Haven't we done this already??!

Me and Kelly:)

The Kennywood Gala was last night.  Basically, it's the park's end of the season celebration for its employees who work there each season.  As much as I loathe these things every year, once all the excitement of playing bingo (O-69!) is done, I'm usually spent and longing to go home to my bed.  But this event is also bittersweet as well.  With each passing year, I see the same sequence of things happen at this party:  You arrive to the gala with your ride group members and sit down to play bingo.  After a few rounds of intense bingo playing, the popcorn that we use as bingo chips starts flying through the air as team members shift from one pavilion to the other where the dance portion begins (Which I usually never stay for, I feel like I'm chaperoning a high school dance!)

Bayern Kurve, Musik Express, Cosmic Chaos and Gran Prix 

504 Crew

Can they have me???

This year, before going over to the dance pavilion, team 504 had a so-called photo shoot.  We basically took pics of anyone and everything in various poses to capture the evening.  During all of this I began to realize that, how many times have I gone through this before?  To catch you up to speed, I have done this 9 times before to be exact.  But something changed this year.  For as much time as we spend together ALL summer complaining, laughing, sharing bits and pieces of ourselves to each other, we were more like a big family taking the family photos that were going to be put on this year's Christmas cards, lol.  We had two team members whose last day was yesterday, so before parting for the night we hugged it out.  I think people even cried just a little bit.  That's how close you become with these people.  It's like losing a limb, honestly.  You rely on each other so much but once August comes, it's time to pack up and move on. 

Original 504 Members

Bros for life!

For as much complaining, bitching and threatening to quit this place that I do and have done in the past decade, these are the moments that I cherish.  The little specks of bittersweet memories that will surely last a lifetime.  I've got the best of everything, not one but two families that care about each other:)