Will you marry me?

Today was an exciting day for me. My boyfriend and I were planning on dinner and a movie. Preparing for the date, and the time before the date was difficult with my parents. They decided that they were going to make a fuss about the fact that we already had plans and didn't want to change them at the last minute so that my boyfriend could have dinner with my family. To me it seemed very difficult because there was no menu, it was a last minute decision, and the fact that my boyfriend and I had plans and reservations meant nothing to them.

My boyfriend came over in his trusty chick-magnet to pick me up. We had the t-tops out and headed to the Macaroni Grill. Every time we go there I remember the first time we met. As we were eating dinner I was reminiscing about which table we ate at the first time we at together. We were laughing and talking about how we almost didn't meet (he almost left because I was 3 minutes late - I went into the wrong parking lot), how we felt (both were nervous), and how we have been together almost every week, almost every day we have talked together since we met.

After dinner my boyfriend said he needed to use the restroom and that I could wait outside for him. I almost didn't until I got a little chilly. So outside I went, to the same parkbench where we had talked for a couple of hours the first night we met. A couple of minutes later, after trying to figure out which side of the bench to sit on, how to make my skirt look pretty, and just watching the breeze through the tree leaves, he came outside. I didn't know he was approaching until I saw him in my periphial vision, down on one knee. "Miss A**** R**** C******, will you marry me?" My mind was in slow motion and overtime at the same instant. There he was, sincere as everything, on bended knee, with a beautiful solitare diamond ring in a box. I said yes, but it was a speechless yes. He asked, was that a yes? I knodded, said yes, and tried not to cry or grin too much. As to how the ring went from the box to my finger I have no clue.

We sat outside on the park bench talking about how our lives had just changed, what our future plans will be, and just watching the sunset. In retrospect, if I had been looking for a proposal and more astute to what was occurring, I would have been prepared because he reached under his seat as we got out of the car. I thought it was his cell phone, it was a ring box. But aren't proposals suppose to be a surprise to the girl? This one was.

We skipped the movie, instead heading to the park. A few phone calls "I did it, she said yes!" "Guess what, D*** and I are engaged!" At the park we slowly sank back to reality. We had to tell my parents and we both knew that they would be 100% against our marriage. We decided that since we both were over 33 years old that we wanted to get married this year, preferrably in September or October, so that we could have children before we are too old. We decided that he should tell Mom and Dad that we are engaged, he said he would be to the point, state that we are getting married, and that we would like their blessing. To tell the truth, I wish that we could have kept it a secret until we were married, I don't like their lectures at all.

The ride to my home was one that both of us wish that we could have avoided. We went in and together told my parents that we were engaged. My fiance :) did the talking, I stood by his side and supported him. Dad looked disgusted, Mom looked livid. My brother, who was at home at the time, was nowhere to be found. Dad refused to give his blessing tonight. It seemed that there was nothing left to say, my parents gave both of us a very ackward time of silence. Poor darling fiance, he said "Well, I guess there is nothing else left to say. I guess I will be heading home." I walked him out to the front, we talked a bit and he went home.

After he left, I received a lecture from my parents. I would rather not dwell on that. It was quite painful.

Did I forget to mention . . .

Wow, today was fun. My boyfriend was working this morning on his second job, installing an alarm. I had no idea what time he would be finished, and since I start a new job on Monday I wanted to sort my closet so it would be more 'business-casual' instead of 'casual but sometimes business.' So somewhere in the middle of taking clothes out of my closet I received a phone call. He had finished his installation, fed the dogs, let the dogs out, relaxed a few minutes, and was ready to go out to eat. He gave me 20 minutes, I asked for 30, and I was soon getting dressed as fast as I could. Mom came upstairs and asked if I wanted salmon for supper, I told her that I wasn't going to be there. I thought I would have time to finish dressing and be able to talk with my parents before he came over. I was wrong. Five minutes later mom called me and asked if I knew my boyfriend was in the driveway, out of his car, talking with dad? No, I didn't know that. I went out and met him, and off we went.

We went dvr shopping, dog biscuit shopping, and then dropped by his house to be sure the dvr would work. Thirty minutes later it was hooked up, running, and we were off to O'Charleys. This is one of the few times we ever had a problem with our meal. I got a 'Thursday' sticker in my steamed veggies. The management was concerned, they gave us my meal free and a free desert. Yum. Hey, the sticker was kinda funny, not enough to get ruffled feathers about. I love the way my date handled it. He called the waiter over and calmly asked, "Do you see anything wrong with the vegetables?" Enough said.

