Catch Up #2

Yeah, I know that I said that I would be better with this. But whoo boy. . .what a month! I can't believe that January has gone poof so quickly. It's all Mike's fault. lol No, no, I can't completely blame him. I share some of it. But most of what has gone on over the past month has Mike at the center of it and I just didn't feel right about posting it out here. However, after him saying to me yesterday that I hadn't written in a long time and me giving him that explanation, he has told me that he doesn't care if I write about the stuff here. But just so you know, I am going to be somewhat using a filter on details. Keyword: somewhat. Mike thinks that my posting and him answering could be fun. Just look at the "Addiction" entry and then the responses and you'll see what I mean. And I took that permission to heart and showed that entry to my English students today because we were talking about psychology, etc. lol Let the fun begin!

I may break this up into multiple entries because I think that this may get too long otherwise. I'll do it in week spurts which means that there will be 4 new entries with this being the first. I will write and submit the others over the course of the next few days with any new stuff at the beginning of the entry. K? Sounds like a plan to me. So here goes:

Weekend of January 7th and 8th: I don't think that Saturdays (except for this past one and the upcoming one -- you'll see why later) are all that interesting because I teach in the morning and work at the store in afternoon. So, unless something cool happens at either place, those are downtime days. Now, Sundays are a different matter altogether because neither Mike nor I have to work then. That means I figure Friday nights and Sundays are designated Mike times. Any other times we get together are gravy.

Having said that, the 7th was a special Saturday because I had suggested to Mike that he stay over at my place because I only live 5 minutes from his church (and 15 from his work. . .how weird is that?) and he lives on the opposite end of town (read: 45 minutes away). I had insisted on going to church with him for 2 reasons: 1) was feeling the urge to go to church and 2) I could meet a good chunk of his friends. Him staying over seemed like a good and convenient idea to me. So, he met me after work was done and, if I remember correctly, went to IHOP with Jonathan for some late food. When we got back to my place, we just snuggled on the couch and he fell asleep with his head in my lap. It was REALLY late and I was tired. I managed to get up without him waking fully. I put a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket before going to bed.

The morning came quickly but I was hyped up with nerves over meeting his friends. After all, these are people he's known all of his life and I was going to come as something of a surprise. I can't remember exactly how but at some point Mike and I were laying on my bed cuddled up next to me and not in the least hurry to get up. But I was not about to be distracted by a yummy makeout session. Whew. Eventually I made him take a shower while I made breakfast. And it was so nice and comfy. Now, any of you who know me and my morning habits know that I am so not a morning person. I am usually grumpy and antisocial. But this was different. It just felt right and flowed well. I have NEVER had that with anyone. The closest I've ever come to a civil morning routine has been with Valerie or Laurent & Natalie. But even that didn't feel as comfortable as this. We didn't need to talk to each other, just move together in synchronicity.

I chose to wear a skirt and nice sweater. Wasn't sure what people would be wearing but I wanted to look nice. We actually got to the church a little after the minister had started his early morning litany of hellos and prayer requests to the congregation. Now, Mike grew up Methodist and I grew up Lutheran which, while both Protestant, are pretty different in their services. So, I felt a little awkward walking in the middle of something but it was ok. Well, ok until the minister said, "It's good to have Mike with us here today and I see that he brought a pretty young lady with him." Given Mike's wallflower claims, I would have thought that he would blush harder than he did. lol I found it amusing that the stained glass window next to us was dedicated to "Jerry Butler." lol The service was interesting. A little more political than I would have expected but very informative.

We did endure curious glances and stuff but no one made me feel awkward about being there. In fact, just the opposite. His friends just accepted it as a fact and let me slide right into the group. They are very nice and have great senses of humor. They did pick on Mike a little for not telling them about me but one of the women said that she had suspected something. I just knew that saying I was an "annoying bookseller who was dragging him all over the place wasn't much of a smoke screen.

All of us went for Japanese for lunch. The same woman I mentioned above and I exchanged emails so that we can plot Mike's birthday. hehe That should be fun. Oh, nothing over the top. I promised him that I wouldn't have singing waiters involved if he did likewise for me. So, none of that. The day was really nice so we decided to take a walk down by the canal. I didn't know it was a five mile walk but that was ok. My foot managed to hold up all right. It was nice and relaxing. There were times when we didn't have to say anything. Mike actually talked a lot and that was cool. Near the end of the walk we just stood and looked at the water. It was very idyllic. I was a little sad because every moment I was feeling closer to him than any man before but it was shadowed by the past. He even carved our initials into something and that gesture was just so sweet I had tears in my eyes. Yes, I can be a mushball sometimes.

And this is where I will leave you for now because I have some grading that must get done.