I'm not dead yet

I figured since it's been almost a week since I last posted that I should write something so that all 5 of my loyal readers will keep gracing the pages of MLCotW. So, to fulfill a promise I made & also because it's a story that I love, I give you - My Trip To Arkansas! Yes, I realize it's a couple months late. Sue me. Find the first installment here. Find the next installment here:

Meet the Parents - 10/2/03

After a tour of the Big City, we made our way up to the little town where T & her parents live. It's a nice little place, smaller than Yucaipa, but a little more spread out. A lot less traffic & a nice laidback atmosphere. People are actually friendly. You don't worry about accidentally looking at someone the wrong way & being shot at. It was culture shock, big time.

We stopped by her house for a little bit & talked (you'd think we'd be out of things to talk about after three months of talking) & got to know each other. Then, after a couple calls from her parents, we made our way out to their house, where both T & I would be staying. I was just a wee bit nervous about meeting her parents. She had told me a lot about her family & I looked forward to meeting them, but still, the nerves were a bit jittery. I quickly found that I had nothing to worry about. The whole time I was there, they made me feel welcome &, as the days went on, like part of the family. I saw a lot of T in her mother as they are very similar in their outlook on things & have the same sense of humor. Her father had many a story to tell & an incredibly infectious laugh. I hadn't laughed as much or as hard as I did during those five days in a long time.

The next evening, her brother, sister in law & their son made it in. Her brother has her father's ability to tell a good story & have you laughing out loud. We stayed up 'til about 1a talking. Which was kind of a bad thing because we ended up waking up about 430-5a. Not a lot of sleep was to be had on this trip. But that was fine by me. Didn't want to go wasting time with such frivolous pursuits as sleeping.

Saturday, T's sister & 3 of her children came down. Her nephew's birthday was a few days before, so the family had a get together for him & me. That was a little hard for me. Or so I thought it'd be. I'm not one for being in the spotlight much to begin with. Then top that off with being in a new place & meeting new people. My birthdays have never been met with a lot of fanfare & I'm kind of used to it being overlooked. But this was different. It didn't feel awkward. It felt good & natural & normal. It really was nice.

More to come...