Irish Pub Hopping

Tonight my boyfriend picked me up in his chick-magnet, then he and I went with a friend to another Atlanta Irish Pub, O'Terrill's. It was a beautiful night for eating out on the screened patio, and it was very calm and quiet outside. We were close to the Atlanta Civic Center and evidently there was an event occurring there, tons of foot traffic and minimum parking was available. The food was good. O'Terrill's claims that they have Atlanta's best fish and chips, may be inside Atlanta city limits but it was not the best local fish and chips I have had. But it was good and the portion was **huge** almost too much to eat! Company was great, food was good, and the restaurant atmosphere (at 8:30 pm) was quiet and peaceful, very good for conversation. Would we go back? May be, but there are better Irish pubs closer to home. And finding our way out of the labyrinth of Atlanta streets to a major expressway, now that is another story. . . . . .

After I got home my parents were razzing me and giving me a difficult time. I got the classic "You think more of your friends than you do your family" line. I also got another classic "You need to come down to the real world. If you were in an accident you would expect me to drop all I was doing so that I could take care of you and make life-changing decisions for you." That was a final straw right there. I told mom that she would want the same and that I would do it without even thinking about it or sizing up whether she owed me any favors before hand.

Chili's anyone?

Sunday was a great day, we went to church, listened to Andy Stanley talk about our direction in life and the difference between what we want and the path we are travelling. After the service we went out with our friends to Sweet Tomatoes, talked about dogs, cults, religion, and soon-to-be-born puppies.

I went home to work on my essay for History 1111, and submit it before Monday's deadline.

Sunday night my boyfriend, his co-worker / friend, and I went out for dinner at Chili's. They had been working on switching a motorcycle chain all afternoon and were ready for a break. I believe we all were famished because we had a double portion of chips, salsa and cheese dip. And we finished our burgers as well!

After Chili's we watched Bringing Up Baby and called it a night. A calm, simple, but delightful day with a great guy and friends.

The Wonderful Fox Theater

Sunday my handsome date and I went to church together. After church we went to Bahama Breeze with mutual friends and celebrated his birthday. Ok, it was a month ago but it has been a month since we saw them. It was a wonderful day for eating outside on the patio and enjoying good company. I even was brave enough to eat a shrimp, something I normally do not eat.

Later that day he came by in the chick-magnet to take me on a special treat. We saw The Sound of Music at the Fox Theater. It was great! It somewhat made me think of years gone by and how people reacted to movies. The Baroness would come on the screen and the audience hissed. The Captain tor the Nazi flag and people cheered. The Captain and Maria kissed and people cheered. The bad part was when Maria broke out in song people laughed a long time and started talking. A chuckle for the antiquary nature, but for goodness sake, don't ruin the movie!! Oh, and I saw my favorite part "Forgive us Mother for we have sinned"

After the movie we went to the Marietta Diner for a late late dinner and a slice of cake. Yum!!

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend started out great and ended great! And the middle was not bad either!!

Friday night we went to Cartersville to an Irish pub and listened to an Irish band. We had a great Irish dinner and wonderful music by Mickle a Do (they play at the Renaissance Fair in Atlanta). I had fish and chips, of course, and my boyfriend had bangers and mash. Yum! Unfortunately Irish Soda Bread was recently taken off the menu. It was a great night with a good band and an even better boyfriend.

Saturday we went to a car show then off to dinner and a movie. It was a camaro car show, and we saw the chick-magnet's competition. T-tops, convertibles and even a police car! It was a gmmb body (I think I got that right) and the bumper was a taunt "Here speeder, speeder, speeder." Dinner was at Johnny's Pizza, ok, again, but the pizza there is good! We seem to have the same conversation every time. What was the cheese sticks we ordered? Well, definately not the garlic bread. The movie theater was packed, we saw Pirates of the Caribbean III. It was good, there was even a little child dressed up like Jack Sparrow. CUTE!!

Sunday my boyfriend had been working hard on his surburban so we took it easy. We went to Buffalo's for dinner, had hamburgers and a hot brownie a la mode and went for a short ride. It was great, the t-tops were out, we went for a drive in the cool night air, just enjoying the scenery and the breeze.

Monday we went to Lowe's, Home Depot Expo, and had dinner with my parents at Cracker Barrel. That was somewhat of a suprise to both of us, but it was a nice dinner. Dad chimed in a lot, Mom every now and then. Both Dad and I got the look on a topic Mom started, but if she didn't want the topic, it shouldn't have been started. We parted on good terms, headed our separate ways, then we finished the night with Brandsmart, Sears, and a nice drive home. Both of us agreed that Brandsmart is not a good shopping environment, it is messy, noisy, and, well, messy and disorganized.

