Fuck the Norm.

Ever since I graduated high school and went out into the real world, I had these preconceived notions about what my adult life would be like. I had dreams of how my house would be decorated, what color hair my children would have, what kind of car I would drive, how tall my husband would be, and even knew there’d be Birds of Paradise bushes growing around my property just for Grandpa.

When I stepped out into the dating world after my breakup with Jeffy, I aimed my sights towards a certain “type” of guy. The type I was comfortable with. I blew off anyone that didn’t fit into my categories, and probably pushed away a lot of nice guys. But, it wasn’t what I thought I wanted.

A few days ago, I took my car into the shop to have the alignment done. The guys there are always real nice. They LOVE to give me shit about being a Kyle Busch fan, but think it’s kind of cool that I know about cars. I flirt with the guys, because, you know, that’s what I do. Little did I know one of the guys there had secretly been crushing on me. After two plus years, he FINALLY asked me out.

I went back and forth in my mind for a few seconds only because I was afraid to step outside of my “categories” box, but ultimately decided to say yes. “What could it hurt, right? It’s just one date.”

And one AMAZING date it was.

Happy Monday everyone!

Date Night

Date night – it’s defined as a pre-arranged occasion on which an established couple, especially one with children, go for a night out together.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on an actual date. Longer than I care to admit. I mean, I’ve gone out with friends, but it’s not anything I’d actually consider to be a “date”. So when Tattoo asked me to dinner, I didn’t hesitate.

We started talking on a Thursday. He asked me for a date on a Sunday. Because of my schedule, Thursday was the first evening I had available to meet.

By Tuesday, I was getting anxious. That’s when I stepped outside my box (read here), and drove up to meet him when prior plans changed.

Here was my view on the drive…

By the time Thursday got here, I wasn’t anxious anymore. I was much more comfortable and able to control what went on (if need be). I was back in my box, and I was ready for anything.

Dinner was great. Conversation was great. I heard funny stories, and told a few of my own. Know what the best part was? He didn’t keep interrupting me when I would talk. He allowed me to get out an entire thought without stopping me to tell me a story of his own. And we were able to talk about things other than cars. And he didn’t try to outdo every word I said. It wasn’t a competition of words. I loved it. It was everything I ever wanted in a conversation. Finally!

I was babysitting one of my favorite Bulldogs….

…and even HE had fun with Tattoo. He must remind him of his old buddy Toby Keith.

 

USS Iowa Battleship: Part 2

As promised, we went back. JK made good on his word.

This time, we brought along JK’s boss. What a FUN guy!!

 

Look at how big these guns were.

 

This ship is HUGE!

 

47 crewmen lost their lives when black powder was past its shelf life.  :-(

 

*I* was the next important person on this ship…

 

…and THIS is what happens when you don’t follow the rules…

 

I love this man…

The next ship we’ll visit is the Queen Mary. JK wants to visit during Halloween, when they have the big haunted house. Dark Harbor <----- read about it here.

USS Iowa Battleship

Last weekend, while chatting with an LAPD cop friend, he mentioned there was going to be a fundraiser aboard the USS Iowa Battleship “The Big Stick”. The excitement that came across my face must have been obvious, so JK made it his goal to show me a good time.

The ship was amazing. Just look….

 

There was a raffle. JK won a really nice humidor with a bunch of cigars inside. He doesn’t smoke cigars (or anything else, for that matter), so it made a really nice gift to his neighbor.

I won a jacket. And here it is…

We didn’t get to walk through the ship, so I decided to keep drinking. Five of these bad boys, and my evening was just getting started. They gave us tickets to come back during regular hours, so we have already made plans for next weekend. Can’t wait!

View from the ship.

 

Great date night. Thank you, JK.

The date

The date was much less of a date than I thought it would be. But that’s okay.

We met for drinks at a local Irish restaurant/bar. I’ve lived in this town for 23 years and I’ve never been inside. Cute little place.

