Top Five (memories edition, part one)

In this week's installment, let's take a look at some of my favorite memories. Again, as with each list, these aren't in any particular order.

Top Five Family Memories
1. During a trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C. when I was around eight or so, my mom, dad and I went out to eat at Hudson's Restaurant. We were at the beach with some friends of the family as well. While waiting for dinner, one of them requested Pencil Thin Mustache by Jimmy Buffet. My mother and father both danced on the dock, and it stands out in my mind.
2. In less than sweet moment, my toilet was overflowing at a surprisingly rapid pace - and, it should be noted, for no particular reason at all (it just happened to do that on occasion) - and I was without a plunger. I hollered downstairs for assistance, and up comes my father ... leaping over the advancing water, propping one leg on the bathtub and another to the right of the toilet. Upon landing, the plunger is driven into the bowl, sending water up in a terrific shower and, with one quick thrust, eliminating whatever it was clogging up the line.
3. Thanksgivings in Charlotte, N.C. - My aunt and uncle lived in Charlotte up until I was in my early 20s, and each Thanksgiving the entire family would head over to their place.
4. Tuesdays and Thursdays with Nani - When I was just a wee lad, I'd go over to my grandmother's house straight from school. And everytime I arrived, she'd pull out Jello in a mini-bowl that seemed way too elegant for a four-year old, but it was always my favorite time of the week.
5. The Masters Week - To this day, my family gathers at my other grandmother's house (Nama if you're curious) for Masters week. We park cars in her yard, go to the tournament and relax in the afternoon. It's my favorite week of the year.

Top Five High School Memories
1. Road Trip to Bath, S.C. - At some point in the summer of 1995, I was greeted early one morning by my buddy Nick Moore who showed up at my doorstep and requested I go to the grocery store with him. That trip to the grocery store evolved into the fulfillment of a dream for him as we rounded up Xon, Russ and Chris for a journey to Bath, S.C. We bought throw rugs from a Dollar General, drank Little Hug fruit drinks, ate at Wendy's and played video games at the Aiken Mall.
2. Graduation Day 1996 - I just remember being incredibly jovial that I didn't have to attend mandatory schooling anymore, even if I did have to walk down with Galen Kipar. Plus, Paul Wamsted threw a nice party at his place.
3. New Year's Eve 1995-1996 - A good party at Kate Channell's that night, even though I had come down with a pretty nasty sinus infection. I remember staying late there and, despite my parents being more than 100 miles away in Greenville, S.C., I still got in trouble for missing curfew. Ah, the long-reaching arm of the law.
4. Evans 1995 - A disgusting rainy night and a miserable 20-0 loss to Evans for Westside, though I remember the bleachers broke, Mike McLaughlin bit into a Coke can and Charles waved a massive South Korean flag.
5. The Random Challenges of Nick Moore - My buddy Nick had a peculiar knack for tackling the most bizarre feats of human endurance, and doing them all in Xon's front yard. I can recall him eating 24 slices of American cheese, swallowing a live goldfish and attempting to drink three liters of Dr. Pepper (that one didn't go so well if you're wondering). And he did all of them by his own choosing ...

Top Five College Memories
1. Meeting The Wife, 1997 - Her first weekend at UGA, she came to a party flashing the best smile I had ever seen. I leaned over to Russ's wife, Bly, and asked 'who's that?' ... and fortunately Bly had gone to school with The Wife, thus sending me down that long road to marriage (and I mean long ... took her roughly a year to agree to go on a date with me ... and who says persistence doesn't pay off?). As a quirky side note, I introduced Russ to Bly. Small world.
2. Buying The Pool With Carrie, 1999 - During the summer of 1999, The Wife lived with our friend Carrie and was working during the day. Carrie and I, having been friends since before the days of The Wife, decided it would be fun to buy a kiddie pool and keep it on the deck. We head out to Wal-Mart and purchase the largest non-inflatable kiddie pool we can find before we realize we have no way to get it home. We strap what we can to the roof of my Blazer, and Carrie has to literally hang out the window to keep one side from blowing away as we drive down The Loop. We develop some sort of make-shift pulley system to get it to the second floor deck, fill buckets with warm water and slowly fill the pool. By the time Julie gets home, Carrie and I are seated in the pool watching The Real World Hawaii.
3. Graduation Party 2000 - Again, primarily stemming from the joy of having completed school ... that and Stephen Gurr on the deck.
4. The Tour of Elvis With The Wife, 1999 - A most random adventure with The Wife as we visited Nashville, Memphis and Tupelo, Miss. ... witnessing the birth, life and death of a one Elvis Aaron Presley. Graceland, for what it's worth, is probably the most disappointing landmark I've ever been to ... beaten only by Alcatrez.
5. Florida-Georgia Weekend, 1997 - The fact that Georgia actually beat Florida is only a footnote for this trip, as this was the first major thing The Wife and I did together. Now, granted, she was only The Friend at the time, but to my lovestricken heart, I was more than happy to take whatever time I could get with her.