Vroom Vroom

Sunday we both were as excited as kids the day before Christmas. My boyfriend had planned on a drive over Fort Mountain on his motorcycle. Brad, Chuck, Chuck Sr., Susan, and Eric went with us. Only Chuck and my boyfriend had a piggyback rider, the others rode solo. It was a great day for a ride, clear skies, slight breeze, beautiful scenery, and great company. First stop was Waleska, then on to Goshen for our first 'group stop'. Everyone was ok with the pace we were setting, so off we went again. Next stop was Dahlonega for lunch at the Dahlonega Brewery. I thought that it would be different than what it was. It was decorated in Italian frescos. Somehow that was the furthest from my mind. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't Italian Fresco. After a friendly lunch with good conversation and comments on chick flicks and the music over the speakers (they were from different chick flicks, hence the conversation), we were off again. But not before everyone stopped to look an a nicely restored red vintage car. Ok, so I don't know what it was, but it looked very nice. Then we stopped in Ellijay so the guys could try each other's bikes out. Ok, so girls assist with makeup and clothes, guys swap bikes and cars. Go figure. I do believe it is a guy thing. But they had fun - all grins when we saw them next. Susan and I went into 3 antique shops. Funny thing, we didn't purchase any antiques, only giftware items. But they were small enough to fit into the bikes. Next stop was Fort Mountain at a lookout spot. We took our group photo here. The scenery was beautiful, we got some swooshing in, a couple of low turns (the bike was leaning kinda low), and curves in the road that added fun to the ride. Next stop was Waleska. By this time I was having a difficult time getting off the bike. I just am not accustom to an 8-hour ride. Thankfully we stopped for about 30 minutes to cool down, rest, and stretch our legs. Then home again, 9 hours later. **Whew** I was tired . . . and sore . . . and thirsty . . . and tired. . .

After my boyfriend let the dogs out to exercise and put them back up, we both went to Chili's for dinner. It was somewhat funny because when our waiter brought our chips and salsa, the chips left a trail from about 2 tables away all the way to our table. A few minutes later the menus made it to the floor. Then more chips made it to the table. Luckily the fajitas stayed on the table. We both agreed that it was the table's fault and not our own. Was it possessed? Quite possibly. After our Molten Lava Cake we decided it would be best to head on home and call it a day. I dropped off my boyfriend and headed on to my house. What a day. What larks! What fun!

La Hacienda

Sunday we went to La Hacienda for dinner. Ok, so it was Mother's Day. I spent lunch and the afternoon with my mother, his mother is no longer with us, so it was more of a day of reflection for him. We went to La Hacienda and had a delicious dinner on the patio. It is a pink stucco building with twin wrought-iron balconies and a calm Mexican atmosphere. I honestly have not eaten out as much as I have with my boyfriend. It has made me think about becoming a food critic. :) Ok, so I am a bit wicked. The meal was good, could have had a little better service from the wait staff, but overall we had a good dinner. I had 4 enchiladas that were smothered (or were they swimming?) in white cheese. The margarita was good, first time for trying that drink out. I am sure that it could be trouble if not consumed with self-control. Especially if I were to be in a hyper mood-swing. I would definately be dancing on the table then! After a short drive in the chick-magnet, I was taken home again, hopefully a little level-headed so no one there would notice that I was partaking of alcoholic beverages. ;)

Meet the Parents part 2

May 6 - Today, after church, my boyfriend and I had lunch with my Dad, Mom, and one of my brothers. The other one was unable to make it on time due to traffic constraints. It was fun, we went to Fudruckers for lunch, talked about Elvis, unique interior decorations of restaurants, Tennessee, had a delicious hamburger. I honestly thought the lunch went very well, we had a quiet lunch but good conversation with everyone.

After lunch my boyfriend and I went to Marietta to the local art show.

Dinner with the boss

May 5 - Today my boss took my boyfriend and I out to dinner. This was one of the restaurants that was high on the list of 'possible birthday restaurants' but it just didn't make it.

The atmosphere was great, company exceptional, my date was a perfect gentleman, and the evening was wonderful. Who could ask for anything more?

Dinner was delicious, I had the salmon and a blue cheese salad. I know, blue cheese again. My boss ordered a bottle of wine (don't know which one other than a red wine) and we all had a glass. I should say that everyone had 2 glasses except me, I didn't even finish my 1 glass, but still managed to get a bit tipsy. Ok, so I can't drink that much and I only drink in controlled situations.

