I Feel Like I'm Part of the "Club"

Wow! I've been tagged by London Girl to list 7 random things about me!! It's the first time I've ever been tagged! YAY! I feel like I'm part of the "blogging club" now! Here goes. . .

1. Table manners are very important to me. Example: It REALLY bothers me when people bite the food off their forks so their teeth scrape against the fork. Gives me the chills just thinking about it.

2. If I weren't so lazy, I would wash my sheets every 2 days. There's nothing like freshly washed sheets and a freshly made bed.

3. I didn't get my first boyfriend until the summer before my 18th birthday. That relationship lasted almost two and a half years, although I should have ended it much sooner.

4. I'm very picky about my toilet paper and I'll only buy Charmin.

5. I have to be really cold to sleep comfortably - I keep my AC on year-round at night at 68 degrees with my ceiling fan on high.

6. I love that I wear a size 6 shoe - I can try on the display shoes at stores and usually don't have to bother with pushy salespeople.

7. I can watch Back to the Future Part 1 and 2 over and over again and never get sick of them. Even though I own the DVDs, everytime either one of those is on tv, I watch.

Now I have to tag seven people? Hmmm.... Sarah, Southern Gal, Cute Jewess, Still Making Mistakes, Drama Queen, Sexagenarian in the CIty and one more to come. . .

Boring, I know

Well, since The Swimmer has been absolutely impossible to shop for a birthday present for, I'm going what I think is the boring route. He's getting a book I am positive he will like and he's getting a new cell phone. So boring, but he's one of those guys that has everything already. Has nice wallets, watches, clothes, an iPod, iPod accessories, etc. So, he gets a new cell phone. And damn it, he's going to like it! LOL

So I leave for LA tomorrow evening. I changed my flight from a 5:30pm flight to an 8:30pm flight for the sake of my sanity. Had a very weird thing happen yesterday health-wise, so I'm going to see my neurosurgeon and have an MRI tomorrow morning to make sure it's okay for me to travel. Nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry, you know? I want to make sure I am able to fully enjoy my week of vacation in LA with The Swimmer.

It will be the first time The Swimmer and I will spend more than just Thursday night to Monday night together, so hopefully things will continue to go as smoothly as they usually do between us.

Here's a little question for everyone that my best college friend and I were discussing. . . Does the guy always have to say the "L" word first? What if he already shows it in his actions? I'm curious to see what those in the "blogosphere" have to say about this!

I'll be bringing my laptop with me on this trip, so if I don't get the chance to update before I leave tomorrow evening, there will be an update while I'm in LA. (I have given up on trying to use a portable DVD player to watch a movie on this flight. The volume never goes loud enough to cover the sound of the plane and I get pissed. So my trusty laptop is coming with!)

More suggestions?

Okay, a final plea! Any other suggestions for a birthday gift for the Swimmer?

Also, can anyone suggest a good movie for me to watch on the plane ride to LA? Looking for a romantic comedy, comedy or light drama! I'm sitting in an emergency exit row seat, so I won't be able to watch the movie they are playing (Premonition), which I want to see, but I'd rather have the comfortable seat! So, any suggestions? I'm tempted to rewatch "Because I Said So" which I thought was really cute. The last trip, I watched "Center Stage" for like the 80th time. I should be getting "Notes On A Scandal" through Netflix before the trip, but I don't know if I really want to watch such an intense movie on the plane.

Taking suggestions!

Long Overdue. . .

So I know an update is long overdue. Things have just been very crazy and busy over the past week. Overall, my trip to LA to visit The Swimmer was great.

Got in early Thursday evening and pretty much just relaxed. Friday, The Swimmer worked all day and I relaxed. The Swimmer didn't say anything since I got to LA about meeting his family, so I was wondering if he didn't want that anymore. I didn't say anything though and figured I would just keep quiet until mid-way through dinner. So, The Swimmer got back from work, we hung out for a bit and then went for sushi. He said that we'd eat dinner and then go back to his place and watch a movie. So I asked if he still wanted to stop by his Grandma's. He said, Yes, of course, that he hadn't said anything because he didn't want me to get too nervous. So, after dinner we stopped by hig Grandma's. She is this adorable little Israeli old lady. I couldn't understand a lot of what she said because she seemed to have a pretty thick accent, but I heard her say how beautiful I am and asked me when I'm moving to LA. She was so cute. We then went next door to his Mom's and surprised her. We ended up hanging out there for about an hour and a half and I also met his Mom's fiance. The Swimmer even brought up how inexpensive real estate is where I live compared to LA and his Mom kept asking more about that. I was shocked, but definitely pleased he brought that up. After that, we just went back to his place and watched a movie.

