I need more hellos

Lacey and me at her going away party

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. - Richard Bach

Friday night, our dear friend Lacey Landt left Alaska.

As part of the celebration of her departure, everyone (Amy, Lacey, Hannah, Jason, Jon, Julie, Nate, and Olena that is) came over to my place for a get together that included present giving, some wine and beer, and some serious rocking for old times sake.

The fearsome fivesome (Jason, Hannah, Amy, Jon, and Lacey)

It was a really amazing night, and it was a proper sendoff for Lacey. I'll call it the last date for Hey Hermano's (our Rock Band band name) World Tour, and in a fitting bit of life, Amy made Hey Hermano World Tour t-shirts as a gift for the three core members of the band. They pretty much rocked. Touring drummer Jason did not get a shirt, but we of course did not want to mess with his sleeveless AC/DC shirt, shorts, and tube sox ensemble.

That just seemed like the nice thing to do.

Serious faces only, please

Additionally, we all contributed to a photo album for Lacey. This photo album had individual pictures and messages from us, and pictures (in chronological order of course) that encompassed her time in Alaska - complete with captions. It was a pretty amazing present, and Jason, Amy, and Hannah deserve massive kudos for filling that little guy up with captions, as I was pretty much useless in that regard.

I'm not sure why we're doing this, but I love it

After the rocking and presentation of the gifts, we all piled into our respective vehicles and took Lacey down to the airport. This was very fun because I got to go out in public wearing my Hey Hermano shirt, torn shorts, and fantastic tube sox that Jason so graciously let me borrow, along with my orange shoes. I got more than one look.

It was also very fun because the entire drive there was a big catchphrase convention, with everyone in the car constantly yelling out the catchphrases that have been developed in the short amount of time Lacey was up here.

Mostly though, it was very sad and bittersweet. We all got our goodbyes (although that is only temporary, as we are planning to attend Lacey's wedding in August) and Lacey left us. The rest of the weekend was full of "what now?" and "I miss Lacey." It really is a testament to who Lacey is, as she is such an amazing person and a person that everyone will truly miss on a day-to-day basis. I mean, I saw her 9 days in a row recently, and now I won't see her until August at best.

That makes me a truly sad panda.

From me, and from everyone else, we're going to miss you Lacey. You're the glue to the group as Jason so succinctly put it. Good luck in Minnesota, and see you soon.

Hey Hermano, Last Stop of the World Tour