Dessert was delicious, a pecan and apple beignet with ice cream. Yummmmm!! Almost like going to the French Quarter in New Orleans but not quite there. I still like the original 'plain' beignet.

Happy Birthday

Today I celebrated my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately I had my camera and took no photos. I need to get better at taking photos.

I treated him to dinner at Chicago's in Marietta, they had a live pianist playing that evening and I thought it would just make the night more special. And it did.

We had a delicious dinner, I had a blue cheese and Chicken salad, he had a steak and potato. Dessert was a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Seems like we always go for the chocolate.

As for the birthday loot, my boyfriend is now an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy, has a Beswick Golden Retriever (it was bigger than I thought it would be), an Amy Winehouse cd, a Tom Petty Wildflowers cd, and has probably already finished the Dove candy bar and the Hershey's Kisses (the new truffles - they are sooooooo good!!)

:)

Look What I found!!

While poking through my computer I found the very first 'together' photo of my boyfriend and I. I still remember that day. I was nervous, trying to make a good impression. Do you hold hands? Not? How far away do you stand? Or how close? Am I making the best impression on his co-workers? Will this work out? Does he really work here with all the neat planes? How can he work in a security cage all the time? Does he get claustrophobic? Does he like me? Am I making a good impression? Gee, this is fun . . . . .

Yes, that was going through my mind all the time. One scared little puppy, eh? Anyway, I survived, I am here, still, with the same great guy. I don't know how I could be any happier than I am now.

:)

Taco Mac anyone?

After my boyfriend took a long ride on his bike up to the GA mountains, I knew he would be pretty tired, and hungry, when he got back. I left him a voicemail asking if he wanted to go to dinner, my treat. After he rested for a while and exercised the dogs, he drove up in his chick-magnet to take me out. Mom was outside watering her newly planted flowers and since they haven't had much time to interact I played the decoy and kept her out front so she would have to talk with him. We talked about flowers, gave him some of the oxalis that was dug up because it was growing in the wrong place, and off we went.

Since Johnny's was closing soon, we decided to go to Taco Mac. It had been a while since we had been there, both of us forgot why the chips and salsa wasn't our favorite (it is the chips). We had agreat time, leisurely dinner, and oh, the stories of his ride! Yes, I was a bit envious, but I know he needs time to enjoy his own hobbies. May be soon we can retrace his drive. I am glad that he has friends he can hang out with and do things with, it shows he is the wonderful person I think he is.

Limerick Junction

Today my boyfriend and I went to the Limerick Junction in Virginia Highlands. I am not sure how he found out about it, but it was a lot of fun. We spent the afternoon together at Home Depot and Target, doing the 'domestic thing' as he says. We dropped the purchases off at his house, he changed into a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, and off we went, right after I bruised my knee teasing the dogs.

We drove downtown with the t-tops out and found the cutest stretch of road with 1920 style houses and a 'Main Street' style strip mall. There were antique shops, restaurants, and Limerick Junction. It was somewhat difficult finding a parking place and turning around was somewhat a challenge but the evening was worth it.

The Irish pub was true to form, quite small, just like I would think they are in Ireland. We had an appetizer of potato skins, he had Shepard's Pie and I had the trusty standby of fish-n-chips. It was a great evening, the food was great, the pub was charming, and the musician was very good.

This is definately an evening to repeat.

Wild Wings!

Today we went out to Wild Wing Cafe. Easter turned out to be extremely cold for Georgia, so hiking was out. We did take a walk around the Square of Marietta just to windowshop in all the closed antique stores. Is there a better way to save money and shop at the same time? Both of us were indecisive about where to eat so we ended up at Wild Wings. We had hot wings (ok, not too hot but they were to me. I am still a newbie at eating wings - just ask my boyfriend.) A hamburger and ham sandwich later, we headed back home. It was a fun, relaxing evening. Away from the telephone (nope, not one ring on the cellphone), tv - scratch that one, there were tv's at Wild Wings. We had a great waitress, good food, and great company. I would definately want a repeat of this date. It was a lazy kind of date, not much going on, but very nice.

We did have a 'kitten show and tell' since the little kittens, now 2 weeks old, have their eyes open and are starting to walk around. Did you know that kittens do not like to be on their back when being held? They don't see it as the person holding them establishing dominance, they see it as a perfect opportunity to exercise their lungs and get Momma cat angry at whoever is making her baby cry.

Wonderful Weekend, well sorta

This weekend started out to be wonderful, then ended up somewhat disastrous, but urging me to do what I have needed to do for quite some time.

