Let me start off by saying that Bella Bash '08 was my first gathering ever, and I remember leaving there thinking that it was awesome, but also being worried that my gathering experience had peaked. I couldn't imagine it getting any better. I was proven wrong when Bella Bash '09 came about and took the place of Bella Bash '08 as the best gathering I had been to. As I expected, Bella Bash '10 came in and kicked '09's behind. I expect it to be dethroned only by Bella Bash '11. Bella, I have absolutely no idea how you do it, but keep it up.
Now for the mushy-gushy lovey part.
Miss Bella (& fam) - Thank you so much for, once again, opening your home to all of us. You're an amazing and gracious hostess who makes us all feel right at home from the second we walk in. It was so wonderful to see you and spend time with you this weekend. I will never forget the sight of you trying to force a suitcase the same size as you into the front seat of my car with you
and being confused as to why my turn signals were turning themselves on and off
😕 It was great visiting with you and the Shark in a smaller setting on Saturday evening. And mega thanks for letting me be the guinea pig while you taught the Rhino how to paddle
Happy Birthday, Mama B. Love you so much
My beautiful 13 - Babygirl, I can't even think where to begin. You know that you, our friendship, and every moment we spend together means the entire world to me. You're precious and amazing and I cherish you every single day. I can't even begin to imagine what this gathering would have been like without you. Wife cuddle time, as calm and quiet as it was, was a highlight of the weekend. I still laugh out loud when I think of, "We're like the toys from Toy Story." You were there every moment to talk or to listen or to just love me when I really needed you to. You were, without any doubt, the sexiest fucking tiger I have ever seen in all my life - and together we IFD'd the shit out of that costume party and the gathering as a whole. The best part of the entire weekend had to be lying in the basement, listening to the Best Book Ever, surrounded by the people I love the most, feeling so overwhelmed with happiness that it was almost painful - and I would never have been able to reach such a level of joy had you not been there. There is absolutely nothing I could say here to express how much you mean to me and how necessary you are in my life - not only at gatherings, but every single day. I love you more than you will ever know.
My gorgeous Wife - As much fun as I had Thursday and Friday, the gathering really started for me when you walked in that door and the reuniting of IFD was complete. Gin put it best when she said that nothing feels as perfect and as natural as the three of us being together. You are amazing and beautiful and so sexy there aren't words to describe it, and you need to know it without any shadow of a doubt - ever. You enhanced every experience I had at this gathering. Something as simple as nomming dry cereal in bed was made better because you were there to force it on. There is no one in the world I would rather have laid side by side and faced the wrath of our months of shit talking with. I only wish that someone somewhere had audio-recorded those precious hours so we could listen back to all of the amazing quotes that came out of our distress. There isn't another bottom in the world who I would rather slap me, forcefeed me a mint and turn me into their bitch at a moment's notice - but I am glad that you returned from feral mode before it became permanent. You are my Wife, and I love you more than you could possibly begin to understand.
My precious Rhino - There is no one else I would rather have been my last goodbye, even if it was one of the hardest. The time that we spent together at this gathering meant the world to me - more than you know. I always have more fun with you than I do with almost anybody else, and this weekend was no exception - but there were also moments when I just needed some love, and you were right there to suffocate me in your big rhino arms and tell me the exact perfect words I needed to hear in that moment. There's not another person in the world I would rather have slam my face into the headboard, making my nose bleed because I got too mouthy
😛 and if I had my pick of tropical islands to vacation on, you'd be at the top of my list
😛 Lying between you and the rest of IFD on Sunday night, listening to the book was indescribable. In that moment, my world was so perfect it almost hurt. Getting to be the guinea pig for your paddling lesson was completely and utterly magnificent. I've never felt such a natural high in my life, and lying there and being able to come down slowly and in such perfect conditions made the entire experience the most intense, and one of the best I've ever had - even if my arch-nemesis half was in a wheelchair and it was the closest any human could possibly get to Hamburger Helper without actually dying. Moar - for real
My sweet Rhino, there's not a chance in this world that you have any idea how much you mean to me.
Brent and Stacy - Oh, Four Fingered.......BRENT! My neighbor of 15 minutes who I have to drive 7 hours to see. We have a major fail there. It was fantastic to see you, and amazing to watch your own my Wife. I have to admit, ya done good. Just be glad she returned back to her normal self, otherwise I'd be after you. I felt like we got to hang out alot more this time around than we have previously, and it was awesome
🙂 Stacy, it's always a treat to see you. I think that I actually have your needle and thread somewhere in my car LOL I make no promises, though.
😛 Love you guys!
