Sweet Jebus

It's been almost 17 months since I last blogged. I had my reasons, I'm sure, though I cannot recall what all they were. It wasn't like a decision I came to one day, or any form of a clear thought like "That's it, I am NOT blogging anymore." I just stopped.

I have missed it. I suppose I figured most of the friends who were visiting here and reading this were also on my facebook and could just read up on things there. But the bigger facebook gets, the more people you find or find you and before you know it, your fourth grade teacher, your third cousin on your mother's side in England and your long last pen pal from middle school are all your friends and you suddenly develop a very strict filter.

Of course, it probably is a good thing that I haven't been blogging. My fiancee (yes, I have one of those now!!!!) is a very private man and he isn't thrilled that I post as much as I do on facebook. I can only imagine what he would say/feel about me posting so much more openly on here than I do on there. However, I was the girl who wrote her Senior Paper in high school on censorship, so it may come down to me just flexing those filter muscles and being careful. Who knows where it will lead.

I still have people coming all of the time and reading an entry I wrote back in 2008. It's crazy, but I suppose that is what happens when you use a fan fiction author's name in your title. So I am going to try to be a little bit better about updating the blog.

So let's see. I left off with a few tales of horrific dates I had been on. And I had a few more after that. Then, in the winter of 2010/2011, I decided to take a break from dating entirely. It just got to be exhausting, trying to find someone, so I decided I would just wait a bit for him to find me. And he did. Or rather, friends found him for me.

In February 2011, a friend named Courtney sent her husband Trevor in for a haircut and while I was taming his mullet (no, I am dead serious. It's gone now, but back then, it was all business/party) he happened to ask if I was seeing anyone. I wasn't and told him so. He didn't say much else. So a week went by and Courtney came in with their son for his hair to be trimmed and I asked her about it.

"Oh, that's because he wants to introduce you to someone."

Now, this couple set me up about a year prior to that with a gentleman who was nice enough, but we didn't hit it off. I was a bit skeptical after that, simply because I didn't know if they knew what kind of guy I was looking for. To my recollection, they never met my ex, so they didn't have much to go off of. But Courtney assured me he was a great guy and we would meet soon enough. (In hindsight and knowing Trevor as I do now, chances are he was just trying to get his friend laid. I doubt he thought we'd be as great of a couple as we are.)

Soon enough ended up being about a month later. If you ask Rob (that's his name, btw) he'll tell you we met at a truck stop. If you ask me, I'll tell you it was a blind date. Both are true. Courtney got tickets to a fresh faces concert at Jubitz, a truck stop in North Portland with a lounge called the Ponderosa. She got me to come because I heart country music and she also mentioned that Rob would be there. She got him to come because it was her birthday and she is a force to be reckon with for sure. For me, it truly was a blind date. I had no idea what he looked like. He'd seen one picture of me while I was cutting their son's hair, but I can almost guarantee you it was not a good angle of me.

We hit it off well enough to go out a second time and by the end of the first week (where I think we saw each other about five times) I was smitten. By the end of week two, I was referring to him as my boyfriend and by the end of April, he had met my family and all of my friends (courtesy of my birthday). By the end of May, I was technically, though not officially, living with him. We just kind of knew.

He proposed over Labor Day weekend. That story is super sweet and I have pictures for it too, but I will have to save it for another entry.

We are planning a June wedding. It will be small and intimate and a lot of fun. I am just hoping the weather holds up for us, since PNW weddings are always a crap shoot, thanks to the rain. But the last week of June is usually a decent week. I have my dress (its gorgeous) and my shoes, we have the location and the friend who will be officiating. We have asked our Best Man and Matron of Honor and they have accepted. Now it is just a matter of getting all the other million little details ironed out.

(By the way, do you know how easy it is to be ordained online to be an officiant? Its so easy, I became ordained the other night just for kicks and giggles. So if anyone needs me to marry them, I totally can do it now!)

I have to say I am so ready to be this man's wife. You'd think a girl would be thrilled to be able to plan two weddings for herself, but there is an underlining layer of dread in me. It is like having a second job, planning a wedding. And in the end, it is all for ONE DAY. One incredible, magical, unforgettable day, but one day nonetheless. So we are trying to be reasonable (okay, I am trying to be reasonable) and keep things to a budget that won't make us cringe, ever.