We both woke up at about 4am to go pee, but I had a sudden, huge feeling of nausea. I told The Swimmer and he tried to make me feel better, but it just got worse. I went to the bathroom and called my Mom to try to talk me down. My cell phone died after a little bit and The Swimmer came to sit with me. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, I was finally able to take an Ativan to go to sleep. Not exactly how I wanted to start off the weekend. The Swimmer told me the next day that he had been feeling a bit queasy too, but didn't want to say anything because he knew it would freak me out.

Saturday night, we went to see The Police. It was definitely quite an experience and so much fun. Sunday, we relaxed and decided to go see a movie. Before we left for the theater, I got paranoid that I was getting a lovely UTI, so I thought it would be a great idea to drink 3 bottles of water and then another bottle when we got to the theater. Smart, huh? Such a blonde moment on my part! I had to get up 4 times during the movie to run to the bathroom.

Monday, The Swimmer went to work, so I slept in late and was quite a bum all day, but I liked it! The Swimmer came home, we went to grab take out and then spent some extra "quality time" together before going to the airport. Fantastic "quality time" I might add! On the way to the airport, I started getting scared that I was going to have a panic attack. Sure enough, I got one. The ride was very bumpy, the airport was the most chaotic I had ever seen it and I didn't want to have another one since I had had one Friday night. After checking it, I told The Swimmer that he could leave and that there was nothing he could do to calm me down from this panic attack. He wasn't happy about it, but I wasn't going to hear otherwise. I trekked to the security line and after making it through, I went to my crowded, noisy gate. I managed to take an Ativan, but it couldn't start working fast enough. As my luck would have it, my flight was delayed. The Swimmer called to check on me and I told him I would call him back in a bit. I called my Mom and she helped calm me down a bit. I just knew that as soon as I got on the plane, I would feel better. Talked to the Swimmer again who was trying his hardest to make me feel better. As soon as I got on the plane, I felt better within 10 minutes.

Saw The Professional today to try to get to the bottom of the panic attacks. When I described what happened in the middle of the night for that first attack, she said that it sounds like it wasn't a panic attack, it was definitely from dinner. She said that it was amazing and such a good thing that even when I thought I was going to throw up, I wanted The Swimmer there to comfort me. This is HUGE for me. To feel close enough and comfortable enough with a guy to feel like I wanted him there at that moment. Normally, in a situation like that, I would have locked the bathroom door and not let him in. As far as the panic attack on Monday night, that was from a feeling that I was only "allowed" or "alotted" a certain number of panic attacks in front of him and after that amount, it's not allowed. This is only from past experience and not from anything or anyway The Swimmer has made me feel. So, after seeing The Professional today, I talked to him and told him this. He reassured me that it doesn't matter to him how many panic attacks I have, that he just doesn't like it when I'm upset and that he wants to do everything he can to help me in that situation. He's so sweet! Thankfully, I see The Professional again once more before I leave for LA in a week.

So, any suggestions on birthday presents for The Swimmer? I need to find out if he has business cards. If he does, I'll get him a business card case with his initials on it and a business card holder for his desk. If not, I don't know what to get him. He has plenty of nice clothes, watches, wallets, etc.

Suggestions?

Okay, I know I've been gone for a while, but I'm still too tired to give an update and I promise to do that tomorrow. But, I have a question for everyone:

The Swimmer's birthday is in a couple of weeks and I still have no clue what to get him. He has plenty of clothes, cologne, movies, music, etc. Can't find a good concert to get him tickets to and he already gets football and basketball tickets from work. Any ideas? This is impossible! I don't want to spend too much money, not more than $150, since we already spend so much money flying to see each other. Every gift I can think of, when I think if he got me a similar gift, I would be pissed. Example: I can think of a book he would like, but if he got me a book for my birthday, I'd be so pissed.

I'm already planning on decorating his room with birthday decorations while he's at work on his actual birthday, but I need to think of a gift. HELP!

