Let’s see… Memorial Day 2007… I went to Jamaica where I had a fabulous time for four fabulous days… Pina Coladas w/ dark rum… Sex on the Beach (not the drink, LOL)…catamarans and rum punch…get my drift? All fun, absolutely no responsibilities. Ok, enough of the past and back to Memorial Day 2008…

It started off with no real expectations. A four day weekend…no computers… no real solid plans except to be dad and watch my daughter’s first ballet recital on Saturday. How quickly that can change. Here goes the details…get your popcorn.

Thursday Night: I took LA and RT to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This was fun! On one side I had my son saying dad “This movie rocks! Can I get a whip?” and on the other side I had my daughter griping my arm and whimpering about the scary ants and Indians. All around fun…reminiscent of my younger years and the first Indiana movies. We all left teasing and pushing each other pretending the large flesh eating ants were everywhere.

Friday: Field Day!! Somehow I volunteered to stand outside in the hot Texas sun and monitor sumo wrestling and the 20 yard dash…can you say “what a whooping?”. I enjoyed the kids and nearly lost my voice by lunch…all in the name of elementary school fun and the things we do to support our kids.

As night fall came I found myself driving to Ft. Worth for a date.  Yes, a date. I’ll refer to her as the “principal”. I have to give her props… A bit of BG – We first met on eHarmony the summer of 2007. She was just going through her divorce and wasn’t finished yet. I kindly told her that she needed to finish one relationship before she pursued another. We have chatted a bit off and she informed me that her divorce was final. Well I wasn’t all that eager to be a rebound nor was I all that excited about attempting to date someone who lives an hour away without traffic. Her persistence paid off and I gave in a few weeks back and agreed to meet for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant near my place. It was a pleasant evening and ended quite nicely.  So here we are and I allowed the principal to entice me to a night out in Ft. Worth at a well known restaurant, Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove Bistro , and she insisted it be her treat…I did fight it; however she persisted. I give her credit for paying attention to detail as I have talked about my passion for cooking and my fascination with Tim Love’s ability to take one meal and make it into many. The food, wine, and conversation were all good. We ended back at her place and things got….well they got intimate. All seemed good as we lay there chatting and kissing…until…she brought up the ex…comparison and the deceased ex. That killed it. I understand the comparison questions; however it freaked me out…just a bit.  Done. So I got up and said I needed to leave…It was late and I needed to get my rest as AA had a recital the next morning. Harsh? Maybe, yet I can’t lay in bed and rate you against my deceased ex. Needless to say we won’t be having another date.

Saturday: Four year old ballet recitals…Pure enjoyment! To see your ballerina on stage for the very first time is so exciting. She did an amazing job. She stood up there and danced the best a dad could expect. She knew a good percentage of the dance…the rest she ad-libbed.  All the routines were so cute and precious. All worth the Saturday morning sacrifices.

That afternoon as we played at the pool and I met this very attractive single mom (her kids were at dad’s house). As we chatted we hit it off.  She made me laugh…I made her laugh…we laughed at others. A connection was apparent or at minimum a curiosity in each other. We talked ourselves into going out that night to dinner on a local patio (not going to let this opportunity pass!!). Yes, I was beside myself… Two nights in a row I was getting time out…adult time and with ladies!! (Since Boo was staying at my place for the weekend I took advantage and allowed her to have some time with the kids while I played.) The food was ok…the margaritas better…and the conversation was stimulating (how I love a woman that can have an intellectual conversation). I came to find out that she was recently divorced and I was only the second date she’d been on (Yes, I am special. LOL). We both love books (historical non-fiction) and I get my nails done more than she does. She has a simple pure beauty that is a rare find in this lovely plastic N. Dallas world I play in. All in all it was a very pleasant evening that ended with a hug and a plan to hang by the pool the next day.

Sunday:  I made waffles…homemade waffles with fresh strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream.  What can I say I was in a good mood and excited about the pool. Crap!!…I forgot. My family planned a get together at my parents to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Had to call my new friend and ask her for a pass and a rain check for Monday as we were previously scheduled to attend the Memorial Day family cookout / birthday extravaganza. She joked about me already making excuses and chickening out, and said she looked forward to Monday.  I got a perma -grin.  The day went along without great incident. My family is just like yours…crazy and drama central…but we love each other.

Monday: Text messages were sent…pool around 11…I brought the drinks…she brought the food. How sweet was this? Too sweet? My kids were none the wiser…It was like we just met at the pool…randomly. We sat by the pool and chatted… we goofed off in the pool with the kids…I flipped her off the float…she tackled me going for the football. We stayed way too long at the pool as we all left with a bit too much red.  I was sad to see it end…Back to reality. The night went well as I went home and I grilled out for the kids. The night came to a close as we ate, bathed, and watched American Gladiators…or so I thought. Hehe… As I sat on the couch I got a txt from my friend:

Her:  Are the kids in bed?

Me: Yes…just barely.

Her: Would you mind if I came by? I have something for you. I won’t stay long as I know you need to sleep.

Me:  Of course you can come by and you don’t have to run away.

Her: Ok. I’ll be there in 15

Me: Just knock…No door bell.

Her: Of course, silly.

And she was right on-time. As I invited her in she proceeded directly to the kitchen. She carried a bag and presented me with desert…Rocky Road ice cream (she remembered my favorite ice cream from our conversation on Saturday night).  We shared some and sat on the catch making small talk about the nightly news and the day.  As I got up to take our bowls to the kitchen… she followed…as I turned around…she was a bit too close and I had to kiss her. Well without going into a lot of details…we made out like teenagers. Chemistry is there. Somehow we stopped before it got too crazy (I mean we just met and all); however somehow she managed to place some tell tale marks on my neck. Well there is a first for everything and these are quite embarrassing. She apologized profusely and said she got carried away. We laughed it off (inside I wasn’t laughing… I was saying oh crap I have meetings tomorrow!!) and I walked her out. She later sent me three txt msgs stating her profuse embarrassment. I told her not to worry and next time my neck is off limits. I just hope they go away before the wedding I am going to on Saturday.

 

In summary… the weekend was definitely one with some adventures…not as exotic as last year, yet somewhat enjoyable, considerably cheaper, and with possible future upsides.