And if I ever worry about family and close friends feeling denied a huge, elaborate wedding, I remind myself that my brother is getting married in early March and they will all get their fill there. I am so thrilled to be Maid of Honor in that wedding. It's pretty awesome to be close enough to your brother's future wife that she asks you to be her MOH. I had hoped I would get a sil that was that awesome; I just never dreamed I would.

To be fair, I am gaining two sisters this year, as Rob has a younger sister named Melissa. We haven't met in person, but we have hit it off on facebook and we seem to have common interests. I mean, she's a Joss Whedon fan, so really, that was all I ever needed to know.

Positive Alternative

He was tall, dark and handsome and sitting across from me in a booth at Denny's at about 1 am on a Saturday morning. I had just left another less than stellar date when he called and wanted to meet up, mostly to avoid having to walk into his house and past his roommate and girlfriend having sex on the sofa. "The whole place probably reeks of vagina."

Yes, folks, I was a positive alternative to a house reeking of vagina. I should have just gone home right then and there. But I was hungry and craving those pancake puppies that Denny's has on their menu, so I went. And while no penises were displayed for me, TDH did pull out his Droid, brought up my profile and began to compared my pictures "the real deal". When I admitted that of course they were some of the best of best of me I'd put up, he cooed "Awww . . . you think you're ugly, don't you?"

What do you say to that? Yes, I do. You sound like you are either fishing or have horrible self-esteem. No, I know I am smoking hot. You sound conceited and stuck up. Its a double edge sword I didn't ask to play with.

He also started to read to me what I had posted about myself. "You like music and movies. How original!"

"Yes, I know what it says. I did write it. " TDH smirks to himself and I begin to lose interest, in both him (which was only mild to begin with) and my puppies (which were not nearly as delicious as I had recalled). It also did not help that TDH pointed out that they looked like battered testicles.

So at some point, once we were done eating, he gets up and moves to my side of the booth (ahhhh flashbacks!!!) but not to show me his member. He's 6'6" and wanted to stretch out his legs. And there the rest of our 'date' commenced, with both of us kind of talking at each other, not with each other as he watched other late night diners walk in, scantily clad women and bewildered looking men who were quite thrown by this TDH man staring at them.

Then he laid his head on my shoulder. "Your shoulder feels good for a stranger."

I think I'm going to stay that way to him. . . a stranger.

30 before 30

The inevitable is coming . . . I'll be turning 30 on April 24th, 2011. And while I may be a little late on really getting started on accomplishing (or even finishing) this list, I am trying to tackle some of the things on here before I close out my 20's.

1. Achieve my dream body (Drop the weight, achieve desired tone and definition)
2. Take a finance class (Dave Ramsey here I come!)
3. Go see a movie entirely alone (sad, huh?)
4. Finish writing the novel (Nothing More, that is)
5. Get my passport (You know, so I can finally travel)
6. Learn to make tamales (They just look hard) 
7. Read camera owner's manual and really learn my camera (I never read owner's manuals)
8. Improve my photography skills (This will be easy . . . they are pretty basic right now)
9. Learn to crochet (Seems that it is coming back into fashion)
10. Brush up on my calligraphy (I used to be decent at it)
11. Sing karaoke alone (Also, preferably not drunk)
12. Road trip with Sarah (Anywhere. I don't care where we go)
13. Finish the cross stitch I started for Mom in 2001 (I doubt she'll want it but yeah, its time)
14. Write and deliver an amazing toast at Kate and Joe's wedding - Did it! August 8th, 2010
15. Be able to do 30 minutes on the step mill (Right now I can do 12 minutes tops. Rumor has it, it gives you a booty!)
16. Be able to do hanging crunches (Six pack, here I come!)
17. Run a half marathon 5k (hahaha! Trying to keep it realistic)
18. Actually learn to like running (because I usually only run if I am being chased!)
19. Read "The Secret" (I never finish self-help books)
20. Learn to meditate (Shut off my brain? We'll see if that is possible.)

This is where I ran out of ideas and started listing ones I had wanted to do and have already accomplished
21. Get a tattoo - January 25th, 2004
22. Learn to knit - November 24th, 2005
23. Do the Avon 3-Day 60 mile - July 12-14th, 2002
24. Pierce my navel - March 27th, 2001

And finally . . .I have slots for 6 more things. 
25.
26.
27.
28.
29
30.

Anyone got suggestions for the last six? I realize this is my life and therefore, my list . . . but has anyone else done this?