Today is One of Highs and Lows

Today, I must say goodbye to my friends Magali and Cedrick. They have been visiting us from France and will be catching a plane to DC to spend time with family and friends there. I have enjoyed their company immensely and it is hard for me to see them go. I would like to thank them both for spending time with my girl and me and helping me to remember what is most important in life - friends and good times.

Magali & Cedrick

I first met Magali online over 10 years ago while playing Heretic II on the computer. We were part of the same community, but different clans. Regardless of our clan affiliation, we became very good friends due to our hours spent on the Heretic II forums at RavenGames.com and talking online between Blade Matches. We first met in 2002 when she came to visit the states and spent some time with me and my friends in Tennessee where I lived at the time. We took a roadtrip to St. Louis where my parents lived at the time and where she departed to fly on to California to see other friends. Despite the fact that we were separated by such great distance, we remained friends ever since those days. When Magali and Cedrick were to be married last year, my girl and I were excited to join them for what would have been my first trip to Paris and Europe. Unfortunately, finances and some poorly timed employment issues kept us on this side of the pond. My girl and I were heart broken that we could not join them for that special occasion.

Fast forward to November of last year when I learned that Magali and Cedrick would be visiting the states this spring. I was so excited to learn that I would finally get to introduce my good friend to my girlfriend and to also meet Cedrick, my friend's husband. And even though I have only known Cedrick for four days, he is already a good friend and one of the family in my eyes.

Recently, I have been experiencing some drama surrounding my online family. I will not go into the details, but just want to remind everyone of this one thing - whether you realize it or not, you will probably make friends for life during your time here at 2old2play. Whether you can make it to the LAN (either this year or down the road) or if you never meet a single person from this site in person, it is the people here that set this community apart from others out there. There are plenty of sites where folks care about games over people. I am proud to be a member of a site that is about people first and games second. If you doubt that this is in fact the case, check out the video that Doodi & Co. made at last years LAN and then ask yourself if it is about the games or the people.

Anyway, I hate to sound like Jerry Springer, but be good to one another and treat each other with respect.

And to my friends Magali & Cedrick - Au revoir mes amis! Travel safe. We love you and will miss you dearly.

Magali & Cedrick Pay Homage to the Grilling Gods