I Have An Annoucment to Make

I'm not the type of person to declare on facebook, but I think well...Patrick and I...we are dating. Each other. And we aren't dating anyone else. How did that happen? I'm not sure exactly. We have been spending lots of time together and I talk to him every day. He is wiggling his way into my life and I like it.

It's funny because the whole recycling thing is still a bit odd for me. We talked about our first attempt at dating and there was some misunderstanding on both sides. He did tell me something that made me smile though. As you may or may not remember, we first met at a fireside that I was in charge of. The fireside where I first met Henry. Someone took a picture of the two of us together. It got put on facebook. Well, one of his friends, Steve, who I met at Institute tagged Patrick. He apparently decided to come to Institute after seeing the picture. He showed up late because he got lost and had to go to the local library to google the church building. He told me the only reason he came was to see me again. Cute, right? I think so.

I still have some reservations about Patrick - he is younger than I am and hasn't ever been married. I think that my life is a bit much for anyone to step into. The three kids and Ned. Right now I think we are just both open to seeing where this goes.

He is going to run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon with Laverne and I in June. It should be a fun trip - with Chuck, Rick, Laverne, Shirley and Patrick. We will be gone for five days. Going on vacation really gives you a sense of who people really are. Laverne and I travel really well together. We have a loose schedule that we have in mind and are both flexible if something happens and plans change a little. I am really looking forward to seeing all my old friends and getting feedback on what everyone thinks of Patrick. I'll keep you posted.

Shirley

Follow Up

I've talked to Patrick since the latest debacle and he has taken every opportunity to bring up the "Love You"  comment. First, it was hey Shirley - I love...your shirt. Then on he sent me this little video and I had to share. Yep...I know. At least he is having a good time with this. I seriously am glad that I can laugh about it.

Marinating in Embarrassment!

Why the title? Keep reading - it's a wicked, wicked awesome humilating story that, unfortunately is all true...Last night, Patrick came over to play games and just hang out. Well, it got late (I think this is why my mother warned me that nothing good happens after midnight) and I was fading fast, so tired, and a little loopy for some reason. It may have been because I didn't leave my house all day and was a little stir crazy.

As we were standing at the door saying good-bye, I gave him a hug and as I was pulling away - wait for it...said...good-bye...I love you.
WHAT? I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!!! .

Oh no! I didn't know what to do after, so instead of laughing about it and making it not a big deal and clarifying - I sort of slammed the door in his face. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. There was a moment of sheer awkwardness when we pulled away. Again, instead of correcting right then and there (which, Patrick is the kind of guy that would totally understand) I let it marinate overnight and into the morning. I marinated in awkward, embarrassment all night long! I am totally laughing at myself today. And I know that I DO NOT love him. Nor, would I say I love you to anyone I wasn't seriously put a ring on my finger for time and all eternity dating. Since we aren't dating seriously - I can't believe that I said it. Although in my defense - haven't you ever ended a call or conversation with a friend, telemarketer, sales person what ever with I love you or accidentally called someone "honey" or "babe" or other term of endearment that you usually reserve for your husband, boyfriend, kids. I know I have - just not with the same degree of horrifying, embarrassing, uncomfortable, hilarious results! 

After I woke up this morning, I honestly didn't know how to address the situation - I thought a direct phone call would be best - but I am a huge wimp! I sent a text message instead explaining that I didn't mean it and that it just sort of slipped out. I tried to explain the above saying it that I tell my kids all day long that I love them and especially every time they leave the house. Anyway...Patrick being the good sport and awesome guy he is sent a text back that said - I don't accept your explanation. Keep squirming.

All I could think was "whew!" Thankfully he got it and hopefully we can joke about it. I have a feeling that this is going to haunt me and I will be teased about this for a while. Since we haven't really had any good stories lately - I guess I'm glad I could, once again, entertain you!