Jay - Wow - to think that 3 years ago it was both of our first gatherings, and to think about where I was mentally that first night is mind-blowing. We've shared an amazing journey with lots of memories. This weekend was one of the best I've ever had, and you were a huge part of that. It was wonderful to spend time together, and I just miss you so much right now - it's unreal. We make one hell of a Catchphrase team
😀 Love you, babe
Mel - Babygirl, it's criminal that you live so far away now and we never see eachother!! It does make seeing you at gatherings that much more exciting, though, and this time was no exception
🙂 I had so much fun hanging out with you and girl-talking in our hotel room. Feel free to call me or text me or whatever anytime you need to talk or just want to shoot the shit. Miss you tons babe. Love you!
Byron - I've never seen a grown man rock Spiderman gloves quite like you did.
🙂 It's so awesome that you made the trip all the way up here for the gathering. It was great to see you again. Even though we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time together, I enjoyed all the time that we were in eachother's company. You're a fun and sexy dude, and I can't wait to see you again!
Katie - My little herna - never in my life have I humped anyone quite as awesomely as I humped you Sunday night. You really know how to take the ride! LOL! I felt like we didn't get to spend as much time together as we usually do, but it was wonderful to see you nonetheless. I miss you every second that you're away, and I can't wait to see you again. Keep working hard, babygirl. I love you.
Bruce - It was absolutely fantastic to see you again. I'm bummed we didn't get a chance to play a second time, but you definitely made your mark with that off-the-ropes move Saturday night. Between last Bella Bash and this one, you definitely opened up some doors for me, and I totally love you for that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for NEST. Miss you, til then!
Jess - Okay, so you're officially the most adorable thing in the entire world. I knew that I was gonna love you just based on all the great things everyone said about you, but you seriously blew me away with how awesome you are. You were totally one of my favorite newbz, and I love that we live so close together. I can't wait to hang out more!
Myth - It was so fantastic to meet you! Even though we didn't hang out very much, I think your sense of humor rocks, and I'm really looking forward to spending more time with you at future gatherings
🙂
TKLMAN - Oh, Bald Rob
I expected meeting you to be awesome, and you totally blew my expectations out of the water. You totally, totally rock, and saying goodbye to you sucked. We absolutely MUST make time to hang out more next time. You are super sweet and so funny, and I miss you already! Take care, boo
Mexican Rob - Cabana Bob! It was so great to spend time with you this weekend. Sorry that I totally insulted your Smacks LOL They're not just for assholes
😛 I hope you had an amazing weekend, because you totally deserve it! You did alot of work getting the room and switching rooms and all that for us, and I want you to know that I really appreciate it. Can't wait to see you again!
Jeff - Even though our paths didn't cross much, I was glad to see you having such a great time - sometimes a little too great
😛 Your costume was totally awesome - way more badass than I thought it was gonna be. Good work, sucka. I better be seeing you in Albany!
Christina, Kevin & Morgan - You guys looked absolutely fantastic at the costume party!! Kevin, I'm ready to start poppin' out your babies anytime!
😛 You all know how much I love you, and I can't wait for us to get together - hopefully sooner rather than later! Even if we don't plan an official munch, just getting together for dinner one night or another comedy show would be amazing. Miss you!!
Team Canada - I didn't get to see a whole lot of any of you, but the time that I did get to see you was awesome nonetheless. Maggie, it was fantastic to meet you, even if we didn't get too much past "Hello."
🙂 I'm sorry you all had such a shitty time at the border, but you brought me my Wife, and that makes it all worthwhile
😛 Love you all and can't wait til the next one!
Natural - Oh, natural - this was one helluva gathering for you, hm? You got dragged into Bella Court (thanks for losing, btw
😛), Big Black Birthday'd, forced cookie'd AND the flu. All that and we never did find time to get down with our cuddles. Next time, Gadget. I hope you're feeling better. See you in Albany?
Imfailer - Oh my sweet, Imfailer. Me and you are in a fight. You left without so much as a text message saying goodbye!
You're lucky you're adorable. Good job owning my 13 in the car after breakfast. You surprised the crap out of all of us. Miss you tons, babe. I swear we are DOING my experiment in Albany. No more excuses!! Love you!
Tennis MAN (not guy 😛) - It was awesome to see you again! And even more fun to spend some time with you. You are seriously one of the most easygoing, funny guys. I loved messing with you at Steak and Shake, and you just took it like a champ LOL If you ever leave without saying goodbye again, bad things are going to happen.
Hope to see you in Albany
Little Kevin - It's always so awesome to see you. Thanks for loving Brian Regan with me, even if everyone else thought he was lame. It was awesome to hang out with you and get lost together LOL I can't wait to see you again!!
Amy, Kassi, Jhoti, Judy, Deb, Kered, HisFlyingFingers, Mina, Greg and anyone else I may have forgotten, please forgive me. My mind is a jumbled mess after these things - but please know that every single person who showed up contributed to the amazing time I had, and it was a pleasure to see each and every one of you!