Questions. . .

Well, I had a delightful weekend playing the Wii and relaxing. I managed to restrain myself from playing too much, for fear that I would get "Wiiitis." Yes, that is a real thing.

Anyways, off to LA in just a couple of days to see The Swimmer and I can't wait. I just hope that my flare up of my stomach condition calms down before then because it would not be fun traveling on the stomach I have had for the past few days. Positive thinking though and hopefully I will be all better before Thursday. And. . . it looks like I will be meeting his family some time this weekend. His grandma and mother ask about me all the time and they want to meet me, so it will be happening. Luckily I don't think it will be a full-on sit down dinner with them, so that definitely alleviates a lot of the pressure. I'm sure I'll be nervous anyways just because I want to make a good impression since he is pretty close with them and I'm sure their opinion of me will mean a lot to him. SO.... that is just one of the things this weekend holds for me!

I will be seeing The Professional on Wednesday, so that will be good for before I go to LA. I'm sure The Professional will be happy to hear that when I told The Swimmer I had a panic attack last week and I called my Mom, he told me that I can also call him too if I wanted to. And, hearing that my stomach thing is flaring up, he told me that he wishes he were here so he could take care of me, snuggle me and make me tea and toast so I'll feel better. He's so sweet! I think he's a keeper! OH! AND! He also brought up the whole, "How many kids do you want" question today. I was shocked and pleased that I didn't have to bring that up. He asked it by saying if I would be able to deal with the morning sickness and all with pregnancy and when I laughed about it, he said something about having five children, I was like, "What?!" He said he was just kidding and asked how many kids I want. I told him one or two and asked him how many he wants and he said two or three. If he had been serious about five, that definitely would have warranted a serious discussion about how serious he is about that, because I am certainly not going to bear five children, no thank you! And trust me, even knowing he wants two or three, there will still be much discussion (not right now though) about how he plans on raising those kids, etc. Because I will certainly not be a little housewife spending all of my time with the kids, it MUST be 50/50 and a total partnership. Anyways, that's all for now, I'm exhausted!

Wii Mission Accomplished

So, I was successful in getting a Wii yesterday and I have to say that the hour and a half I waited was totally worth it. The first 15 minutes I was playing with it, I couldn't stop laughing because it is so different than any other video game I've ever played. And time really does fly when you're playing it, I think I played for over 3 hours yesterday and I have to say, no wrist weights or anything was needed. I am so sore today. Both biceps are sore and my whole right arm is sore. That boxing game is such a workout. I actually looked up online how many calories you burn playing it and found that it's about 500 calories per hour playing the boxing game if you really get into it, like I was. That's amazing! Some guy lost about 10 pounds in 6 weeks playing his Wii for a half hour each day! Crazy!

A Confession. . .

Okay, so, here it goes, I'm going to confess something. . .

I want a Wii.

There, I said it. I know that I am in my mid-20s, so I shouldn't want to, but I want to buy a Nintendo Wii. It looks like it would be a ton of fun and something that I could quite possibly find myself playing at 3am in my underwear because I just can't stop. Here's the problem, unless I'm willing to pay the normal retail price, they are impossible to find. Yes, I have called 3 local Best Buys, 3 local Targets, the local Toys R Us and the only local Wal Mart and they are nowhere to be found. Toys R Us got some on Sunday, but sold out within an hour. Today, I called a local video game store and the guy told me they just got some in. He couldn't tell me how many, so I told him I was on my way. By the time I got there, just 10 minutes later, he was sold out. Craziness. He said that they are probably getting some in tomorrow, so I should call again tomorrow.

So, here's my plan. . . I have an oh-so-fun "women's doctor" appointment at 8:30am. The video game store opens at 10am and I plan on being there when it opens or shortly after. I will stand there until the shipment comes in at about 11am. If I do all of that waiting and there is no shipping, I will be pissed. That will be my one try and after that, I won't make another attempt to buy one until the shortage is over.

I know. I feel slightly ashamed that I will be going to those lengths to get a Wii. But just think of the hours of endless entertainment I could have not only alone, but with friends over! And, if I buy some wrist weights or use my exercise bands, I could get a great little workout playing the boxing game.

That's all about the Wii for now. . .

