Things aren’t always what they seem…

One word sums up everything for me right now:  Really??

Apparently, what I thought was a nice first date where M-Daddy was being a perfect gentleman wasn’t the same for all parties involved.  Our conversations had gotten pretty hot over the last six weeks (um, up to just shy of 2,000 texts and countless long phone calls) and we both agreed that we would hold off to make sure that didn’t overshadow our first date (since it was a first date and all…)  I thought that’s why he was a bit reserved and “gentlemanly.”

I guess I was wrong.

He said we had a great connection over the last six weeks, but he just didn’t feel the connection when we met.  Even though we had nice conversations and laughs over dinner, held hands as we walked around and made out at the end of the night… he just didn’t feel the “connection.”  He doesn’t know why he didn’t feel it, but he wants to think things through a bit now.

Really??

Wow, he was pretty quick to throw six weeks worth of great conversation and “connection” right out the window. 

Looks like I’m back to square one… Maybe this blog will be about the ups and downs of dating after all.

One Hell of a week…

Boy, a lot has happened this week…

First, my furniture didn’t arrive.  Turns out there was a “miscommunication” on the date that I requested the delivery.  The date you put is supposed to be the beginning of a 14-day window for delivery.  They guy who supervised my pick up said “oh, it never takes 14 days, so just put the date you want delivery.” When I started to call the company the day before my delivery to confirm it, they said it wasn’t coming because it was only the start of the 14 day delivery window.  Needless to say, I just want my stuff at this point, and it looks like it will get here in another week or so.  And yes, they’re already talking about giving me a discount because of the mix-up.  Ugh… the worst part is that all my sexy heels were packed up!

Since I don’t have any furniture, I’m “camping” in the empty house.  At least I have the basics (air mattress, small table for a desk, etc.) so I can function, but I’m working with a limited selection of wardrobe choices here since I really only packed for the road.  And as you know, I had a date to go on…

The date…  I know you’re all dying to hear about that, but let’s start before the date… M-Daddy and I had fun with the final countdown until the day.  First it was counting down days, then it switched to hours as it got closer.  It was fun and built a lot of anticipation.  We had our restaurant picked out and we knew we wanted to see a movie, but hadn’t decided which one in advance (but we both scoped out the choices in advance).

Wardrobe choices… Since I didn’t have much with me, I was really glad that I did make a stop at a large SF Banana Republic store and picked up a few things, including a cute (aka casual, yet sexy) knit dress.  I only had two choices of shoes – grey flat sandals or tan flat sandals (both Sam Edelman, so very cute).  The idea of wearing the “secret weapons” went right out the door since they were still in a box in California.  I picked up a tan cardigan at a local Banana Republic store here to complete the outfit with the tan sandals, and I was officially ready for the first date.  Not my first choice for a date outfit, but it will do in a pinch. :)

First meeting… So, after flirting quite a bit over the last six weeks or so, I was wondering what that first encounter would be like.  Would it be a mad passionate kiss?  Would there be groping involved?  Turns out, no – he was a perfect gentleman with a nice casual kiss and a big hug.  Boy, it really felt good to hug him!  And he’s tall, which was even more apparent since I was wearing flats.

Back to the date… We had a nice dinner (which he paid for), saw Real Steel, which is a surprisingly good movie (which I paid for) and got some ice cream afterwards (which he paid for) and walked around the center for a while and just talked.  It was your typical first date, except that we already kind of knew each other.  At the end, he walked me to my car and we had a nice “end-of-first-date-kiss” that reminded me of a couple of teenagers making out in the parking lot before going home.  That was totally fun! ;)

Now that the first date is behind us, we’ll see what happens next.  Both of us had to work a bit today, so maybe there’s a second date in the cards for tomorrow…  I can’t wait for my shoes to get her so he can really see what he’s in for with me! I don’t call them the “secret weapons” for nothing… ;)

Welcome to the Sunshine State!

