The "L" Word

I am in love. Wonderfully, estatically, madly in love.

And I know R feels the same way because he told me so yesterday afternoon. There's something so shiveringly wonderful about hearing "I love you" for the first time. Those three words are just as potent as a first kiss. And then you just want to keep saying them over and over again because they sound so good! (And hearing them over and over again is so nice, too!)

This afternoon he surprised me by sending a beautiful bouquet of flowers to me at work--with a card that said "I love you."

I sent him an e-mail message to say thanks, and he responded with the following message:

>>>I feel very elated and want to pull a Tom Cruise with my announcement that I'm in love!

Of course thankfully he doesn't jump around on couches. I just like reading the final part of that sentence over and over again...

Okay, I'll stop gushing now... :-)

Yippeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Back in the Blog

I'm watching a focus group webcast right now, and I'm having a hard time staying awake. I'm just not feeling very motivated at work lately--maybe because I'm not really sure as to what is going on because things keep changing all the time. Who knows? Every day I feel more and more inclined to start my own freelance business. I need a new challenge--something to really sink my teeth into.

The good news is that I finished my Master's program earlier this month and graduated with honors. I didn't go to the ceremony--didn't want to spend the $75 on a polyester gown (even if I got to wear the funky hood thing). I just remember being tired, hot, and hungover for my undergraduate ceremony, so I decided to spare myself this time. Instead, R and I did a volunteer project where we got to paint murals on the walls of an elementary school on the South Side. Much more beneficial in my opinion.

I also just got back from Florida with R and his family. I had a great time (in spite of the fact that I got horribly seasick while deep-sea fishing and puked twice in the boat's bathroom. (It'll be a long time before I'm able to eat nacho cheese Doritos again.) I got along with his family very well, and I also felt a lot closer to him by the end of the trip. He sent me the nicest e-mail yesterday in which he mentioned that he'd "fallen hard for me." I definitely feel the same way about him.

I'm really starting to believe that timing has a lot to do with relationships. For instance, the first time R and I dated, the timing didn't seem to be right for either of us, and it ended in disaster. This time all the stars seemed to be in alignment (or something like that), and everything has progressed so naturally and smoothly.

I don't want to jinx anything, but I have to admit I've got a good feeling about this...

P.S.

I just realized that today is my half-birthday. That means I'm six months away from the big 3-0. Gulp!

A Keeper at Last!

For every one good artist in the world, there are at least five hundred bad ones. At least that's how I feel after spending nearly my entire day searching for artwork for the book I'm working on.

Otherwise, life is going well. I was out of town this weekend with my family for a family "reunion" of sorts out in Pennsylvania. My grandmother's family settled outside of Pittsburgh when they came over from Italy, and my grandfather's father ended up back there after he divorced my great-grandmother, so there is lots of family history out there. It was fascinating to go to the cemetary and see the graves of previous generations of my father's side of the family and to hear old memories and stories from my relatives. For instance, I learned how my great aunt and great uncle met nearly fifty years ago. I love hearing stuff like that!

And when I returned home from PA on Monday, I had a nice surprise waiting for me. R had looked in on my cats over the weekend, and he also CLEANED MY ENTIRE KITCHEN!!! Now this was no small feat. I haven't had time to paint my kitchen since I moved into my condo, so I've kind of let that room become a disorganized dumping ground. It was full of empty shoe boxes and kitty-litter containers that I hadn't gotten around to throwing out in the dumpster, and there was just a ton of stuff all over the place (waiting to be placed on shelves that have not yet been hung). Well, I almost didn't recognize my kitchen when I walked in. R had gotten rid of all the garbage and had organized everything else so it was neat and tidy.

Now he is definitely a keeper. It was so nice of him to do that for me, and the best part was how humble he was when I thanked him. I've dated guys before who would do something nice and then want you to constantly pat them on the back for it for the next year. They made me feel that they were more interested in getting praised than in doing something nice for me. R just did it out of the goodness of his heart.

I love doing nice things for people because I enjoy making them happy. I have to admit, though, it was really nice to be the recipient for once.

It's Been Awhile...

... So I thought I'd take advantage of a slow day at work to create a new post.

Nothing too big and exciting or horrific and tragic has happened lately. I'm just really looking forward to summer and warm weather and finally being done with school!

I'm currently in my last class of my master's program in writing: Modern Rhetoric. Don't ever take a serious theory course as your last course, especially in the spring when you're hit with unseasonably warm weather. It's so hard to concentrate, and I still have to write an 8-page paper before I'm through!

*****

You know those lotions that are supposed to bring out your "natural glow." They aren't supposed to be like self-tanners, just moisturizers that do something to your pigment.

Well, I bought one by L'Oreal and tried it, and now my left leg is a big streaky mess! I definitely have patches of skin that have way more than a "natural glow." It looks like I had a fight with a can of muted-orange paint! I wonder if the Jergens stuff works better. Any recommendations?

Strange and Good Happenings

Okay--I haven't written in a while, I know. I guess that's because I'm extremely happy and have nothing to complain about (I do think I have a tendency to write only when I'm depressed or crabby).

But today I have good news! The other night, R invited me to go with him and his family to a resort near Miami for a long weekend in June--all expenses paid!!! I tried to pay for my own airfare, but his family insisted I was their guest, so they would take care of everything.

I'm so excited and thrilled! I cannot believe how wonderful things are going with R this time around. He just does and says the nicest things.

In an e-mail yesterday (after we'd met for some wine and cheese the night before):

>>>BTW, you looked really nice last night (hair and all).

In an e-mail this morning:

>>>Hope you have a great day, thinking of you, R

In an e-mail last week:

>>>Good Morning Beautiful!

Okay. . . I'll stop now. He's just totally won me over by being such a nice, genuine person.


In other news:
I went to use the bathroom at work today and found the Smelly Poop Lady bent over the sink, DRINKING RIGHT OUT OF THE FAUCET! She then proceeded to systematically pull out like 80 paper towels from the dispenser, wipe her hands with the entire bunch, and then stuff them into the garbage can.

WEIRD!!!

Sooooo Tired

It's almost 10:00 p.m. and I'm still at work. I'm just waiting for one more thing to print out before I can go home. My brain feels like mush.

So I'm going to cheer myself up by writing about R for a minute. He is honestly one of the nicest most considerate guys I've ever met. I mean, what else can you say about a guy who schedules a golf tee time with his father around your schedule so he can spend as much time as possible with you on a Saturday morning/afternoon?

I'm on the precipice of falling hard. I can't help myself...

Holy Crap

I had another encounter with the Smelly Poop Lady this afternoon. Good God, what does that woman EAT??? And the perfume she wears reminds me of a funeral parlor!

In other news, I got to continue my lovely discussion of euphemisms for the word "poop" by trying to decide whether or not to highlight the word "excrement" as a term that might need to be explained to English language learners who read our literature book.

And you thought your job was fun....