Fourth of July 2008

I think this is the longest post i have ever written but it was such a perfect weekend that I felt the need to write it down so that I would never forget it. I tried to break it up into sections. More pictures can be found here with captions to follow.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 1 (Thursday)
J and I started off our fabulous July 4th weekend on Thursday afternoon. J snuck out of work a little early (shhh I'm not telling anybody). We wandered down to Story Avenue to try and get some soul food from Sweet Pea's but.....OH NO!...it was closed down. At first we were all QQ but it ended up being a very good thing. We wandered down the street and saw a Persian cafe and decided to stop.

Shiraz Mediterranean Grill is one of the best restaurants I have been to. It's not fast food and it's not a sit down place where you give your order either. We had the most amazing Hummus that I have ever had. I couldn't stop eating it! We had the Shiraz salad which is just cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes but mmmm it was great with the Hummus.

Then we had the Joojeh Kabobs which is kind of like buffalo chicken. They even have pictures of the menu items on the website. Quickly became one of my favorite places to eat. That was the perfect start to our Fourth of July Weekend. The friendliest woman even offered to take our picture. Cute huh?








Fabulous Weekend -- Part 2 (Friday)
The next morning we woke up at 6:40 and I'm not sure why. At first I was mad but now I'm glad that we did. I had the brilliant idea of playing Dyanasty Warriors 3. OMG! We had so much fun. I haven't played in years so I was a bit rusty and J actually did better than me, (a little bit). That's ok, I blame it on my characters. If we hadn't of woke up early we couldn't have done that!

Then we went to see Hancock. All the critics are wrong that say the movie gets slow in the middle, if anything, it picks up. And anybody could see that Hancock was supposed to symbolize the United States...I mean, there were eagles EVERYWHERE. And the movie would have had to do bad in order to do wrong. I mean, it's Will Smith....you can't go wrong! (With his fine ass)

We had already planned on seeing Wall E right after and that was even better than Hancock. Your my Wall E and I'm your Eve, J. WAAALLLLEEEEEE!!! lol. But that movie almost made me cry which not that many movies can do. That is going to be on that I will add to my movie collection. But the movie also has a message. Take care of the environment people, it's the only home we have.

After that we went over the Chinese Buffet and mmmmmm it was so good. I wasn't in the mood for Chinese but I was when I got there and saw all that they had. Thanks J! Awesome suggestion. We were going to go home and take a nap because all that food made us exhausted but then my mom told me that she made brownies....why did she do that? She knew I had to go over to her house to get some. Thanks Mom!!! So that gave us an excuse to go to Blockbuster because I had never seen Cars and J really wanted me to see it. AT the store, they had Guitar Hero Aerosmith set up. J was soooooo good. With his modest ass. I was reluctant to play but when I got on it, it was all over, I want Guitar Hero!! I'll get it for PS2 but as soon as I get my PS3, that will be the first thing that I buy. I wish I had taken a picture of me rockin' it out!

OMG I am so glad that J suggested watching Cars. If nobody has seen it, I suggest they do so. Pixar as a company is amazing. I never knew that J knew so much about race cars. He's amazing. Lying in his arms watching Cars was so damn awesome. Ghost Light!!!!!! I am so glad I am with him. He treats me better than I have ever been treated before and he makes me feel so damn special and I feel like I am because of him. So Cars will be a memory that I will treasure. Kachow!!!!!!!

Then we watched Memento. This psychological thriller will explode your mind. It's kind of crazy. But it was fun trying to figure out what was going on. It's definitely not something you can sit through without putting on your thinking cap.

Then finally, we went to a midnight showing of the classic Jaws at the Baxter Avenue Theater. I have never seen it all the way through and I felt I needed to pay homage to a movie that is so talked about. I liked it even though it was dated. They made the shark look pretty good for being 30 years ago. After that, we were exhausted....and ready for the next day!

I am so perfectly matched to J. And I wish that I had realized this sooner. I guess I just needed that kick in the ass but I'm glad I finally got it. Heh, better late than never. He is so perfect for me in every way. And I'm glad I have him. He'll take care of me and I'll take care of him.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 3 (Saturday)
The next morning I lazed around and it was great. Lazy Saturdays FTW! Then we got up and went to go the dog shelters to look at dogs. The tan and white one below would be the one that we would have taken home if we were looking to adopt at that moment. She was tugging at our heart strings! The Animal Care Society is a shelter that we really like so when we go to adopt a dog later this year, we're going there. I'm so excited!









