This past weekend in a nutshell....all I can say is wow.
I went to a quitter meet up. This wasn't my first quitter meet up, but for some reason this meet impacted me on multiple levels. If you've never gone to a quit meet, you owe it to yourself and your quit to check one out. I've met about 40 of the fine people on this site and have never left a meet as less than friends. I've met people that I had issues at one time on the boards that in person, blew me away. This meet was a three day weekend of awesomeness that I'll never forget. I flew to Cleveland, Ohio to meet up with a bunch of people that I had never met in person. Let that sink in. I had never met these people in person, yet they felt closer to me than most of my family. A couple of them, I had chatted with every damn day and was on a very personal basis with. The rest, not as much but this weekend solidified a friendship with every one of them. So off I flew to Cleveland.
Clemte - what a masshole! Great to finally meet this badass in person. He'd been instrumental to my early quit and his poking and prodding probably pushed me to where I am today more than anything.
69Franx - brother from another mother! This top notch quitter has been an inspiration to me for a long time and was great to finally meet in person. Amazing guy with an amazing girlfriend and family.
BillW - the man that set this whole thing in motion. I honestly thought Bill was in his 60's for some damn reason. Maybe it's the level of maturity he shows. He's actually a year older than me and a man of great integrity. Great to meet him!
CleAlt -we had gotten sideways a couple times on the board, but this dude is an amazing quitter and great to get to know him. He showed me how to do things in a Browns way, but I had to remind him that quitting was a win. j/k
Cleveland Fan - what a host. grilling burgers and brats, refilling brews, got me a new text buddy even if he did steal my girlfriend. And his wife might even be cooler than he is!
Miker - I was prepared to really hate this asshole, and I couldn't have been more wrong. His insight and words of wisdom and encouragement were amazing and we had a really great conversation toward the end of my stay.
Chewie - The guy that made all this possible. By keeping the site open, that's the only reason I met all these people, the only reason most of us are quit, the only reason that Cleveland fan now has a blow up sheep. He literally may have saved our lives, and is a huge example of how people should live life. Kindness, humility, manliness...Chewie is top notch.
I ate meals, drank drinks, had convo, and made friends that impacted me and will continue to impact me for a long time. I watched the Chiefs kick the hell out of the Browns, but I saw some Browns traditions and fans that were awesome hosts. Love that place! I spent too much and took a day off work that I really shouldn't have, but in the end, the memories and impact of this weekend will last long after those issues are gone. Love all these guys, and can't wait to do it again.
IQWYT. Broc 516