I’m happy to report that I’ve made it to Florida!  I got in on Thursday night, so I was able to cover over 3o00 miles in 5 days.  M-Daddy kept me company along the way between texts and phone calls, and he got more and more excited as I got closer to Florida (I don’t know who was more excited – me or him!)

The trip itself was fairly uneventful.  But I did see some funny stuff along the way…

·         “Watch for Elk” – apparently there are a lot of elk between Arizona and New Mexico.  There were several signs including one that said I was entering Elk Country… I guess I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

·         “Watch for Snakes” – these were mostly in Texas.  I especially liked it when these signs were posted in the children’s play areas at the rest stops… “Here kids, play in this area and try not to pick up anything that hisses at you…”

·         “The Original Fried Pies” – two things come to mind about this one… (1) I didn’t realize that there were a lot of knockoff fried pies, and (2) how exactly do you fry a pie?

·         “Visit the Knife Outlet” – apparently the regular knife store had so much overstock, they were able to open an outlet… But that could be handy if the ol’ road rage gets out of control.

·         “Are You Going to Heaven or Hell” – I guess this depends on the road rage and if I stop at the knife outlet…

But the most interesting sign was one by the highway in Albuquerque, NM.  It has a simple message:

“Don’t Fry Bacon Naked”

Not exactly what I expected to see on the side of a highway, but a good tip nonetheless.

Anyway, now that M-Daddy and I are in the same time zone, we’re able to talk and text a bit more. He’s able to text me in the morning to say good morning without waking me up at like 3 am and I can text him to say good night when I go to bed.  (pause, smile, *sigh*)

Most importantly, we’re now only 5 days from our first date!  The official first date plans are the traditional “dinner and a movie” at a center about half way between our places.  I scoped out some of the restaurants, and found a good option.  Best of all, I can wear the “secret weapons” with a pair of jeans and a cute top and it will be the perfect outfit.  He’s coming from work, so he’ll be a little more dressed up (I certainly don’t mind that!)

Anyway, this will be a busy week!  My furniture gets delivered so I can start setting up the house and begin settling in.  Also, the days will be ticking down until Friday night when I finally get to meet M-Daddy!  It's the official start of my brand new life! :)

Let the countdown begin…

1 day left in the office…

2 days left until my movers come…

2 days left until I start my cross-country drive…

7 days until I land in Florida…

And, most importantly of all, 15 days until the most amazing first date in all-time dating history!

I’ve got my AAA Triptik all mapped out so I know where the Hell I’m going.  My first leg of the journey will get me to Vegas so I can crash with my brother.  I may stay an extra day there just to relax a bit before I start the long drive. 

Anyway, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to post in my last (hectic) day in the office and as I drive.  I’ll keep you all in the loop if anything crazy or funny happens on the drive (and you know it will!)

Wish me luck with the trip and I’ll see you all again when I’m on East Coast time.  Once I'm there, I'll bring you all up to speed as I prepare for that anticipated first date... ;)

Lucky Charms

A friend and I were discussing how you have the power to change your destiny.  How positive thinking can help make your life go in the direction you want it to go in.  Then, she commented that I “wanted to make changes in my life, so that’s why things are going so well with M-Daddy.” Although that’s a really good point, I don’t think it has anything to do with that.

No, I know exactly what has caused my streak of luck with M-Daddy, and it comes down to one simple thing – a chicken foot.

Now that I’ve captured your attention, let me explain further…

Back in June, my upstairs neighbor brought me a small vat of spicy curry (as she has done several times in the past).  Yum!  So I made some rice and enjoyed some of that curry for dinner.  I had some left over, so I got a container to put it in so I could take it for lunch the next day.  As I was spooning it into the container, I noticed something. “That’s a funny looking piece of chicken… oh wait, that’s a foot.”

Racing thought #1: WTF????

Racing thought #2: Ewwwwwwwwww!

Racing though #3: Please, God, don’t let me throw up.