After rocking out at Guitar Hero again at Best Buy, we headed home and made ribs. Mmmmm I love getting back to my roots. My broilin' baby! And brownies...mmmmm brownies. Then we met again where we first met and told each other we loved each other. Another perfect day. I think I can get used to this.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 4 (Sunday)
The next morning I woke up early on purpose....on a Sunday morning....I'm nuts. But I really wanted to take J to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for breakfast. And I am sooooo glad that I am. Playing with the toys, looking at the scenery, breakfast and the gift shop were soooooo awesome. He loved it and I think it's become one of our favorite places to eat. The food that we had tasted amazing and I'm so glad he liked it. I hope to make a lot more memories there. They are having an ugliest lamp contest....I mean seriously...can you get better than this? That's a hot fork and spoon huh? This is the place that I want for my rehearsal dinner. I love the feel of it. It's right up my alley.







Coming home and relaxing and enjoying the last day of our three day weekend really topped it off. I can't remember having a relaxing time like this where we can just be ourselves and be so honest. Honesty is the cornerstone of our relationship. He knows everything I'm thinking as I do him. This allows each other to be ourselves and nothing else. We are real, raw, and that's how we'll always be. I love him so much. And I can't wait for us to spend the rest of our life together. Life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey.

My Lifeline

If you had told me 10 to 15 years ago that I would crave a cell phone like I do now...well then I probably would have believed you because I craved a pager. But if you had told my Dad that, then he wouldn't have believed you.

But after leaving my phone in Indiana last weekend and not having it all week, I realize how much someone needs a phone now. It is the lifeline to the outside world (yes I am fully aware no one calls me, J, but it's the principle of the matter). So now, I probably will check ten times before I leave from an out of town place or going to an out of town place that I have my cell phone.

Someone may call me to tell me that I've won ten million dollars....or they could just call me to tell me that I have an overdue library book. Either way, something I need to know, right?

I'm Worth It

J you are not stupid for being with me or giving me a chance. I promise you, I am worth it. I love you and I want to marry you.

I don't care what anyone else says, you are not stupid for loving me and being compassionate and kind. This is the reason why I love you so much. Anybody else would have given me up and left me to fend for myself. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I would be. I don't even know if I'd be alive. You bring me back from the abyss from where I've fallen and you continue to lift me up. I NEED you.

I'm worth it. I promise. Believe in me as you have all this time. Don't let anybody sway you from the time we have spent together. Only you and I know what has happened between us and all that we have been through. That has bonded us together and nothing can tear that apart. We're a Beautiful Mess but one that I would go through all over again. Love me, as you have all this time, love me.

Betrayed

Some things that a very close friend told me some time ago came back to bite me in the ass. I was horribly lied to by one of the last people that I never thought would. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so damned horrible.

I went through stages. At first I was fine. I actually felt that it didn't bother me. Then I went through sadness. And J knew that I would. He just waited for me to come around. Thank you for holding me in the darkness, wiping my tears, telling me that you would be whatever I needed you to be.

This morning I felt anger. Not as much as I would have liked. But it was there. I trusted them and what they said to me. It was something so important to me but they used me and I hate it. That betrayal even made me look at J for a moment to see if he was being sincere in the things he says but that's ridiculous. He won't do that to me. He won't lie to me. I truly believe that. He stays with me through all the stupid stuff I put him through because he believes I am worth it in the end. That means so much to me. I just hate that being lied to makes me look at others to see if they would do the same, making me jaded. Guess when you think you know somebody, you don't. One less friend in my life....does it really matter?

Thank you for being there for me. I needed you last night more than ever and there you were, every step of the way, even when I insisted I didn't need you. I might need you more in the future, just don't go anywhere....I really think I'm going to need you.

Sing With Me Baby

Dance Like No One Is Watching

Dance Like No One Is Watching

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza.
He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy...

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought for the day: "Work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching."

Author Unknown

Heartbeat

J, this picture is for you. /kiss