Shirley

Funny Timing

Cody and I are now friends on FaceBook. While checking out his pics (those boys in CA definitely enjoy a good bachelor life...I can see why there is no urgency to seriously date), I noticed a picture of him and Ben. After clicking on that, I ended up on Ben's page. One of the top posts was Ben "checking in" at Peter's Place the Sunday night we were there (Peter's Place is their friend's house). Those of you who use this application know you can tag friends who are also with you. Ben did this, listing Cody as one of the guys hanging out with him.

Why is this significant?

Donald's call was to Cody on Sunday night.

How does this affect me?

Well, I can only imagine the conversation these guys had after Cody received the call, since both Ben and Peter received the same call almost a year before. Awkward? Desperate Looking? Lucky Him? Tag, You're it? Lottery Winner? I'm not sure what was discussed, if anything, but kind of funny to consider. I may be giving it too much credit (they may not have even thought it significant to discuss). However, I do know that the restaurant we went to was a recommend by Peter, which can only mean it was discussed at some point, however brief.

To Cody's credit, whatever was said (hopefully all good), it didn't stop him from calling and going out Friday. I guess I'll just leave it at that. And accept the fact that "awkward" really is my middle name.

Laverne

California Adventure - 2011

Shirley and I braved a Disney trip last week all on our own. Just picture 1 car, 2 moms, and 5 kids loaded for a week in the CA sun! Needless to say, we made it. And we had a blast doing it. There were the expected child challenges (see family blogs for details), but we had a great time proving to ourselves we could do it and would not let circumstances slow us down. We're already talking about the next "family" trip! Oh, and should I admit we stopped for frozen yogurt daily? Sometimes twice a day?

Visiting CA also gave us the opportunity to visit with Donald & Ivana. We love catching up with them, sharing the latest stories, and being introduced to more great guys from their mid-singles ward. Sunday we attended church with them and had a chance to visit with Josh, Ben and a few other familiar faces from last year. I actually ran into Ben in Dec (he was in UT visiting family and attended the mid-singles ward we also attended that week), and as before, he was very friendly and gave me a big hug. There are no expectations there, but I'll still admit he has a great smile.

Josh actually sat with us and helped referee kids on Sunday. He also came to Disneyland during one of our visits that week. He is great with the kids (very similar to Rick, Roger & Chuck) and we really enjoy having him around. Unfortunately, he is not someone either of us is interested in beyond friendship. He is another topic Shirley and I have exhausted, but there is just something missing. He did show interest in Shirley last summer, but she quickly built the "friend box" around their conversations and he has been great about accepting things as they are. We've since enjoyed talking to him about his dates and have helped encouraged him as he works to meet and date new girls also.

Is it strange to have our little collection of "guy friends"? These relationships will obviously have to change if we remarry, but are they ok for now? Can we call this practice? Or, is it playing with fire? If we're all adults and communicate clearly, can we just enjoy our current situation without over analyzing? Are we (mom's with kids) a good influence on these guys who seemed too scared to make a move? Do I need those new red shoes on endless.com? All important questions Shirley and I keep asking ourselves.

The trip ended with a date. Yes, Donald & Ivana worked their magic again. Cody is someone they mentioned last year, but he was out of town during the conference. So, this year he gave Cody a call while we were visiting on Sunday and mentioned I was in town. I can only imagine how I'm described to these guys, but I wholeheartedly trust Donald to have this type of conversation. He mentioned that we would be able to get a sitter on Friday, and if he (Cody) was free, a night out with us might be fun.

As with last year, I am amazed at how great these CA guys are at responding to this type of situation. Cody told Donald that he would make Friday happen and that he would give me a call. He did just that, and we had a fun conversation planning for Friday. Things evolved once we realized a lot of people would be out of town for the holiday weekend, so it ended up being Cody and I doubling with Shirley and Josh. (Cody and Josh are friends who run in the same circles too.)

