Challenge: Romance!
Phase III

Meeting The Girl

You all know about the Girl right?  You must all remember the Girl.  The more than 8000 emails girl.  I was just going to write a normal journal update about it and then i thought, nah, it would be too long.  Let's make it phase III  so here it is.  and to get us started, i am putting in the first thing that i wrote about the experience.  something i wrote in an email.

   airport. got off plane. walked tentatively towards the exit. thinking that is now or never. and then i got there and i look around for andrea. i looked from person to person. searching for someone that looked like andrea. no go. there were lots of people there, but no go. so i looked around some more. i then went down the escalators to the baggage area, there was only a little old lady and a kid. neither of them were andrea, i was hoping. so then i went back upstairs, checked again, no andrea. this was ok, i then went and hunted through the airport until i could find a flower seller. i found one that had really awful bouquets. i was about to walk on, but there were no other places and i wanted a flower (couldn't find one in Vancouver airport either) but then i saw in the back of the store a bucket with single stalks of a purple flower called a stock. pretty. so i had one wrapped and went back downstairs and sat around, waiting. looking intently at people. couldn't' find anyone. couldn't find anyone at all. sat there for 20 minutes. during this time shar was nice enough to encourage me with tales of andrea hating me now.

   then i was standing there waiting. and eventually this person came up and just stood next to me. i looked at her and she had a big assed grin on her. i looked and thought, yeah this could be her, but she was not exactly like the pictures, but she did look right. and she had this bigassed expectant grin. and then it was settled by the fact that she was wearing my necklace. this indecision was less than a second, but she does say  she noticed it. but that it wasn't' a problem. 

   so i said hi. a geeky hi. and she said the same thing. and then hugged her. then we wandered into banter, an amused not really nervous banter,  but it was funny, i made her laugh. and i gave her the flower and she was touched and annoyed because she was going to get me flowers and didn't.  so we talked some more on teh way out. on the way to the car. not really touching much but friendly in our talking. quite friendly. and really geeky and nice. we then went to lunch. which was a chore picking the place. but we accomplished it and went to this place called Pete's drive in. nifty food. we got to sit on a picnic bench and talk and look at each other. still geeky. friendly. and stuff. 

   we were touching a bit more. playful, flirty, but not sexual or even romantic. you know...bumping her on the hip, playful. but we were talking great. we continued to talk through lunch and then she was trying to figure out what she should next. she is rather indecisive and wanted to make a good impression. eventually i said, 'let's go somewhere where i can get some ink for my pen,' because it had run out. this made us both happy because we had somewhere to go. we got some ink and some stickers for shan and annelie at staples and then went to a place called Michaels which is all about really gay seeming crafts. it was a crafts superstore sort of thing. no comments. thank you. 

   as we were walking around, i kept wanting to hold her hand and kept chickening out. when we got back to the car i suggested we go to a park and sit under a tree so we could talk. we went to a park. as we were driving i told her i had wanted to hold her hand but was too shy. when we got out of the car at the park, she put out her hand, for me to hold. this was sweet. we walked down the path, hand it hand. talking. then we go down a side trail to look over the lake. and we are standing there. and i want to kiss her. and i think that she wants to kiss me. and i even thing she is purposely standing so i can kiss her. but i just can't, just kiss her. so i ask if i can. and we do. 
   and it was sweet and nice. and very long. i do not tell a lie, both of us need more practice.  but it was nice. and so we walked on some more. and then i stopped her every once in a while and kissed her. it was rather amusing because she had said she was very against PDA's. guess it is not an absolute rule.  she even said this when i mentioned it. 

   so we sat at a bench, eventually and we, made out. a lot. you don't need all the details. but...what is second and third base? cause it was somewhere between those two. it was very nice.

   then when we thought we were going to be sun burnt (it was very hot here today) we left. slowly. and we just drove around, talking and holding hands and stuff. very sweet. really quite wonderful. 

i do really like her. on the other hand, i am nowhere even remotely sure i am in love with her. i thought it would be more evident. oh well. 

tomorrow, i meet her parents.

If this wasn't too boring, i shall put up some more soon.  There were other days. 

  After a little more driving around, just holding each other's hands, stealing kisses when we could...i got to meet her sister.  Can you believe i said a 'little' more driving around.  We drove around for about 2 hours, thinking about something to do.   But you know what we did?  We didn't even talk that much, we just looked at each other (granted i did a little more looking because i didn't have my eyes on the road,  what would it have looked like if i hadn't lived long enough to tell you all about our meeting?) a lot, goofy smiles on our faces, holding hands and occasionally, at a long light, stealing a kiss.  You all would have been really quite disgusted if you had been sitting in the back seat. 
   I met her rather adorable sister, they then dropped me off.  At which point i went to pub and met Annelie and Shan and their SO's.  I truly like Annelie and Shan, they are neat, so is Steve and Garth, but they are certainly no Annelie and Shan.   But you know, as much as i like them, if i could have spent that time with my girl...i would have been hard pressed to make that decision.  I guess she could have been with us there.   I was, after all, plumbed with questions by Annelie and Shan at dinner.  I think i kind of liked the attention.  My poor darling had to write a midterm while i was out having this fun.  A little later, we ended up back at my friend Doug's place where i was staying and we watched Good Morning Vietnam.  Doug was nice enough to let us sit on the same couch.  He didnt' even retch as we proceeded to move closer and closer together.  holding hands, stroking each other's arms (well, not hers, cause she had a sunburn quite badly.  i was fine though) and then a little later, i lay down with my head in her lap and she ran her fingers through my hair.   The sigh of joy that built up inside of my chest when i felt her fingers running through my hair, had it burst, would have showered Doug with wind.

