How I met my Prince Charming - Part III

This is the third post in a series. To catch up, read here first and then here.

So, I'm sitting there, trying to answer his questions when I realize that I'm slurring a bit. I wondered, does he notice? I began to get that feeling of am I really opening my eyes as big as it feels? I'm wondering just how dilated are my pupils (you know, Sudafed does that!) And then thoughts run through my head . . . Should I explain myself? Should I tell him I'm hyped up on Sudafed and wine? And how I tried to avoid this date, but Robin MADE me come! Nnnaaahhh! It can't be that bad, right?

So, we ordered our food. He ordered an appetizer of raw oysters on the half shell (eewww!) and I ordered sushi rolls. And then he proceeded to ask me if I liked raw oysters. Under my breath . . . disgusting! How can anybody eat that stuff. It's slimy, gooey, kind of snot feeling . . . so I answer him with all honesty (ok, not all) and say that I occassionally have one or two (NEVER!NEVER!NEVER!). And here is why lying is not such a good thing . . . he slapped one of those oyster thingys on a cracker, topped it with tobasco sauce and handed it to me. Huh? What? I'm supposed to eat this thing? Eeeww! Eeeew! Eeeeww!!!! So, I collect myself - trying hard not to gag, and just decided to swallow that thing whole. Oh my gosh -- I almost barfed (barfed --- I love that word. Remember middle school!)

I'm not sure why I bothered to order sushi rolls. I was completely self conscious about my skills with chop sticks, so I really didn't eat much. What a waste of good sushi!

So, after about an hour or so, Robin and I excused ourselves to the bathroom for a little girl talk -- ya know - the mid date update! So, I commenced to telling her that I was wwwwaaaayyyy impressed. I asked her if she noticed the slurs and she said she did not. I looked at myself in the mirror and surprise - pupils were not as dilated as I thought! Whew! So, it looked as if everything was going well. So, with a big thumbs up, we returned to our seats at the table. We began a little small talk and mere moments later, Robin stands up with her husband and says something like . . . we need to get home, have early morning something 'er other, calling it a night. So, I stand up to gather my things, thinking this is the end of the date when all of the sudden Prince Charming chimes in and said that he completely understands and then he looked at me and said that he would very much like for me to stay and we could sit and talk for a while -- get to know each other. And also that he had been speaking with one of his friends who just happened to be to be at the local pizza joint and he was hoping that we could go over there and meet him. Wow! He's in love! He wants to marry me! I knew it!! Ok, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic over here! But, I did take his comments as a good sign that things were going well. So, the boring part . . . we sat and talked . . . blah, blah, blah . . . skip this part . . . and then went to the pizza joint. We joined his friend, Phil and talked some more . . . blah! blah! blah! And then we made the preverbial mistake of bringing up politics and religion. Definite date killer, right? Well, Prince Charming's friend is a little (just a touch) more liberal than me (considering I'm not liberal at all -extremely conservative in case you're wondering. I know! Who would have thunk it!). I'm never quite sure of his actual stance on certain issues because he likes to play the "devil's advocate". Well, apparently, he chose this night to do the same. So, after I completely ripped his friend a new one on several issues such as abortion and gay marriage, I excused myself to the restroom.

Standing there, I thought well, you might as well call this date over. I was too passionate in the discussion and I've completely freaked him out. Man, why can't I control my tongue. Oh yes, we'll blame it on the Sudafed and wine (which, in all honesty, has probably worn off by now)

So, I returned to the two stunned guys at the table (actually, they didn't looked stuneed at all) and in short order, Prince Charming decided that it was getting late and he needed to get me back to my car. Oh no! The dreaded end of the date awkward moment . . . do we shake hands? do we hug? what about a small kiss on the cheek? is he going to lean in for a real kiss? and if he does, what do I do?

We drove back to my car in mostly ackward silence. He got out of the truck and came around and opened my door (what a gentleman!). I stepped away from the vehicle, he shut the door and then he began the good night speech. It went something like this . . .

Prince Charming: "Well, I had a great time. I'm so glad Robin introduced us. Maybe I could get your number and we could do this again sometime."

Me: "Absolutely. Here, I'll write my number down."

Prince Charming: "My schedule is pretty busy for the next couple of weeks. I've got training in Atlanta and a lot going on. So, I'm not sure I'll be in town. But, when I get back, I'll give you a call. Does that sound ok?"

Me: (does that sound ok . . .trying not to show a disappointed face because it really sounds as if he's giving me some kind of line . . . yeah, sure, you're gonna call --- NOT!) "Oh yes, that sounds fine!"

So, we hug, wish each other a good night and part ways.

