Party Animal # 36

In my efforts to stay independent and not ruin my budding relationship as a result of too much dependency, I recently spent a Friday night out party hoping on the town. I had several invites that night so a friend and I decided to make a night of it and see how many we could crash. By the time we drove down to Utah Valley and back up to Salt Lake however, we only made it to two. The second one of these awesome parties happened to me a house concert with several people in attendance not too far from my age. 

Upon my arrival at Party #2 I noticed that the place was packed! With my friends who accompanied me, I set out to find a spot on the crowed floor just below the performance area. Between acts we snuck in and ended up near the friend who had initially invited me. Soon after, a very good looking man came in and was slightly put out that we had taken his spot. We quickly became friends however and realized that he was just a little sarcastic, that’s all. 

We laughed our way through the rest of the night and said goodbye when all was said and done. At one point in the night however, I was showing him some pictures on my phone that I had copied from Facebook. He wanted me to send him one particular one…so I did. The guy friend who came with me thought that that was a convenient way to get my number. I thought he was into my other friend. Either way, he didn’t mention anything about it so we parted and that was that.

Party night was a week ago. Today is another Friday. This morning Mr. Party Animal texted me. He gave his name and explained that we had met at last weekend’s party. I remembered him of course. Anyway, he said he met me and my friend Jordan and asked if he could have her number. That is not my friend’s name though. That is also not my name. Sooo…I said, “Jordan…or Lisa (alias name of course)…or did you mean someone else altogether?” He responded by saying, “I swear her name was Jordan. She was sitting next to you. She’s a school teacher and 32 I believe. Is her name Lisa? I feel dumb if it is. :-)” So I said, “Haha…I’m the 32 year old school teacher. :) My friend’s name is Lisa…the 24 year old that was there with her brother. Don’t feel dumb!” And then he replied, “Haha that’s hilarious. I’m sorry. Well, now you know I want to get your number and ask you out. :-) I assured him that there was nothing to worry about, we laughed a little, and then he said, “Yes, you look like a Jordan. :-) So I thought you seemed like a fun girl and, if you’re interested, I’d like to call and ask you out sometime…” I let him know that I would like that but that I am leaving for Europe on Tuesday and won’t be back for 3 ½ weeks. So, we finally ended up planning on something for tonight. 

He picked me up at my house right on time and we set out on our adventure. He was in shorts and a tee-shirt and flip flops. I looked pretty dang HOT if I say so myself but I felt slightly over dressed for him. I kind of hate it when guys wear shorts on a date. Anyway though, we headed downtown to the Pie Pizzaria because that’s what he was in the mood for. That didn’t bother me…it was delicious! We seemed to chat all the way there and through dinner just fine! It kept me busy and not focused on Mr. Man who I was not with. We got along fine though. He is a good looking, fairly cool guy. At the same time, I think we are quite different. There is just something about him that I’m not really into but I can’t necessarily put my finger on it. I just didn’t feel like we really clicked at all, ya know? 

After dinner we decided to head over to temple square where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra were performing in the Conference Center for the Pioneer Day celebration concert. I had been invited by another friend but skipped out because of a miss communication and because of my date. Sooo….I was REALLY excited that I still got to go see it! We were WAY under dressed of course, but we immediately got tickets upon our arrival and they weren’t too shabby of seats either. We were down in the Plaza (floor level). We arrived just in time to find seats, get comfy, and for the show to begin. 

The concert did not disappoint. It featured guest artist Katherine Jenkins from Wales and Dancing with the Stars. She’s got quite the voice! The whole performance was breathtaking as usual. As time wore on however, I began to miss my man. I wished it was him there with me. I realized for the millionth time this week, how much I am really starting to like him. But I will tell you about that shortly. 

After the concert, we quickly made our way back to his car where he was a gentleman and opened my door as he had all night. As we drove home, our conversation seemed to lack quite a bit more than it had earlier in the evening. I was just ready to be done. I tried and it was fine. He took me home, walked me up, gave me a hug, and left on his way. It was a good night. It really was. It was nice to be out doing something. I just don’t see us together and that is okay. 

As for a quick update on Mr. Man well….he is coming back to town!! Yes, he arrives on Sunday. I am ridiculously excited! Thank you to everyone who prayed for him…you know who you are!! Still, I must say that I am a little/lot sad! First, let me tell you why he is coming. Last Sunday I prayed extra hard for him. I prayed that his superiors at work would make a decision regarding his further training and that they would send him back here. I’ve also prayed all week that I would get to see him before I left on my trip. Well my friends, prayers ARE answered!! I do get to see him before I leave on my looooong trip. The sad part however, is that he will be here training for probably close to a month. I will be in Europe for most of that month. He will probably be done before I return. So, there is all this time wasted that I could have been with him but it just didn’t work out that way. I know that there is some reason….I don’t know what it is….but there is some reason it worked out this way. I’m grateful for the small moment I have with him before I go.

