Grand inaugural ball

So I was approached, by my mom to go to a grand inaugural ball for my grandfather on my dad's side a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was the same saturday the wine bar was going to be closed, but it was a week after. I asked my boss, Sandra and she let me have it off after I threw in that Becky could replace me if she was feeling better(she was sick the past couple of weeks).

So that week my dad was going to a class for VOIP studies from sisqo(think I spelled that right). That sunday was my sister Rose's birthday party at my grandparents(on my moms side), so we went and decided to stay the night. I bought a bottle of wine for me and my mom along with a 24 pack of brew for me and Jen. Drank a brew with my cousin cece, hung out with my other cousins Erica, Levi and Alexa, which was fun as it always is. Drank a brew with Cece and talked with her, I haven't really hung out and chilled with her in forever and it felt just like old times. After everyone left, I popped the wine, which was "Little Black Dress". My mom had been wanting to try it forever as it reminded her of my late Aunt Bebe. I could only find a merlot and a chard, I chose the merlot, knowing she wouldn't like either and I could atleast mix the merlot with 7up for my mom and she could drink a home made wine cooler. So my mom had one, I had already been drinking on it, but I made her one and then there was a half glass left, so I topper her off and filled up the rest with 7up. I got a little drunk, wound up outside singing Taking Back Sunday with my two youngest sisters and smoking WAY too many cigs. I passed out in the gameroom on the floor, as I always do, it's tradition dating back to when I was their age.

Woke up the next day with my hip bothering me and then it gave out, I could still walk but it wasn't THAT bad. We went shopping with mommom(my grandmother) for dresses for them and a suit for me. I refused the tux and have wanted my own suit for awhile now. After limping around 6 stores they found something, I found a cheap pinstripe suit and some dress shoes. By the time we got back I decided we could stay another night, I'd do my bar cleaning duties before class. Well at mommom's house I turned and dropped to the ground. Couldn't walk at all. I texted my boss telling her about my hip and if I could skip cleaning this week if at all possible. Once rested I was better but still limping bad. I suited up, excited about it and we went to wal mart to restock on alcohol. another good night of drinking with my sister and mom. My cousin alexa came out to stay with us that night, which was fun.

Tuesday I had to call in to class as it was so bad I was afraid to drive. So we chilled with alexa till her dad came to pick her up that night.

Wednesday we went home and I was well enough to drive to class and then I limped my way through work on Thursday.

Skip to this last weekend:

Friday:
I went to work, hoping to get off early enough, I was originally thinking about asking Friday off, but I needed the hours, so I just got Saturday off. So we were going to leave after I got off of work. My mom went to pick up Mommom's SUV and they were going to pick me up on the way out. Well wouldn't you know? On their way back which was around 9PM at the overpass on the way home, an RV had toppled off the hill and the road was closed, there was one other road to take that added an extra 20 minutes, so they came back to the wine bar and told me they'd wait. It was 9:30 and pretty slow so I said I'd probably get off at 10. My boss heard about it and let me off early, so I cleaned up and we headed out with my and my sister's friends Tia and Jason following us as they were to watch our house while we were gone for the night.

So we get home and my dad thinks that he needs more rest and we'll leave around 4am instead of 11pm, or midnight would've been that actual time after loading up. I was a little annoyed but whatever, I told my mom that if that was the case that I didn't think it needed for me to trade off driving and that I just got off work and wanted a beer. She told me to go party with my friends. So after loading it all up I drank. I didn't even sleep. I'm a night owl I usually go to bed at 4am as the bar life allows me to get up around 1pm. So by the time we left I was buzzed none-the-less and we took off for houston. I loaded up the CD player with 4 CDs. Norah Jones, Conor Oberst, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson. I knew dad wouldn't be apposed to those and I hate listening to country for 4 or 5 hours straight.

I passed out and woke up to 102.7 JackFM. Not bad, we were about to stop and eat at frank's. So I was awake about a half hour before we stopped, mom wanted to hear Mraz, so I threw that on, noticing dad cut it off 2 songs in to oberst. Oh well, good album in my book. we were about an hour away from my grandfathers, rocked some mraz and arrived in time to say what up to my uncle Joe, who I hadn't seen in atleast 4 years.

Joe took off to meet up with some friends, we got settled in and Mom and Jen took a nap. I fucked around on my phone, read some of Anthony Bourdain's book when my grandpa John started telling me about the chef that would be cooking for us and the band that would be playing, The Grateful Geezers. After that I got bored and grabbed the old fender acoustic out of the car and played guitar on their back porch for awhile as it was very very nice outside. After awhile I got bored and finished another cig and went inside. My mom said I sounded good, she thought a radio was on untill she realized it was me playing.

My uncle Joe got back as my grandparents were leaving, My Grandpa John was being elected Potentate in the shrine temple of Arabia which is the name of the temple in houston, so he had to go and start managing everyone setting up and get everything rolling, we sat around for a bout a half hour and then started getting ready. The girls donned their beautiful dresses, Dad and Joe suited up tuxedo style and I started suiting up in my pinstripe suit. I was worried as I have about 3 month old baby fuzzy short dreads, but luckily I found out recently that I can pull them back in an up-ponytail which makes me look kind of like a samurai, or native american as my dad put it. Got all ready and apart from my starchy dress shirt that itched like a 2 dollar whore, I was ready. We took a pic of all of us before leaving and headed out.