Saturday we went to a little French Bistro and had a wonderful dinner. A few doors down was a pet clinic 'Paws and Claws' and beside it was 'Good Mews' a humane cat shelter. It was quite interesting - there were no cages (ok, a couple of quarantine rooms), tons of cat condos, a couple of huge litter boxes, and cats, tons of cats, fat cats, skinny cats, you name it cats. Even a manx cat! A couple had on collars, the rest were snoozing. Except the two black cats who were racing back and forth and playing with each other.

After a delicious dinner we headed to the movie theater. We saw Wild Hogs. I haven't laughed so much since I saw Little Miss Sunshine. This is a 'must see' movie!!

Sunday I met my boyfriend at his house. He was supervising a grooming session for Belle, Bogey's mom was grooming. Also his friend from work was there, we all went to Chili's for dinner. It was a lazy dinner, we talked and ate and ate and talked and gave the waiter a hard time about needing refills for our drinks. The common phrase "A good time was had by all" could be applied to this evening.

I hitched a ride with Bogey's mom, left my car at my boyfriend's house. The cold reception when I got home and the implication that I was partaking in an unapproved activity was a final straw. It is not necessary to chaperon someone over the age of 20 when they go on a date. It is not necessary to belittle them or to insult them by thinking that they would be someone who would run wild once on their own. Needless to say, today I am going apartment hunting, by the end of the month, hopefully, I will have my own place. Now if I can only get the pay raise that I need .....

Meet the Parents

Today my boyfriend met my parents. He came over to see Mercedes' kittens (they were born yesterday) and Dad decided that they would go ahead and meet the guy I have been going out with. I don't think anyone was not nervous, except the kittens. My parents and I were nervous because this was a first for us, my boyfriend was nervous (well, wouldn't any boyfriend be? He hid it very well though), and Mercedes was nervous - she doesn't like a lot of people around.

After meeting the parents we headed off for dinner at Macaroni's with a friend and my brother, they met us at the restaurant. It was great fun, talking and learning more about others. Having friends is a great way to broaden horizons and learning capabilities. Everyone is different and the viewpoints and past history help to keep conversation interesting and not at a stalemate.

After dinner we got back into the chick-magnet and headed back toward home. We stopped at Coldstone Creamery for icecream. I had peanut butter cup perfection and he had founder's favorite. After a drive around town, we headed home.

A perfect end to a wonderful evening.

Bogey's Funeral

Today was Bogey's funeral. My boyfriend picked me up at work and we headed off toward Athens. It was the first time that I had been to a pet funeral, the first in a long time I had been to a funeral. The cemetary was nice, there was an area for horses, and a K-9 memorial garden. I believe it was called the Garden of Honor. Several K-9s were buried there. It was hard to let go of Bogey, I know that his owner and my boyfriend were having a more difficult time letting him go. How could anyone not love the class clown, the life of the party, and the happy-go-lucky pup who loved to prance and show off? It was a very sad time.

After the funeral my boyfriend and I went out to Scalini's for dinner. It is wonderful to be able to go out for dinner, not worry about the time or how soon you have to leave. I do enjoy the leisurely meals we have together.

Scalini's is a great Italian restaurant with Jacobean and Victorian style furnishings. This was the 2nd time I have been there, the first was 2 years ago for my boyfriend's birthday. It is definately worth coming back to another time.

St. Patty's Day at Johnny's

Saturday we went out to Johnny's Pizza, one of our favorite haunts. We got there and the place was pleasantly full. After trying to figure out whether we wanted garlic bread with cheese or cheese bread (cheese bread is our normal appetizer) we ordered our pizza and sat back to enjoy the evening. We talked about work, English literature (how did that one get in there?) and speculated on how long the guy at the table near us would wear the oversized green glasses and the green sparkly headband with shamrock antennas. We had our regular order of pepperoni pizza with half sausage and half black olives. After a leisurely meal, we watched as the little league baseball teams poured in, 20 minutes before closing. We then went for a short ride in the chick-magnet, decided we wanted dessert but realized that there was not a place nearby for dessert.

Sunday Ride

Sunday was a perfect day for a ride. So, enter the boyfriend. Having taken the t-tops out of his trusty chik-magnet, we went for a ride down what use to be country roads. We saw horses, cows, and yep, you guessed it, buffalo! With the wind through our hair and an open road before us, who could not have a good time? Add great company and a discussion of whether buffalo are bison (yes, the blonde started this conversation) a fun time was had by all.