It’s been a great week! I’ve talked to Mr. Man almost every day and every day he has been delightful to talk to! I enjoy our conversations in many ways. We talk about the world and what is happening in it and I like that. We also laugh and are silly and I love that! The other day I was telling him about a taco that my friend had ordered the night before and I said that it was really good looking. He said, “you’re really good looking!” He is so cute that way…I love it! So, I may not be updating for awhile. I will be in London, Paris, Austria, and Budapest. Wish me luck and pray for my safety if you don’t mind. And let’s all pray that things work out positively with Mr. Man because I really think he is a keeper!! I hope so anyway…

Points for Him…And a Few for Me

Relax. That’s what I have to tell myself daily at this point. Why? Well, I’ve reached that point in the relationship where I start to analyze way too much and pretty much freak out over what we are or are not. But guess what….it doesn’t matter! Things are going well with Mr. Man for what they are and that’s all that matters. Last time, with the other pilot, I listened way too much to people around me. It turns out that other people actually do a lot more analyzing than I do and well, I’m a girl so that doesn’t help me out at all. It made me think way too much and ultimately ruin the relationship. At this point I am happy because I have no interest in him anymore at all and I am really grateful for the new pilot but I am determined not to over analyze this time around and to just let things be! And they are good!

So, it’s been over a week since I’ve seen the man in person and I am kind of dying a little inside but I am really grateful for the phone calls we have every few days or so. Last Thursday we both went to McDonalds for dinner and ordered the same thing. Cute huh! And yeah, I know, McDonalds is kinda gross. Still, it made me all happy inside as McDonalds should! Last night we talked for an hour and a half. He was driving home from the beach and I was sitting at home on my computer. He told me exactly where he was so I could look it up on Google Maps. And then I followed him home while he updated me every so often on where he was. I followed him all the way to his house. It was so cute! And fun. :)

We talked about a lot of things…we laughed…we cried…we planned. Haha…okay, we didn’t really cry but he did tell me that if I die he will be really mad. I guess that that’s a good sign…that at least he doesn’t he hate me enough to wish death upon me right? He wants me to live, whew! He also wants me to raise his puppy. That’s pretty close to kids! Okay, for some people anyway. We talked about how we know the things that the other person likes, as far as things we want. He laughed because he wants trees and puppies and I want guns and knives! We make a good pair! But he knows what kind of gun I want and I know what kind of tree and what kind of puppy he likes. He is impressed with my memory and my ability to pay attention and take note of these types of things…and I do!

As for the points well, those things certainly earned both of us points but it was later on in the conversation where I felt like he earned a good sum. You see, I have this super cute dress that I won on my friend’s coolest blog ever and I wore it to church yesterday. I always get compliments on it. When the man was here in town we shopped at City Creek and we looked at a lot of things that were orange. It is a common favorite between us. We saw a cute orange dress and I told him about the one that I have.

 He pretended not to believe me that I had one so yesterday I sent him a pic of me in my super cute dress from Shabby Apple. He liked it! We talked about it last night and I was telling him about how it was from Shabby Apple and he was like, “oh I love Shabby Apple! I bought my ex-girlfriend a dress from there…” So, points for him for knowing what that was, and for liking it and buying one for his girl at the time because they are kind of expensive! And points for me for having a super cute dress from there. Thanks Mariel! It was a good night. It left me smiling!

The Journey

Sometimes I’m pretty sure I have the best job in the world! Usually it’s during summer time when I don’t have to work that I have these thoughts. I get paid through the summer and I get a lot of free time to do whatever I please. Most of what I please includes traveling. Even without plans, it’s nice to know that I can just pick up and leave any time I want. That knowledge has been especially comforting since The Man swiftly left town, leaving hardly a trace behind. Yes it was a sad day but I knew my freedom would be coming soon….and possible a chance to follow close behind him.

That opportunity, as you know, came last week. Thursday morning I set out from Cedar City, Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada where my manly pilot awaited. Did I ever tell you that once he told me I could be his co-pilot? It was so cute! Anyway though, I set off to meet him once again and to see if we still had that little spark that began far away in Northern Utah…where the rest of the fires also remained. I went straight to his sister’s house where he was staying. I was greeted by both him and his mom. We went inside for a few minutes, I met the parents, and then we made a plan.

First on the agenda for the day: go look at investment properties with The Man and his dad. Now, you might think that this is boring, but I was actually kind of excited! I like looking at houses and also analyzing their potential! His dad is a quiet man but it was really fun to see them together, doing their thing, and just hanging out doing normal every day stuff. I was very comfortable and enjoyed myself! Back at the house afterward, I sat and chatted with him and his parents awhile. I REALLY like them!! His mom is super fantastic! Seriously, I just really felt a connection with her! I am soon headed on another big adventure to Europe and since this lucky family has lived all over the world and his dad served a mission in Paris, they told me all about the place and gave me great suggestions as to where I should go. I had a great time and I think that they really liked me too! That’s the vibe I was getting anyway so…yay!!!