Oh man, I can still feel that feeling I had when I climbed into my car. What a night of emotions! I went from not wanting to meet this guy, to thinking he was absolutely too good to be true, to thinking that I was a catch and he really thought this date was going well, to I'll probably never see him again. So, I did what any single Christian girl would do . . . I prayed.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for sending this guy into my life. Thank you for restoring my faith in your power and your plan. Lord, I'm not sure why this happened but, if it be your will, please let me see this rockin' gorgeous guy again (what? you don't think the Lord has a sense of humor?)Amen. Ok, maybe that wasn't the exact prayer - but it went something like that.
Tune in tomorrow for . . . Will he call? and Dating advice from friends.

To my friend and fellow blogger Megan at Fried Okra, thanks for reading and commenting. I really would have like to have told a more exciting story. If other readers want to know what I'm talking about, go to the comments section on "How I Met My Prince Charming Part II" and read her comment -- she's hilarious! Oh, and pop over to her blog if you get a chance.

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Well, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the next episode of "How I Met My Prince Charming!" I had a slight little accident. Actually, it was more like an act of stupidity that had some devastating consequences. I decided that I was going to climb on top of our office chair (yes, the kind that swivels and rolls) and I fell. Ok, really more like . . . I'm standing a top the chair, it decided to twist right and unfortunately, my body decided to twist left. I began to fall, my right side rib and back area landing on the cabinet door that just happened to be open, knocking my head on the bassinet that should have been put away months ago since Baby Lulu has been sleeping in her crib since 6 weeks of age (boy, what a sentence! For all you grammar buffs, you'll have to excuse me -- remember, I did have a blow to the head!) Nevertheless, I finally landed on the floor on my left shoulder. I laid there for atleast 15 minutes, waiting on Hubby to get home and help me up. My right side feels like I may have bruised a rib. My left shoulder/arm is really sore and has been throbbing ever since. I told my hubby, I felt like one of those cartoon characters - I felt myself falling and bouncing off things and wondering when I was going to stop.

And that kids, is why we don't climb on furniture!

Needless to say, it's pretty difficult typing right now, so I'll have to post tomorrow -- sorry, I know you are sitting on the edge of your seats just waiting to read my blog (hehehe)!

How I met my Prince Charming - Part II

This post is the second in a series. To read the first post, click here.

So, the date was set. For two whole weeks, the anxiety of meeting some strange guy I'd never seen, much less spoken to, almost got the best of me.

The day of the date finally arrived. I was nervous, anxious, scared and to top it all off, feeling as if I was coming down with a sinus infection. So, I took myself a good 'ole helping of Sudafed and layed down nap. When I woke up from my nap, I was still feeling a little drowsy (Sudafed always does that to me.) I was tired, irritable, stuffy and thinking that I really wanted to cancel this date. So, I called Robin and asked if maybe I could cancel. I mean, after all, I didn't know this guy! It's not like I'm really standing up a friend or something. But, she responded with,

"Absolutely not! You get yourself up! You get dressed! And you get over to the restaurant! We'll be there when you get there. Oh, and Summer, I will come and get you if you don't show up!"

So, I thought about it. . . how bad can the date be? how long can this take? I'll just take another dose of Sudafed and hopefully I can cut out of the date early.

I got dressed and ready to go. I was wearing a black slinky shirt (I love black slinky things -- shirts, skirts, dresses, whatever!)with beige colored slacks (does anyone still call pants slacks?) and of course, some little strappy black sandals.

I arrived at the restaurant and sat down with my friends. He had not arrived yet, so Robin and I began to talk. I told her how nervous I was and how it had been so long since I had been on a real date. She suggested that I order a glass of wine to calm my nerves. So, I agreed and ordered a glass of Chardonnay (my fav!). I sipped, we talked. He called and said he would be arriving at the restaurant in about 5 minutes. My nervousness spiked. My heart began to race and it felt like my stomach was doing flip flops. I no longer sipped the wine, but decided to chug it (not very lady like, I know!) all the while forgetting that I had taken a dose of Sudafed just a couple of hours prior.

Sitting, nervously awaiting, I kept watching stranger after stranger enter the resturant.

Me: "Is that him?"

Robin: "No. Stop looking out there, he'll be here in a minute."

Her minute and his five felt like an eternity. Finally, she said,

Robin: "Don't look now, but he's walking through the door."

As he approached our table, I looked up and saw (no lie) the most handsome man I had ever seen. I literally thought that I was going to fall right off my seat. I could barely mutter my name--I was completely in awe of this fine specimen that stood there in front of me. As he greeted me and then the others at the table, I wondered if noticed my jaw dropping stare. I wanted to stop looking, but I couldn't. I began to think back to the picture in the email that Robin sent . . . was this guy in that picture? Surely not! I can't remember anyone in the picture looking that good! As I drifted back to reality, everyone at the table was engaged in a conversation. What were they talking about? I didn't have a clue. I was still in shock. He looked my way and began to speak to me. He asked me a question and it was, at about this point, I began to feel the effects of my Sudafed and wine mixture . . .


