Well the time had finally come. Six months of planning, waiting, and excitement were just around the corner. Thursday, July 8th, had finally come and it was time to leave to go to TTP 3. I left Mmmmichigan around 3 pm and arrived in Hagerstown just before midnight. The drive through Ohio and Pennsylvania was BEAUTIFUL. I tried my hardest to go to sleep but the thrill and excitement kept me channel surfing until 3 am.
I toured around Hagerstown for a while in the morning , secretly waiting for a MacKade man to pop out of the woodwork. Around 3 pm, I called fellow Brat Tonya at the Hilltop (HTH), and we made plans to get together for dinner.
When I finally arrived at HTH, the sight was breathtaking. I wanted to park myself right there and never leave. I sprinted up to Tonya's room and felt a rush of emotions, the first in a weekend full of laughter, friendship, and fun. When she opened the door, the only thing I could think of was FINALLY!!!!!! We caught up for about ten minutes, I mean, after all we hadn't chatted in 3 days! Then a knock came on her door, and it was Robin. Again, I felt this overwhelming feeling that I still cannot express in words. After another quick catching up, we headed down for dinner to wait for Maria. During dessert she arrived. And again the same overwhelming feelings came back. We were now complete. For me, a sense of peace settled over the rest of the night.
We spent a little time with the broads, and the rest of the night just talking and getting used to each others accents. On Saturday we went to the signing, and would you believe the thrill of meeting Nora again was the same as the first time? After the signing was over we all went back to the hotel I was in and went for a swim. Then later that night we went to one of the broad's rooms for a coupla hours to get to know them.
On Sunday, we meet up for the brunch with Nora. After the brunch, it was time for Maria to leave and this terrible sense of loss came over me. I knew that it was going to be another whole year before I was going to see her and Tonya and Robin again. I started to get all choked up inside. I knew that it was time to go soon after or I was going to turn into a huge ball of mush. I said my goodbyes and kept chanting to myself, "You'll see them Friday in chat." This worked until about 10 minutes from home and then I let loose and cried.
The whole weekend was the best experience I have had in a long time. I thank God every day for Nora, for without her I would not have meet the best friends a woman can have. Now, I eagerly await next July when we will be joined by the rest of our brats (Shelley and Nan) and then the party will begin. I view our meeting in this way: Brats by birth, Nora fans by choice, Friends by destiny.
See y'all next year!!!!!!
Lisa
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