Soon the man and I took off on our own and ate some lunch, browsed the local Best Buy, and went to a nearby casino for a movie. We watched, “Snow White and the Hunters.” It was…okay. He was really tired and was having a hard time staying awake but it was just nice to be near him and touching him, ya know? 

Afterward we went back to his sister’s house where we looked at the current edition of ‘Architectural Digest,” which I had brought on the trip with me. Turns out, he LOVES architecture and was really impressed that I am also a fan. I also played the piano for him and he was very complimentary. Soon his brother in law joined us and they chatted a little. Finally, his sister and her three girls arrived and he was excited to introduce me to them! His youngest niece has down syndrome and was SO cute! She came up and gave me a big hug right away and we bonded quickly! He was very good with her too. It was cute!!

My leaving the house was somewhat of an awkward ordeal as his sister and her husband were leaving at the same time. So, he gave me a good hug and then put me in my car where he finally leaned in and gave me a quick kiss…where they couldn’t see I guess. It was mid day and I think he felt awkward. I left wondering if I would see him again or not. The next day did not disappoint thankfully! Early in the morning I texted him and soon we were making plans for the day.

Day two was also a success. We first set out for food and hit up the local Jason’s Deli. It was delicious and exactly what I needed at the time. We chatted easily and enjoyed our food. Then we headed to a nearby pet store to look at the puppies! They were so cute!! I’m not really an animal person though.. . He on the other hand, would like a dog. It was fun to look with him! He showed me some cool new buildings around town and was excited that he could and that he could also talk to me about them since I also liked that sort of thing. As a result, we ended up at the Las Vegas Design Center. It is a group of huge buildings filled with designer’s show rooms where some sell to personal buyers and other to only buyers hired by big name stores like Nieman Marcus. It was pretty fascinating. We spent hours there wandering through several shows and picking out pieces that we liked. Again it was interesting to compare our styles which are honestly quite similar….at least I thought so. There were a few things we didn’t agree on but for the most part, we liked a lot of the same things. 

We ended the day with a tour down the strip. I grew up there but it’s been a few years since I took myself down that way. It was fun to see what was new, what was gone, and the carcasses of bankrupt buildings stopped mid progress. He enjoyed showing me I think and I enjoyed being back there. We chatted and then finally headed back to his sister’s place where he said goodbye to me and then packed up to head back to Cali. 

I’ve talked to him a couple of times since I returned on Saturday but it’s kind of hard not knowing when I will see him again. Today we had a great conversation and it was so fun to talk to him! I REALLY like the guy dang it!! I’m not really sure what to do about that other than just see how it plays out I guess. His job is still a little up in the air and he is worried about that I can tell. As for me, I will be leaving the country soon. I do hope to see him again before I go. I think that things will work out eventually but I also think that it’s going to take some time of course. It’s only been a month since I met him in person anyway. But whatever happens…I really hope it’s good…and in both of our favors!

Chasing Boys

Time for an update? Okay. Well, Mr. Man was here in town for about 2 ½ weeks when he got sent back to California. It was a great couple of weeks! We hung out almost every day and were just starting to get into a good groove. The Saturday before he left he took me to dinner at The Roof restaurant in the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building downtown. Wow, it was fancy! It was also delicious! We doubled with one of his co-workers and his wife. It was fun to meet some of his friends since he had met a group of mine the night before. It went really well I think! I was a little shy but that’s okay. 

 As for the dinner, it was super expensive! I am not usually one to require men to spend a lot of money on me but I’ve got to say, it made me feel special knowing that he felt like I was worth it! After dinner we all took a carriage ride. I felt like such a princess! Then we all walked around the new mall downtown, City Creek. It was really fun shopping with him! You actually learn a lot about a person that way and we seem to have similar tastes in most things. Also, I enjoyed walking around holding his hand or him with his hand on my back. When we were watching the fountain from above, waiting for the cool fire show they do, he snuck in a little kiss. It was definitely one of my favorite nights with him!

A few short days later he was heading back home and I was devastated! So was he! It actually came as a shock and surprise to both of us so we didn’t talk about us at all other than the fact that he said he hoped he would see me again sometime and I emphatically agreed! So, we resolved that we WOULD see each other again! We have kept in touch and talked almost every day since. He left exactly one week ago today. I really miss him! Turns out, I really like the guy! So, here I am in Southern Utah, heading down to meet him in Vegas tomorrow. I don’t know how long he or I will be there…it may just be a very brief encounter…but at least I will get to see his face!  And to kiss it!

Last night as we talked on the phone for quite some time, he told me that his friends liked me. Apparently they liked me better than any of his other girlfriends. Haha. I guess they only met one but still… It was nice to hear. He was also elated to find out that my friends liked him, and that they thought we were a good match. He told me once that he thought I was too pretty for him. He’s good like that! So, I have no idea what I am doing but right now, I’m stickin to it! I’m chasing him around the country and I guess we will just see what happens. Okay, I’m not really chasing him around but this trip just happened to work out for both of us. I really have no idea what will happen. It seems so unlikely that it could work out but I guess you can always hope right? I would like it to….at least for now.