Got there all gussied up and smoked a cig before we went in. Found our table with the family name on it and sat down. Realized we were way early and apparently grandpa John made a comment to Joe that we should try not to get too trashed before everything started, so we waited awhile and then said fuck it and got drinks. Me and dad had beers, Joe had a jack and coke. Sat around talking and then John and my grandma Terri had some friends joining us so we met them. Continued drinking and right as I was about to step out to smoke, shit started. So we watch the bagpipe players, listen to them introduce past potentates and other people on the board, or staff, not really sure how it all works. Finally they introduce my grandfater, meanwhile AWESOME hors d'oeuvres are being passed around. Finally after it John tells us there's food but they haven't announced so they don't get zerged(my words not his). So we go to smoke a cig come back and there's a HUGE line(they got zerg rushed). So we wait and finally go to get food. The food was no where near the level I expected but was still good.

There was a girl bartending and I saw the guy who was handling alcohol motion to her, had the idea she was deaf, earlier int he night. This time I was standing in line and the guy in front kept asking for diet coke and eventually got pissed and left, I realized she was deaf. She was cute as hell. I asked her for a Jack and coke, she help up a coke and I nodded and said and Jack. She looked puzzled and tried to say what, so I said Jack daniels, slowly so she could read my lips, I noticed she could do that for the most part. I'd forgotten how my ex co-worker and friend shelley told me how to say thank you, so I just said thank you and bowed. I went back ranting and my uncle told me to look it up on my phone. So I found out how to say thank you and made sure I had her tending to me. The dude that was speaking sign, I'm thinking was her boyfriend, or maybe brother, but boyfriend seemed more likely. Well, I flirted with her in front of him as best as I could. Why? I'm the potentate's motherfuckin grandson, he can't do shit. Needless to say with everyone introducing themselves to me, people on all levels of the board and with this suit, this bad ass suit, and my hair pulled up and looking fucking sexy, I felt entitled. Not only that but there were no girls my age to hit on except staff and the food waitresses were running around too much for me to even attempt to pick them up. I think she really liked me by the end of the night.

Meanwhile, I'm roaming around, smoking cigs outside with my dad, meeting people, dancing with my family, drinking, drinking, eating, drinking and the like. Heard crazy stories in the mens room about people meeting musicians and the like, I didn't even notice. My mom is shitfaced. I danced with her, two-stepped, fucking did it awesome I'm getting really good at it. Line danced to that song that goes "to the left left left, to the right right right now kick and kick and kick now i'm walkin by myself, now i'm walkin by myself" with Jen and then everyone else joined me. Becky B taught me that dance and as I'd forgotten most of it, it's easy to pick back up.

When I was shown the lodge I saw a pic from the shrine circus the fam went to without me and they were in the line up, so I took my mom and Jen to see it. THAT'S when I noticed how drunk my mom was. She was walking S lines at first, then evened out after. We came across my love for the night and the dude, whatever he was to her, in a hall and he looked and said "What are you guys looking for more drinks?" I said "No sir, I haven't even opened that last one!" him thinking he offended me and me being who I was for the night, he stated "I'm joking man, I'm joking!" I said no worries and my mom shouts "I STILL HAVE MINE, I HAVEN'T FINISHED IT!" and he goes "is that the margarita on the rocks?" and my mom replies "NO IT'S THE 7 AND 7" and he goes ohhh ok, meanwhile the deaf hottie is pissed and yelling at him because he isn't listening. On the way back mom says that he was flirting with her and making her drinks really strong. I see my younger sisters helping clean up so me and joe jump in and after awhile said fuck it. I help my mom leave cause she's a bit stumbly and i'm smoking a cig on the way to the car, as i'm finishing everyone loads up but me and dad and mom goes "JONATHON!!!" I got "You wanna hear Mr. A to Z don't you?" and she screams "YES" so I tell her Disc 3. She cant figure it out so I tell her to press the 4 button. I put my cig out and Jump in, My uncle quit drinking hours before so he drives and i'm singing jason mraz. "I'm Yours" comes on and mom puts her arm around Jen and starts patting me on the shoulder to the beat while we sing it together.

I told Joe to skip two songs, realize we were passing the HEB that I bought mom smirnoff at and go "oh shit we're close, huh?" and Joe tells me we are, so I tell him to skip two more songs: Enter Dynamo of Volition. It's my favorite song and I can rap with him fluidly, also when he says high five, I high five, when he says way down low, I do the "give it to me way down low" gesture and I also do the higher ten gesture. My mom is laughing her face off at this and grooving like i've never seen so I proceed to make a fool out of myself, I'm motioning like a god damn rapper and my mom is in tears with laughter so I play it up. When he goes "Twistin up a rizzler, kid icarus on the transistor" I do a joint rolling motion, because that's what he does on the live performances and just keep rolling with it and my mom is just cracking up. It ends in perfect time with us pulling up to my grandparents house and my dad actually says "Good Job Jonathon", I guess I sang it well. Who know's. So we get in and I start asking questions about what my grandfather does and they get home and he starts telling me, Joe vanishes, apparently he passed out then me, dad, jen, rose and carin jump in the hot tub. Grandpa John apparently locked us out, luckily the hot tub was next to the room we were staying in so we knocked till mom woke up to let us in. We got out of the hot tub around 4. My Jen and Rose stayed up fucking with a laptop and getting our CD players working so we could sleep till about 5. Me and Jen still drinking.

Woke up the next day, loaded up and left around 2pm. Stopped at buccees which was dissapointing and wound up eating at some place in luling, TX. which was full of hot waitresses that I was too sober and shy to hit on. Got home drank with Tia and Jason and that was my trip to houston. We were the stars of the night, lived like kings, it was great and truly was a once in a lifetime experience. So glad I decided to go and so glad to have been a part of it.