Day 40 Day of the 40 Days [Wrap It Up Edition]: A few years back when Elise Witt and I were swimming at Pine Lake, I told her how I’d always thought it would be nice to get married or at least have the rehearsal dinner / party of the century out there. I described in detail all the different musical people in my life who would come out to sing together and how I would use all the different spaces in different ways. At some point she said, why wait to get married to have a party like that? Just do it.

So, since the 40/40 project was about saying ‘yes’ where I might otherwise have said ‘no’, I decided this was the time, especially since I’m friends with the mayor of Pine Lake, Kathie DeNobriga, and all. It was a triumph.

Amanda Plumb and I got there early to set up café tables, lights, sound system, etc. It became one of the best food tables I’ve ever seen. People enjoyed swimming in the lake because it was bathwater warm. There was music, gorgeous and delicious homemade cakes by Annika Leisure and Leslie Swiedom, karaoke, dogs, kids, bubbles, balloons…

A very interesting assortment of people came from all across the spectrum of my life ~ my current work, past work, personal friends, high school friends, storytelling friends ~ and they all knitted together into a beautiful fabric.

I asked folks to bring their own plate, cup, and silverware and be responsible for washing themselves in solidarity with my cray-cray. Well…that sort of cut down on waste, but we still had to use a lot of disposables, and dear

Rachana Bhatt still ended up doing a lot of dishes. Karaoke was a hoot and a half. I learned I have friends that have pipes! Vienna Pae Cornell blew us all away with her Alanis Morissette. Less surprisingly, we are all a bunch of hams and put on a great show when we aren’t necessarily hitting the notes. I’ll let others decide if they want video documentation to exist out here in public…

Thanks so much to all of the folks who stayed behind to be on the clean-up crew. I hesitate to try and name everyone out of fear that, just like at the Oscars, Imma forget a name and have to take out a full page ad tomorrow, but here goes: Amanda,Adrienne Bruce, Mariela Gómez Meza, Alex Joshua, Elizabeth Geiger, Sarah Zureick-Brown, Carlos Quinones, Michael Fletcher, Anna Dausman, Will Young, and whoever I’ve forgotten I’m truly sorry. I was a bit tired last night as it was a looong day at the end of a long 40 days.

I have so much to think and write about regarding the 40 day project. I will do so in the weeks to come (hopefully as my hair fades rapidly), but today I will rest. I’m going to try and make myself take some Facebook fasts in the coming weeks as well because: brain.

I don’t want to sound trivial in that #blessed kind of way, but my heart is full with all that has transpired. The 40/40 Project was about being a “tourist in my own city and a connoisseur of my friends”, but it really showed me I am not alone in this world. While I may still be looking for a life partner that makes me a better person, I have hundreds of friends and family that already do that. Every. Day. #40Daysand40NightsUntil40

Posted by Shannon M. Turner on Saturday, August 15, 2015