I was a little intimidated by him at first. He spoke well, seemed a bit more educated than I, and was able to carry a conversation with anyone about anything. Me? Not so much. I don’t like conversation. I don’t engage in conversation with the cashier, or the bank teller, or the Wal-Mart greeter. Less conversation is better. I’d rather write you a letter.

It was initially agreed upon that we would part ways after drinks/dinner, but I agreed to go back to his house to hang out with his roommate and their two dogs for a bit.

The pit bull was cute, but the Dalmatian was cuter. I played with him quite a bit. He’s afraid of his own shadow, but was fun. He got sick and threw up, then kept walking around the house like he was going to get beat for it. Tail between legs and ears back. Poor dog.   :-(

He’s a smoker, so we went for a walk while he had a cigarette. We chatted about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. He showed me all his tattoos, talked to me about his life before moving to Cali, and allowed me to make fun of his way of speaking. He asked if I was going to go home and tell all my girlfriends about him. I laughed and said, “No, but I will go home and blog about it.” And that folks, was the ONE thing all night that I shared about myself. He did make me promise to write about a stupid tattoo he has. A finger on his left hand, has a tattoo of a mustache. Why? I don’t know. Because he thinks holding the tattooed finger up to his lip is funny. see example (sigh)

When we got back inside, I was forced to sit through an episode of Archer. It’s not exactly my kind of humor, but H. Jon Benjamin’s voice cracks me up. He’s the same voice of Bob on Bob’s Burgers. After it was over, I decided that was my cue to head out. I couldn’t possibly sit through one more episode of that.

He walked me to my car, we said our goodbyes and I drove away. I’m quite certain he felt the same way about the evening as I. He hasn’t called me since, and I’m totally okay with that. There were so many things about him that weren’t for me, that it outweighed the things that were cool.

No harm; No foul. We had a good time, I got out of the house for an evening, and I learned a few things.

The End.

I have a date.

Yes, an actual date. And I’m looking forward to it. I’m going in open minded, with no expectations. He’s far from the “type” of guy most would assume I’d go for, but maybe it’ll be okay. I promise to not have us married with children by the end of the evening.

Here’s five things I know about him…

1. If Wolverine from X-Men and Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts had a baby, it would totally look like this guy.

     

 

2. He plays the bass.  <grin>

 

3. He plays the saxophone. <bigger grin>

 

4. He has tattoos.

(I do not like tattoos, but remember, I’m trying to keep an open mind.)

 

5. He’s totally into ME.

Date Night

Yesterday, I was a lucky girl.

I was treated to dinner at a BBQ place that was TO.DIE.FOR. I will definitely go back! I had baby back ribs (of course) and JK had the tri-tip. It was short of amazing. Can’t wait to go back!

After dinner, we talked about going to a movie. We stopped by the local theater, but nothing was playing at that time that interested either of us. Oh well. Dessert was calling my name anyway, so it was okay.

JK couldn’t believe I’d never been to Menchie’s, so he took me. Everyone needs to experience Menchie’s, he said. I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the choices I had. I required a little more time to decide than anyone else, so I stood on the sidelines and watched. I didn’t exactly know how this process worked, so I needed to see a demo. I watched another couple go up to the machines, get their yogurt, and decide on toppings. What was so hard about that? What was I worried about? JK stood in amazement at how much overthought I had put into this. It was frozen yogurt, not my last meal. Geez. Everyone knows I’m not a big “sweets” person, so maybe this just wasn’t the kind of thing for me. Maybe if they had a place where you could mix and match different kinds of chips, I’d be more interested. :-)

It was now my turn, and although I was apprehensive, I stepped up to the plate and got me some yogurt. I played it safe. Can’t go wrong with Strawberry. Topped with a few chocolate chips, I made my way to the table. I sat directly across from a giant chalkboard wall. Awesome! I could eat yogurt AND draw on a chalkboard? This is amazing. I’m totally coming back here.

And I kept the spoon as a souvenir.

Thank you for a great date night, JK. You provided amazing company. I ♥ you!