape sprawling out between the hills and valleys before us; cut from scenes of the park to Haley's kitchen and living room, where the scents of a meat eater's and vegetarian's dream thanksgiving meal cooked by a real CIA trained chef, waft between the good vibes of a happy family, completely content to share in the happiness that is being in the same room; cut again, to me being able to hug my mom and laugh with my sisters in real time without delays of telephones and inhuman instant messaging; and cut finally, to our bittersweet and somewhat tearful goodbyes as we all head toward our own 757 coach class flights, sad to be leaving one another, and yet so glad we had this time together.

Though I am not a particularly big fan of the American food-centric, stuff yourself until you feel as though you may burst, Thanksgiving concept, when it brings me to my family, and it makes me as happy as I am to have a family it hurts my heart to leave, I think I can tolerate a little bit of gorging. For how blessed I am, I have few words. Words could hardly do justice to this feeling in my chest, of a heart beating because it knows love, and for that, I could not wish or dream for a more complete life.

There's nothing like a party

"and the Nori Award goes to.... Trampoline Design!" (enter whooping, hollering and general jubilation). Such was the scene EIGHT times last night at the Ad club Nori Awards in Albany. Suffice to say, the night was a total success, and not just because we won 8 of the 14 submissions we entered (ok I might be bragging a little here), but because I saw how clearly the joy of success felt by one member of Trampoline was felt by every other member at that table.

And then it hit me as I sat there, flanked on one side by my date, (otherwise known as my dad), and Boss Couple #1 Paula and Derek, the couple who since I met them about 7 years ago, have helped restore my faith in marriage with the notion that even after 10+ years and two children, two people can continue to genuinely enjoy one another's company, and that when she comes up in conversations, a man can talk about the beauty of his wife as if he is laying eyes on her for the first time; and on the other side, Boss Couple #2, Sean and Amanda, the uber cool, hilarious, and devoted to one another duo, whose wisdom and appreciation of all the small moments that make up life and family seems to come not from the mouths of two new parents, but instead from the seasoned voices of a 75 year old couple scootin' along with all their years of experience to draw from; and beyond them, the "On the same level as me, under Boss Couple #1 and Boss Couple #2" Couple, Pete and Jen. I don't know Jen very well yet, but since she can hang out with Pete all the time, she must possess some pretty fine qualities, and Pete, the kind of person with the sense of humor everyone wishes they had, a person who when you buy them some granola because you remembered they said they liked it, will come to you truly appreciative of the gesture, and then a while after they have eaten all the "chunks" ask you if you have yet to come up with a method for re-clumping the straggling pieces of oat because he can't finish it if it is un-clumped. Pete is also profoundly accomplished at talking "shit", fluffing his ego feathers when certain LAME members of the community get up in his grill, and taking with dignity the taunts of the Y chromosome member of Boss Couple #2 (Sean).

So after pondering all these people around me, I realized, we were something of a family; a group of people who shared in each other's happiness and success, struggles and sadness. I wonder if at the beginning, when Sean and Derek were first thinking of starting a business together, they realized this is what it would become. They have seen each other through the birth of two children, a home lost to fire, death of a beloved grandparent, a health scare with a parent, illness, milestone birthdays, and that is not to mention all that goes into running a small business with money matters, problem clients, new hires, dealing with Pete, landing big jobs, winning eight Noris in ONE night, being up for a best in show award. I bet a steak dinner with a side of vegetables that it's more than either of them bargained for.

Sitting there I felt called to let up a prayer of thanks, thanks that these people were in my life, that at a time when circumstances have left me sometimes feeling adrift, without a place to belong or a community to depend on, I was a part of this group, this family. Without my realizing it, the three men I worked with day in and day out, had become like big brothers to me, teasing me when appropriate... insert "Trina's gullible moment" here, supporting me and all my crazy endeavours, appreciating my efforts at the office, and each on separate occasions at the awards ceremony last night, making a point to tell me I looked great. What girl doesn't like that?

Success was measured in more than one way last night. What began as a ceremony celebrating Trampoline's incredible talent and hard work, became a moment in time when its people and what they created was suddenly paramount to any award they could have won.