I quickly proceeded to throw away the rest of the curry and made a mad dash to my computer to post the incident on Facebook for the world to see.  A few friends echoed my sentiment by also posting “Ewwww” and one friend let me know that the chicken foot is an essential ingredient in Asian cooking and you don’t have to eat it (um… wasn’t going to).  Then my mom posted “that’s good luck.”  Now, my mom isn’t an expert in good luck charms, but she knows this from a very reliable source – a friend of hers that also got a chicken foot.  Over the next year, she won everything from cash to a TV, so the chicken foot brought her some serious luck! 

I was anxious to try my hand at some of that luck, so I marched down to the 7-11 and bought a few lottery tickets… yeah, nothing.  The following week, I tried two more lottery tickets… still, nothing.  I figured that my luck was probably wasn’t going to be monetary. My mom assured me that I would have some other type of luck.  Then I forgot about my beloved chicken foot…

Fast forward to today and the conversation about changing my own destiny… I finally put two and two together… (work with me here)

Chicken foot = luck

Spicy curry = spice/heat

Chicken foot in spicy curry = luck with a “spicy” guy

Therefore, I owe my spicy little romance with M-Daddy to that very special chicken foot (LOL).  He is a self-proclaimed “hot head” (aka someone who loves spicy food, which makes me a hot head too).  Plus, we’ve had some pretty spicy texts back and forth. See, it makes perfect sense... ;)

Speaking of spices, I’m going on a special shopping trip this weekend.  M-Daddy, with his love of all things spicy, mentioned that he would love to visit Chinatown in SF someday to taste the food. So I’m taking the opportunity to bring a little “Chinatown” to him.  I am meeting a friend (she’s from China) and she is going to take me to authentic Asian market. I’m going to have her show me what good spices to buy so I can make a nice goodie basket for M-Daddy since he loves to cook.  I’ll fill it with spices that turn up the heat as well as spices that just have great flavor.  This way, we can cook together (and by together, I really mean that he’ll cook and I’ll “assist” while I open a bottle of wine).  I just have to remember to mark the spices because I don’t read Chinese!

So, what have we learned here today?  We’ve learned that chicken feet, as gross as they are, can help you find true love and happiness.  We’ve learned that the 7-11 probably wasn’t the best place for me to go to see if I was lucky.  And, most importantly, we’ve learned that a sweet, caring, hot (*sigh*) guy who can’t wait to cook for his woman (that’s me), really does exist!  And you thought stuff like that only happens in fairy tales and sitcoms…

In all fairness, I do bake.  ;)

Pack Rat

As you know, this blog isn’t turning out the way I thought it would.  So, instead of the ups and downs of dating, allow me to shift gears and talk about something really funny – packing and moving!

Before we dive into a mountain of bubble wrap and packing peanuts, let me just say that everything is still absolutely wonderful (pause, smile,*sigh*) with M-Daddy.  There – I got that out of the way for everyone who wants to know, but didn’t get all mushy for anyone who is sick of hearing how wonderful my luck has been playing the ol’ e-Harmony game.  I guess I was due for a little good luck in the love department after all the crap I’ve been through with the likes of weasels and sloths… Plus, it’s putting a pretty permanent smile on my face as I count down the days until I get to meet him face to face. ;)

OK, so back to the large pile of packing materials and boxes that has taken over my kitchen. 

So, I was feeling quite proud of myself getting packing materials at Home Depot.  It was cheaper than U-Haul, and I was able to knock through about half of my packing.  Um, then I realized you can get a ton of FREE packing materials on Craigslist… Why the heck didn’t I think of this before???  I made a few trips yesterday and picked up a ton of materials – and then grumbled all the way home for spending about $250 on materials in the first place.  The only saving grace I have is that I didn’t put my three wardrobe boxes together, so I can take those back to Home Depot and get a refund.  At least I’ll recoup $30 (eye roll).