Cody was cute and had a great personality. We both work in the same profession so we had a lot of things in common there, and easily talked about all the usual topics you start with on a first date. He was a gentleman and paid for both my dinner (we ate at a really great seafood place on the peninsula) and yogurt. Is it funny that we ended up at Yogurtland? (Reminder: Yogurt date with Ben was at Yogurtland last year.) We weren't sure how this would be handled because Josh & Shirley weren't officially on a date, and we didn't want Josh to feel like he had to pay. To Josh's credit, he handled it just as a gentleman should and took care of Shirley too.

Overall it was a fun night and a great way to end the trip. Trying to "live with confidence" I decided I would just use an "open line" like we learned from The Dating Coach at the end of the night, and make the most of this practice situation. (Normally I go with the "awkward" approach, but decided to attempt "less awkward" this time.) 

When we got back to our hotel we all got out of the car to say good night. Cody then gave me a big hug, and actually lingered longer than expected. Without creating expectations, he said he had my number and I said he was welcome to use it the next time he was in UT (his parents and siblings live here). Not being sure how else to handle it, I figured positive and wide open was the best option.

Donald asked if there was any chemistry and I wasn't sure how to answer that. We were very comfortable with each other and definitely had a good time, but I can't say there were big fireworks. However, should there be? If we went out a second time and were alone (without our wingmen) would we have a more intimate conversation/experience? I don't know that he will ever call again, but if so, I would have to say yes and see how a second date fit with us. If not, he will be fun to see again next time we're in CA as another friend...and who knows? This networking thing definitely has its benefits too!

Laverne

Addendum to "Sold" post

One additional side note that is important to add - Ben's brother was at this event! 

I noticed a guy walk in who looked very familiar, but could not place him. He then left and I didn't think much more about it. Then, just as we were getting ready to leave, this guy walked back into the building and was talking to mutual friends. We were then introduced, and as soon as I heard his name, I just laughed. He actually looks a lot like Ben (a little taller, same hair style) which is why I found him familiar. Or, it may be because I have checked out some of Ben's FB pics once or twice, many which include his brothers. Who's to say?

It was fun to talk for a few minutes and I mentioned that I knew his younger brother. Ben's brother lives in the mid-west and just happened to be in town for a couple of weddings and came tonight to see friends who he had attended college with. What a small world.

Laverne

Sold...to the Highest Bidder!

Laverne and I have been...well a little MIA. I am on a boy break and Laverne is busy running her super successful advertising company. We were both asked to help out with a charity auction. We both thought it was not going to go very well. They were a little unorganized, but somehow it came together. The auctioneer really got the audience to think about the reason they were there and ended up raising quite a bit of money.

Part way through the auction our committee chair person came over and said to me the guys are upset that we aren't auctioning off a girl. Earlier in the night a guy was auctioned off - he volunteered. I told her to go ahead what a great idea. She looked at me and said - not me, you. Ahhh! Huh? Yeah. I don't think so. She persisted and made me feel bad by saying it's for charity. I know, I replied. Fine.

Great. I should have said no, but it was for charity and so up I went. I seriously was worried that people wouldn't bid. It was super embarrassing. There were three guys that were bidding seriously and then one dropped out and then it was just two - I was finally sold to the highest bidder. Guess who it was...wait for it...Patrick. Yep. That Patrick. I was grateful he was there to bid on me, but I realized that I don't have any residual feelings for him. Which is good. I know that we can be friends. I didn't get the feeling that he was doing anything other than being nice.

It was a fun night that ended up with Laverne and I going to a house party - we were late and missed the open mic part. We met some of Patrick's friends and then ending up at McDonald's hanging out in the parking lot. I know. McDonald's parking lot. We were there for so long that they turned the outside lights off on us. I think it might have been their way of saying GO HOME! or don't hang out in our parking lot.

Reading that back looks as strange as it was. Patrick and four other guys (one who was really cute and seemed kind of interesting, not that we'll ever see him again), and Laverne and I. Good odds for us. But really strange night.

Shirley