This year, the convention was held in Michigan so the day beforehand, I helped set up... Which included putting like 100 of these posters on dorm doors.
The day of, I was so jittery and excited. You should've seen me. I was practically bouncing off the walls. My friend, Meghan, who is from Kentucky, was messaging me to give updates on how far away their bus was. When she let me know that she was there, I grabbed a handful of Michigan people + others who'd already arrived and we booked it to the roundabout where the buses had been arriving.
Seeing Meaghan is something I'll never forget because she got off the bus and ran to hug me. There's just something so powerful about connecting with someone after an entire year has passed.
This is my 5th year at this convention and something that's cool about being a returning member is that I get to go back and see how much I (and other people) have grown. For example, my hair rocked last summer, and although it's different now, I still love Sage. (But actually though, I do miss my purple hair.)
We're just one big family. It's such a unique feeling to be able to go up to any group of people and feel like you belong. It's like, the biggest squad ever.
It's all very fast-paced. There's a lot to do. There's a lot of people to meet and a lot of old friends to catch up with. There's a lot going on. But this year, one of my favorite memories was Friday night. I was just sitting with a handful of people by a fountain in the middle of the night, fighting back sleepiness when someone let me lay on their blanket. (Shout out to Bobby!) And so I was surrounded by awesome people, looking up at the stars which I could actually see and it was so rad and laughing with someone I'd just gotten to know about how Doritas are female Doritos.
Looking back, the moment must have seemed so small and unimportant to those around me, but to me, it was everything. That sense of inner peace is just so phenomenal.
An activity that we did was write down our hopes and dreams onto a butterfly. So me, being the polar opposite of an artist, scribbled down some things since I can't draw. It's not exactly aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but the ideas behind it are sorta cool.
Now here comes the best part: the banquet. This is when all of us go get dressed up and then come back for dinner. During the getting-ready portion, I totally burnt my left hand, but my best friend, Natasha, helped me make this super sketchy cast thingy. Totally worked well enough to get me through curling the rest of my hair.
Here's my yearly banquet photo with my grandpa! He's actually the one who got me to my first convention five years ago. I love you. And thank you for everything- including my banquet dress!
Here I am with the gorgeous Rylin and Shannon. It's hard to believe that they're younger than I am because they're so mature. Being around them is easy and fun and I hope they both had as much fun this past weekend as I did.
BELLA! MY LOVE! It's so strange that I just met Bella last year because I feel so protective of her now. She's a ball of joy and she makes my heart happy. Do you ever just meet someone and think "they deserve to never feel sadness"? That's how it is with Bella.
Ok. We didn't plan this, but Shannon, Natasha, Bradley and I all wore black which brings us Bradley's Angels. I mean, for it being coincidental and all, I think we look pretty good.
It's funny how life works. Bobby and I had never really met before even though we'd attended a conference together; however, this year's conference brought us together to become friends! And lucky me got to call him my date for the banquet. It's fascinating how different we are to the rest of the world compared to the people we meet here. Bobby, remember to smile! Smiling looks good on you. Oh- and I never said anything, but as soon as I finished my song at the talent show, you stood up and gave me a standing ovation. I never thanked you for that, so thank you. :)
AND through Bobby, I met his friend Michael who ended up being a great guy. I love people that are just easy to talk to. Michael had me laughing all weekend.
NOW IT'S TIME FOR BRADLEY. Bradley was probably one of the most difficult people to say goodbye to. We met last year when he helped run the convention and I'm so lucky to say we got closer this year. My favorite thing about Bradley is that he makes me feel welcomed- like I'm not bothering him. I wasn't afraid to just walk up to him and hug him and I think that's really cool. Bradley, I know life isn't always kind to you but you really do deserve nothing but the best. I love you a lot and I hope you know that I feel very blessed to have you in my life... Even with your weird dinosaur arms and really short volleyball shorts.
At the convention, we all wear these things around our neck called Fuzzies. They're just made of yarn. When you hug someone, you take one of their strings and tie it onto your Fuzzie and they do the same. It was the last day of the convention when I took a Fuzzie string from Bradley, Natasha and Shannon to make a bracelet. We all ended up with one. I pray that I don't lose mine. Seriously. Every time I look at it, I think of them and I smile.
The last person I want to talk about is Natasha. She's one of my absolute best friends and she ended up coming back to Michigan with me after the convention even though she's from Ohio. We went kayaking and paddle-boating and swimming and just had so much fun. I love her with everything in me and can't wait to see her in a few weeks.
So I guess that's it for this year. From singing to stargazing to meeting new friends and everything in between, I'm here to say that I'm happy.
Life is good. I hope you're in a good place too.
I love you. Lots and lots and whooole bunches. Uh. And stuff. You know? Arghhh.
-Jordan xx
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