California Blog #09: Joining a Best Buddies Program

 Okay, picture this. Back in 2004, I started joining a local Best Buddies program in Lawrence KS. 

That was my first time I joined Best Buddies in Lawrence. My first best buddy was Mark Lyda. We had a lot of fun together back in the day. I got to go to his house to hang out, watch TV, play games, even go out to eat. I also got to party at the Kansas Union at KU. It was a great time to be alive and make new friends here. One time, I was done with my school day at Free State High School, and Mark picked me up after school. We even got to go to Pizza Hut to have pizza there. He also got me a CD of his own music. His band's name is called 'Mark Lyda Combo'. And the album name is 'What I Learned At School Today'.

It was the first official start to a one-on-one friendship. My next best buddy is Max Chartrand. He and I had fun the second year for Best Buddies. We had such a fun time together too. We got to go to the pumpkin patch, visit Kansas City, go to the park, watch the Super Bowl, do fun-filled activities together, etc. Mark and I also did some good stuff too. Going out to eat for lunch or dinner. We even went to the mall together. The one thing I can remember being with him for fun time together is when we got together at Sonic. And I even got to check out his CD mixes he made, and the artists he listens too. That was really fun too.

The year 2010. Best Buddies has returned. And that was the time I got together at KU once again. I'll never forget the time Jill & I got together as buddies.

October 2010 is when we had our Best Buddies party at the Holiday Inn. We even had dinner together at a restaurant and bar inside the hotel, we even got to hang out, play pool, chat, and even play some mini-golf.

And in the month of December 2010 at the Holiday Inn, we had our Best Buddies christmas party.

I also will remember that time we had a social event together with the entire Best Buddies chapter in the month of February 2011. We had cups of hot chocolate, ate cookies, and did a little game night.

We also had a lot of good times together.

We all got together for a C-TRAN reunion in the month of March. I was dancing like a pro in music videos on MTV. The way I danced is where I got from choreography dancing in music videos on how Britney Spears or *NSYNC got their moves.

We also got to go bowling at the Jaybowl in KU.

We bowled like pros and hung out, and we even got to enjoy some snacks, and play pinball. Boy, was I sleepy! But at least I got to have fun with my buds. Matthew Rogers was there, Austin Dillon was there, even Eric was there too. We all had a lot of fun there at the Union.

Now in the year 2011, I got to meet Dylan Woods at the next Best Buddies Match Party. I'll never forget the time he and I dressed up as surfers on Halloween.

I was there, even Eric and Jill was there too. They were dressed up the Coneheads. That was really funny too.

And in 2012, we all got together for yet another Best Buddies event. This time, at Centennial Park where the skate park was located.

We got together for music, karaoke, and for a photshoot. We also got to have hamburgers, hot dogs, soda, and chips.

We all had plenty of fun together and sang songs we enjoy.

And there was the time in that party where Eric got his certificate of scholarship award.

Now, there's other best buddies that I met in the past years. I met Kenzi Ruther, Henry Katz, Gracie Larcher, Morgan Thompson, others.

But the next buddies I met was in 2015, their names were Ingrid Yew and Ashley Payne. We had a lot of fun together. We got together for some activities, hanging out, parties, everything.

When I start another new era with my family in California, I wanna get together with Aunt Leta and Uncle Mark, and even my folks to help me out on finding a Best Buddies Chapter somewhere in the Northern California area. It will be just like the one I joined in Lawrence KS. My family and I tried to find on in Bluffton or Hilton Head SC, but there isn't one here. There was one only in Charleston or Columbia SC, which was kind of a bummer for me.

When I come back, I wanna talk to Aunt Leta and Uncle Mark about a Best Buddies chapter that I wanna join next in the near future. And that's why I'm telling you about it in this blog. So by the time I come back and move back to California with my family, I wanna take the time to talk more about it and get more information about the next Best Buddies program for me to join. In many times when I got to join Best Buddies for the first time in Lawrence, it really made me feel better and friendships have changed my life. I feel really excited to be a part of it. And thanks to that, I have made many buddies in this country that we live in. To everyone who's reading this blog, I thank you for the good times we had at the Best Buddies chapters I joined in the Lawrence Kansas area and I'd hope to join more chapters of Best Buddies in the next generational era. This blog is dedicated to everyone who joined in their Best Buddies events, parties, and chapters, and for being good friends, and I hope I will plan on getting do this again sometime in the future.

Aunt Leta, if you, Uncle Mark, my cousins, and my folks like my next blog about it, feel free to check out Best Buddies' website at BestBuddies.org

https://www.bestbuddies.org/

That way, you can get more info on the next chapter to find in many locations of the U.S.  And not to mention, the world will always be in our hands for a better future of friendship at Best Buddies programs. And I'm always looking forward to joining the next Best Buddies chapter sometime soon and in the future.

In other words, good luck.