   But then she went home.  Alone.  
   Hah, so there.

So are you wondering if it was all a fluke?  A one day thing?  This weekend....i will get up the next morning and more. 

 So when i said this weekend, it was a loose term you know, didn't mean precisely that so much. I may have, in fact meant that i wasn't going to be able to do anything of the sort. 

   So the next morning i got to sleep in a little for me. I was going to sleep until 9 and then she was going to come and we were going to go and see an art gallery a passion we both share.  I had been looking forward to this for a very long time.  Seeing a gallery with her.  But then she got held up by some task or another and couldn't show up until 10.  Given that we had made lunch plans with my sister in law for noon we weren't going to have time to really see a gallery.  So we did something even better.  We spent the better part of 2 hours just making out.  I don't have to tell you what making out means, you know.  That's what we did.  We even lost track of time and before we knew it, it was noon and we still had to drive at least 15 minutes to get to the sister in law's.  I really relish the memory of being in her arms and forgetting about time.  What a grand memory.

   So prior to this meeting the only person in my family who knew about my girl at all was my sister. i don't really remember why i told her but my intent was not to tell any of them.  No one seems to get this so much but it really does make sense to me. I just didn't want to share it with them, i didn't think they deserved to share this good thing with me.  Well, the one person that i was going to tell it to was my sister in law because i knew how thrilled she was going to be for me.  But, she couldn't be found, what with the new baby and her jet set life she was nowhere to be found, pretty much for the entirety of my relationship with Andrea.  (is that the first time i have said her name aloud on this page?  hmmm. i guess so, the secret is out...her name, is Andrea)  Well, while i was sitting at lunch with Andrea the day before i had phoned and told her all about her.  We had made plans for me to come and meet my new niece (only niece for that matter) today and i was going to bring Andrea with me.  For sister in law as the one person that i had no apprehension for Andrea to meet. And that's what we did, we went to hang out with sister-in-law and niece.  
   I don't make any bones about this, i don't like babies much, not much at all.  I don't want to like them, they bother me.  Yes, i had told Andrea this, she was ok with it, she doesn't want children either.  But i was, perhaps, a little put back by the fact that when i met my little 4 month old niece i had barely a positive thought about her (best i can do, she's not as ugly as most babies) but andrea took to her like she has had a dozen children and wants a dozen more.  She was great, held the baby lots and kept her quiet when she was crying.  And Sister-in-law loved Andrea, and Andrea, she loved Sister-in-law. ok, ok. it was a great big love fest, yes it was.  We all liked each other.  And better yet, we put our heads together and figured out what we were going to do about my parents, whether we were going to tell them about her or not, they were going to be in town that night, they were going to have to know something or other about where all my time was going while i was in Calgary.  
   So we decided that we wouldn't really tell them anything and yet let them meet her.  she was going to be my friend.  we were not going to volunteer any more information than that for them.  

   Something else that spending the afternoon with my sister-in-law was intended to do and kept up quite successfully, keeping my mind off of the fact that that evening i was going to be having dinner with Andrea's parents.  This was something i was a little worried about. i couldn't really say why, i don't get scared of people, and i wasn't really scared of them, but maybe, just maybe, i wouldn't go over well.  And Andrea talked often about how good a judge of character her mom was.  Maybe it was also just the societalization that we have against meeting the parents of your girlfriend.  I don't know, but i was glad that i had not had time to think about it all afternoon because it left me more at ease when it was time to go.

