Bittersweet Parties

Well lastnight was my last ranger meeting, and it was a such a great evening. I knew we were meant to be having a bun fight with a fire but when I showed up they set up a surprise party for me. Apparently I'm a pain in the neck to keep secrets from and people nearly dropped the surprise so many times but I didn't have a clue!
It was so cool they had decorated everywhere with pink & lilac streamers and Winnie the pooh balloons. They even got me a special Eeyore helium balloon and as it was in ranger colours made it even better. They then produced these Winnie the pooh party hats, plates, cups and napkins and a beautiful big cake. So I turned into a big kid for the evening but it's scary how well they know me but as they said after 6 years in that unit then they better know me that well.
Anyway we decided a fire was necessary but with us it is always necessary. Anyway the next thing I know I am being dragged from my fire being told I have some visitors. They had got 2 of my old ranger leaders to come up as a surprise. It was so good to see them, then one of the other guide leaders I have worked with showed up and was like you didn't tell me you were leaving us. So they started the questions of where am I going then, and they didn't like my answer of right now I haven't got a clue. But that was that. Also some of my friends who have left over the years came back up as well so it was a good reunion.
Anyway I then got to play with the fire again and we taught one of my leaders 7 year old daughter how to make pokey sticks in the fire. We decided we better teach her from an early age how to be a pyromaniac like the rest of us. It is working cos she used to be scared of our fires and now she loves them -yay!! We decided as we had a fire we had to sing random stupid songs (we have all been in Guiding for too long!). If anyone had seen me then they would of thought I was drunk or off my head. But it was just me having a laugh with my mates and singing the crazy moose song and just generally being "Pixie Megarn". One of my mates even made up a new moose song to the tune of Edleweiss which is so cool!
However in the middle of all of this everyone seemed to make their way down to the fire and acting really shifty. The next thing I know Chris was making this speech about me saying big thank you's etc and giving me a bag full of pressies and a card. The bag was so cool it had fluffy handles and was pink -it was so amazing!!! They all decided that they shouldn't of bothered with the pressies they should of just given me the bag cos I was so hyper about it. Eventually I opened my pressies to find an eeyore cross stitch bookmark (apparently another excuse for me to avoid my work come September), they also got me a To me to You -Guiding autograph book and a silver necklace and earrings which had the British Guiding Friendship Pendants on it. So wherever I am I will always remember my ranger friends in Cheltenham.Well that was it and it set me off cos what they didn't understand is that I will never be able to forget any of them. I have been in that unit for 6 years now and seeing a bunch of them every monday night for that length of time they can never be forgotten.
The party eventually ended but apparently the celebrations are not over yet and they will be continuing this weekend on our weekend away. We found out lastnight that we should be able to have fires at both the youth hostels we are staying at which has pleased us all. I also have to renew my promise this weekend but this time as a Ranger Leader, they said I can choose when I want to do it over the weekend and I'm just glad I can do it with them. I'm thinking of doing it after one of the fires in the evening by candle light before the drinks come out. But we will see how it goes.
Lastnight really made me realise how much I do not want to be leaving Cheltenham, these people are my friends and I have been through so much with them. They also except me for me and I know wherever I end up if I join another unit it will never be the same as my friends from Park District/ Cheltenham West Rangers. But I just have to stay positive about this weekend and ignore the fact that I am leaving them all.