I'm off to LA next week to visit The Swimmer and I'm very excited about it. He wants me to meet his family and I feel good about it. I told him I'd be nervous, but he said I have no reason to worry, that they are going to love me. He also told me on the phone the other night that I'm his best friend. That was really sweet, I could feel myself blush and get a little jolt of adrenaline. He's so caring and open with me, it feels amazing. In addition to calling me on his lunch break, on his drive home from work and then before I go to sleep, he has started calling me on his drive in to work in the morning. He first did this yesterday and told me that he just wanted to hear my voice first thing in the morning and wishes I was there with him every morning and every evening. Sigh.....

Well, that's all for now, time for me to relax since I didn't finish work today until almost 9pm. . .

Step by step.... Oooohhh baby

I had to make a reference to New Kids on the Block there, couldn't resist it... I know, I'm such a dork, but I don't care!

I have to say I am a damn good cook! The Chilean Sea Bass I made on Sunday was phenomenal and I had enough for three days of leftovers! I really can kick some ass in the kitchen.

Steadman surprised me and worked with me on Tuesday, but the day went by surprisingly fast and he gave me a fantastic review.

I saw The Professional on Wednesday morning and she confirmed what Drama Queen and some others had told me about The Swimmer - that it absolutely was not a bad thing what happened when The Swimmer and I talked the Sunday he was here. That he is not freaked out in a bad way, only that he likes to think everything through very carefully, that it's okay to be scared about taking such a ginormous risk and that his being worried about me getting sick of him is totally about his own insecurities in himself and definitely not about being unsure of our relationship or anything. I really like going to The Professional, she really helps put everything into perspective and helps calm me down when I freak out about things or start overanalyzing. She's fantastic. I always feel fabulous when I leave The Professional's office - there's something about having a whole hour to talk about yourself without having to reciprocate and analyze anything and everything to pieces with someone who knows about people and the way they think. I don't know why therapists get such a bad rap a lot of the time. I'm sure there are some not-so-great ones out there, but I don't think that's too common, but I don't know. Maybe I just stumbled upon a really great one!

The Swimmer told me yesterday that at dinner at his mom's house the night before, his grandma was asking about me and told him to tell me she said hi. I thought that was absolutely adorable. I really like old ladies. I know that sounds random, but they are just fantastic - so wise with such a great perspective on life and relationships. So now he wants me to meet his grandma! Which, of course, I would be more than happy to. Big step!

Cooking. . .

Well, not much to report on, a pretty uneventful weekend for me. Saw "Knocked Up" on Friday night with some friends, that movie is absolutely hilarious! Yesterday I went and saw "Spiderman 3" alone which wasn't bad but it wasn't great. I went alone because I really wanted to be gross and eat movie theater popcorn with a lot of butter as well as a cherry icee and plus, no one I know, besides The Swimmer was interested in seeing that movie. Last night, my neighbor, the one who has a problem with drinking and some drugs, we were supposed to go out to sushi, but she cancelled on me saying that she had a lot of stuff to do before her trip to Europe with her family and she also really wanted to go out at night, so she wanted to do that instead of going to dinner. She seriously has a problem with partying if she will cancel on a true friend who is doing her a huge favor by watering all of her plants while she's gone for 2 weeks. So, she'll be hearing from me about that. That just ticks me off, it doesn't surprise me, but it really ticks me off when someone can't see that they have a problem.

The Swimmer was really sweet last night. He called a few times while he was at an old friend's house watching the basketball game. When he got home, he called and told me how much he misses me and how much he wishes I lived in LA so we could always be together. I told him to remember that next time I bring up the whole moving things and he gets freaked out. He said once again that I didn't freak him out and that I had just caught him off guard. And I will admit that him bringing it up this time totally caught me off guard and I was speechless for a minute. I'm glad I brought all of that up because now I know he's thinking about all of it too and I know that I have nothing to feel insecure about.

Today I ran a bunch of errands so I could make roasted Chilean Sea Bass for dinner. We'll see how this turns out, I've never made it before, I've just had it in restaurants and it's been amazing. I'll be really pissed if it's bad because just the fish itself cost me $16. I can usually cook a few dinners with $16, so we'll see if it was worth it or not. It would definitely only be a once in a while thing if it's good. Well, the timer just went off, so we'll see!!