Come back tomorrow! You will not want to miss it!

Apologies

I sincerely apologize to those readers who are looking for the follow up to "How I Met My Prince Charming."

I've been reluctant to post that I've been out of town. We are driving home today and tomorrow. I will post the follow up as soon as I get home. Please, please continue to come back -- it's a great story -- best one of my life!

Thanks for your patience!

How I met my Prince Charming

Well, with the encouragement of other bloggers (mostly Fried Okra), I've decided to tell y'all how I met my sweet husband.

It was December 2003. I was living it up at the Christmas party hosted by my employer. I was dressed in my fanciest, slinkiest little black dress. My coworker, Brenda, and I had decided that we would attend the party as each other's date. We were both sick of the whole dating scene and just wanted a night of fun! I absolutely HATED going on dates. And when I say HATED, I mean loathed! To me,dating was awkward . . .uncomfortable . . . stressful . . . you know what I'm talking about! So, she and I arrived at the party and had our picture taken together. We danced, we ate, we had a glass of wine . . . or two . . . maybe even three. It was so much fun. We talked with coworkers and friends and laughed at each other's stories. We made our rounds from table to table until we settled down at a pub table with my friend, Robin, her husband and two other coworkers. I absolutely adore Robin. To me, she seemed to "have it all together!" She's in her mid 40's (I think) but lived like she was in her 20's. She's hip, cute and fun! It's impossible to be around her and her husband without having a great time.

I sat down next to Robin and began to speak about life in general . . . how's life? how's work? you seeing anyone? why not? So, I began telling her how much I hated to date. This is how our conversation went:

Robin: "Are you seeing anyone?"

Me: "No. I hate dating!"

Robin: "You hate dating?"

Me: "Yes . . . I HHHAAATTTTEEE dating!"

Robin: "Well, I know someone that you need to meet. He's great . . ."

Me: cutting her off before she finishes "Absolutely not! No blind dates for me! Didn't you hear me, I hate dating!"

Robin: "But this guy is different. He has a lot of the same interests that you have, he's handsome and he's available. You want me to set you up?"

Me: "You do it and you die!"

Robin: "Well, how are you ever going to find someone if you don't date?"

Me: "Mr. Right will find me . . . trust me, he'll find me."

Next month, about the same time we had a similar conversation:

Robin: "Hey, you remember that guy I mentioned a month ago . . . well, he'll be back in town this month. How 'bout I set you guys up for dinner!"

Me: "Absolutely not! I told you before, I'm not interested!"

Robin: "He's a great guy - you REALLY need to meet him."

Me: "I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I'm not interested."

And again, the next month, approximately the same time (did I mention that she's very persistent):

Robin: "Hey, you remember that guy I keep mentioning that you need to meet -- well, he is in town and looking at purchasing a motorcycle. You like motorcycles, don't you? Perfect, huh? I'll set you two up for dinner and you can talk about motorcycles. And as an added bonus, I'm sending you a picture. There are five guys in the picture and he's one of them." (I think she said this all in one breath as to not give me time to cut her off again!)

Me: "Ok, wait a minute! Let me look at this picture. Ok, so which guy is he?"

Robin: "I'm not telling you! You'll just have to show up and find out. So are we on?"

Me: "Ok, if I agree to do this it will be on my terms. Rule #1: It's a group date with you and your husband. Rule #2: At no time will I be left alone with this guy. Rule #3: You must never ask me to do this blind date thing again!"

So, she agreed and set me up for this blind date.

Scenes from tomorrow's episode : Meeting Prince Charming for the first time, Sudafed and wine do not mix, What kind of impression did he make?

The Golden Rule

I attended church this morning and had a revelation (no pun intended). The pastor was speaking of the golden rule:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Luke 6:31

He went on to explain that many times, we interpret it as "Don't do things unto others that you wouldn't want done unto you." Oh my gosh - he's right. So many times, that is exactly the way I've interpreted that verse. I can remember as a child saying something mean to my brothers and my parents scolded me by saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And essentially, what they were saying is "If you don't want your brothers to say mean things to you, you shouldn't say mean things to them."

I'm 30 years old and just now realizing that God is commanding us to "DO" nice things unto others! Hello? You'd think that was absolutely clear. But for some reason, I just got it!

So . . .
DO say nice things to others.
DO love your neighbor.
DO make dinner for a friend.
DO take time to write a nice note to a friend.
DO forgive.
DO hold the door for someone in a public place.
DO say excuse me when walking in front of someone.

Random acts of kindness . . . it takes just a second. It's what we are commanded to do!