It's Still the Darndest Thing

Being the cyber investigator (fine, call it stalker if you wish, but if the information is out there, I'm just researching) that I am, I inquired of the young man's last name from my friends the next evening, looked him up on Myspace and sent a short, yet funny, note to say hello and try to get a conversation started. We ended up exchanging quite a few messages over the next few days.

While walking the next week, Emily met a comment I made about the boy with the response "I'm not supposed to say anything because Kent and I discussed it and decided we were going to let everything happen organically." Which, translated meant "Justin asked about you at work earlier and since I knew you were interested we decided that if you two hook up, it's going to be because you all want to, not because we're pushing for it." Fair enough.

I spent the next month of my newly independent, doing things all by myself, not looking for another relationship life fighting with myself over this boy. On paper, he was everything that I had ever said I wanted in a man, and in the flesh was the epitome of what a perfect balance to me would be. I was afraid that I wasn't ready, that I hadn't lived out my freedom to it's fullest, all the while envisioning all the long nights we could have together just talking and laughing and maybe cuddling or something. I was on the edge of telling him that I was silly for waiting, that he was really all I wanted when I received flowers for Valentine's Day. A complete surprise, and at work nonetheless. I'd never been sent flowers before, and he wasn't even my boyfriend yet.

Two days later, he took me and one of my friends out to Saddle Ridge for drinks and some dancing and after staying out there with me on the dance floor for most of the night, I asked him if he would be my "boo bear" and he laughed and said yes. It was going to be the first day of the rest of my life (although I did lose my phone at the club that night, I still consider it a pretty much win-win situation).

Our first picture together! (personal photo)

Since then, I've really thought a lot about what I've always heard people say. It's when you're truly comfortable and in love with yourself, living life how you want it to be that you finally stumble across that one shining star that's been out there all along. Here's to the many years I'll have with him to always feel blessed that we met. And of course, here's to giving my first born to Emily and Kent for technically being the "middlemen" that brought us together.