holiday party on a tuesday!

See this lovely, shiny gift?
That's what I brought to the Southern Women Ornament Swap at Skidaway Island!
Who was hosting this party?
No one I knew!
This event was one of the alumni activities for the combined campuses.
I was there for the party because I'd been invited by Cheryl and Becca of the alumni office at 'Armstrong'.

My best friend Sam once told her daughter to try to always go when someone invited her somewhere.
I try to follow that advice myself.
After all, I want to make sure I get a future invite!
Plus, who doesn't love a holiday party?
And what a beautiful blue and white tree!
My glittery red gift really stands out under it!
(smile)

That must have been why it was one of the first gifts opened in our game of Swap!
There were twenty-seven of us playing - 27!!!
That's easily double the number when NK! had a White Elephant Gift Swap and about three times as many at a CST Pirate Swap!
My gift was grabbed by the fifth player, the blonde woman in the burgundy sweater.
(smile)

She really liked the ornament: a crystal-like tree with
a silver star atop it!
She didn't get to keep it, though, as the ninth player, the brunette in the red sweater, 'stole' it from her!
She wasn't the only one that had been caught stealing!
Poor Cheryl, the woman in the red dress, had been the 'victim' of theft twice before she got this ornament...
not that she had it long!
The next person 'stole' that and Cheryl had to go to the tree a fourth time!

(smile)
That ornament was hers to keep at last!
I was player number 12 and I didn't have any problems with theft of this white polka-dotted red bag or the Santa gift bag inside it or the yellow GATA school bus inside that.
That's because there were at least three of those ornaments that had been revealed!

And remember that I had said I knew no one?
At evening's end, Angela Harn and Amy Green and I tried to figure out how we knew each other... and it was through my ex!
They had worked with him at Cumulus.
Small world, isn't it?
He and I had an extended conversation about that, and them, and reminiscing after I returned home.
Oh, and here's another interesting coincidence.
The woman who had provided the gift I'd selected was: Angela.
My grabbing that particular item under the tree is probably what made her take a second look at me, a second look that reminded her that she knew me from somewhere, from some time in her past... from a time in our past eleven years ago.
Here's the truly interesting part about all of that.
I had selected that bag under the tree with my eyes closed.
With my eyes closed.
Right place, right time?
I guess I must have been, although I admit to some shock at the colliding of my new world with our old world at this party at this time of year.
Seeing them had prompted me to send the photo to Jeff and to talk to him about it and i think that was beneficial for both of us.
Now, I'm going to a "Clambake" with a 31-year-old Elvis Presley singing songs just for me, via the magic of television On Demand.
i thank You, God!