I got most of the fragile stuff packed yesterday, so now I’m down to just my dishes and a few things on my kitchen counters.  I got all my pots and pans packed up, which was great until about 3 hours after I sealed the box and wondered what I would make for dinner.  Ugh!  At least tonight I got smart and just picked up a nice prepared chicken breast and heated it up in the microwave… No pots or pans needed!  LOL, not that I cook that much on a regular basis anyway, but it’s like the Murphy’s Law of packing – “You will have an incredible need for an item once it’s packed away and under a large stack of boxes.”

The other wrench that got thrown in my plans is the fact that I no longer have driving help for the trip back to Florida.  My brother or nephew were originally going to help, but both managed to get new jobs, so now they can’t (darn them for being responsible and all).  That officially threw the U-Haul idea out the window and I’ve now scheduled for my PODS delivery a few days before I move.  I’ll still drive, but driving my car by myself will be much easier than trying to drive a truck by myself.  I can jam to my iPod and sing loudly with nobody as a witness to judge me.  It will be my word against everyone else’s that the likes of Abba’s Greatest Hits and just about every song put out by the cast of Glee were played over and over (and over) as I made my way across the southern United States.

So, that’s the moving scoop so far.  I’m sure that I’ll run into more funny stuff as I try to pack up my cube at work (since I’ll be working out of my house) and finalize all my packing at home.  I’m just hoping that I don’t break anything before I even start the move…

Batting 1000

So, another week has gone by and…

1.         M-Daddy (aka Honey Badger) and I are still texting like crazy…

2.       We’re still talking on the phone for hours on end…

3.       We’re completely smitten with each other… (pause, smile, *sigh*)

LOL… I don’t want to go all mushy on you, but I can’t help it. We both absolutely can’t wait for me to get there so we can turn our “virtual” relationship into a real one.

With all the texting we’ve been doing, we’re about to hit a very important milestone.  My phone counts the number of texts and we’re about to reach 1000.  That officially makes us giddy little teenagers since it took us less than three weeks to get there. :)  And, of course, as the days/weeks go by, the texts are getting flirtier and flirtier (tee hee).  I don’t think I’ve ever texted with someone so much, but it feels very natural – and it’s giving us a great way to get to know each other very well before we meet.  First dates are usually awkward, filled with small talk about the weather and home towns, but our first date will be completely comfortable, and we’ll be able to focus on enjoying the fact that we’re not 3000 miles away from each other anymore.  For all of you who are wondering, we’ve set very clear ground rules for that first date, you know, because it is a first date and all (no sex, but making out is totally acceptable… LOL) 

Speaking of crazy texting… my parents had a wonderful time when they came to visit (I use that segway because my mom is an expert texter).  We went to wine country, which they really enjoyed (although they didn’t drink much and I was the one driving – go figure).  We did a little sightseeing in San Francisco, which they also enjoyed.  But, most of all, my mom loved the endless opportunities to play Scrabble with me on my iPad.  As we were playing a game, my mother (let me clarify… my straight-laced, doe-eyed, good Catholic mother), proudly spelled out SEXT and said “it’s like a text.”  Holy crap!  How does she know that???  I immediately picked up my phone to text M-Daddy about that (because, of course, we were texting all through the game). He said that maybe she was fishing to see if I was sexting with my “boy toy,” but I was convinced that she probably didn’t even know what a sext was (she probably just heard the word on the news).  Later that night, I mentioned to her that I was impressed that she knew what a sext was, and this was her response…

“Yes, a sext is like a sexton, you know, at church.”

Oh. My. God.

OK, so I was right… my straight-laced, doe-eyed, good Catholic mother did NOT know what a sext was.  Naturally, for the next few days, every time she asked me a question, I answered her with “it’s just like a sext.”  I really hope she doesn’t find out what it actually is… she may start to ask questions about my endless texting marathons with M-Daddy (tee hee).

So, tomorrow marks the start of my last two weeks in San Francisco.  It’s going by fast – especially since I’ve still got packing to do and I’m absolutely crazy at work with two big projects that are due before I leave.  I guess flirty texts will have to hold me over until I actually get there and I’m able to give my sexy Honey Badger a big hug and kiss.  :)