   Off we go to Andrea's house, time to meet the parents.  One more hurdle, one more point of stress in our trip. i was trying pretty hard to remain nonchalant about the whole thing. I think i was doing ok with it.  Then we park in the garage and instead of going into the house through the garage door Andrea says that we can't because her mom would kill us.  How reassuring that was.  But that's ok. So i walk through the front door of the house, into this incredibly beautiful house, almost opulent it was so gorgeous.  As i am looking around, Andrea's mom comes walking down the stairs, looking every bit the majestic lady of the manor.  A very confident and together lady, her personality filling the room as she glides down the stairs.  All that apprehension i had managed not to feel all day was welling up and about to wash over me in a wave when she showed what a talented hostess she really is.  She said the one thing that was perfectly sculpted to put me at ease.  She said, 'I know you, i recognize your foot,' as she swept across the floor to shake my hand.  Right away, i was fine.  Because it reminded me that she had read my site, she had been reading my site all along, she recognized my foot from my site.  This meant to me that she had gotten to know me already and already had formed an opinion of me.  And even if i was a complete ass in this first impression meeting, she had an opinion of me already formed and could use it to counteract.  This allowed me to be me for the rest of the evening. 
   So we had dinner, it went well, there was a lot of pleasant conversation and by the time that Andrea's dad got home, he was late because he was coming back into town from business, it was a fine thing to meet him. i was happy and content and full and felt very welcome in the home.  It didn't even matter that he is 6'4" and looks kind of like a bear.  Things went well, i was happy and i liked her parents.  I got the impression that they were ok with me as well.
   After dinner, we ran away and watch a movie.  We saw, X-men.  It was good the second time.  Mostly because i got to hold Andrea's hand at the theatre.  We went with my friend D to the movie.  Before it, Andrea and i got to walk around like dopes in the mall, shopping and looking at things.  At one point while we wandered around i spotted a little something that i bought her.  A package of love hearts candy. both of us decided we didn't like them all that much, but that didn't stop her from eating every one.  

This day ended much the same as the first, a wonderful kiss good night from my girlfriend after which she went home.   

night. 

  So this morning was a boring morning. I was not to see Andrea all day, not until she came that night to meet me at my sister-in-law's house, where my parents were going to be.  I was going to miss her i thought, miss holding her, miss her lips.  Yeah, yeah, i know, but i had been waiting for months and months without touching, or seeing her. I was filled with the need to be with her.  Not to mention the fact that i was going to be not telling my parents anything about our relationship, so they weren't going to be allowed to see us being all coupley.  I still don't know precisely why yet, i just don't think that i really want to share that much of myself with them.  
   Well, my afternoon went ok, sister- i- law picked me up at my friend D's, where i was staying and brought me back to her house.  I hung out with the niece and the parents.  No problems were encountered. We didn't even discuss the fact that i was going to have a guest that night.  In fact i don't know if they were told, or rather at that time , i didn't know if they had been told.  It was not until later that i found out that sister-in-law had told them that i had a friend coming for supper. and that is what they were expecting.  Just a friend.   I also found out later that my mom had cornered sister in lawn and said that she though i had some sort of girlfriend in town.  One i had bought flowers for and where i was staying.  Sister-in-law was a marvel, without lying she managed to explain away all these things.  I mean, first of, i have lots of friends in Calgary, many of whom are female, there was no proof there.  The proof that i had sent flowers was also explained away merely by the fact that i have a florist friend in Calgary, also true.  And as for staying with a female in Calgary, i was staying with my friend D.  He is very male.  My parents know him, he is a high school friend.   Sister-in-law could attest to picking me up at his place.  This did nothing other than to confuse my mother.  She had made a number of assumptions based upon half baked theories and even though she had come up with the correct conclusion, none of her evidence was true.  I was so happy to learn that operation misinformation was working well.  Am i cruel?  Maybe.  But i still didn't want them to be a part of this part of my life.  However, i didn't know all of these things until after the evening.  
   At about 6:30 Andrea showed up, from work.  I spent a little time with her out front, a little nervous to be introducing her.  But then we went in and i introduced her, as my friend.  She was received nicely by my parents and we went on with our evening.  It was actually fine.  Every once in a while i would manage to find a way to be alone with her so we could exchange  glance or  snuggle.  Not very often but enough.  Poor andrea was in her very nice work clothes and we were all in our shorts and etc.  It was hot out.  But i think this added to the impression that she was making.  It was a very good impression, in fact.  But...she decided that she needed to help.  Even not know what relationship andrea and i shared, every time that i left the room and she was alone with my mom, she would say something encouraging about me.  Like when i was clearing the table and she said, 'he's not just doing this to impress you, he does it all the time.'  Fascinating.  Very helpful.  Thanks mom.  Or the way that she went to super human efforts to police the conversation, it ended up being a little off colour and she was totally trying to rein it in. and then we started talking about when i was a baby.  But i had fun. so it was ok.

   Eventually it was over.  Sister-in-law has chronically late dinners and we finished at about 9:30.  Andrea and i took off and went to her place to help her change.  While there, i got to meet the parents again.  Well, first i got the pleasure of meeting one of Andrea's aunts and cousin.  There seem to be about 336 aunts to meet in Andrea's family, perhaps i am a little relieved that i only met the one in the weekend.  Perhaps not, her aunt was pretty gosh darned cool anyways.  And then i we sat down and talked with her parents for a while.  Things were a little looser and more casual, this maybe because some small amount of wine had been consumed.  But we talked some, discussed something and i decided that i was absolutely certain that i liked andrea's parents because they are good and interesting people.  I might even be a little ashamed for playing with her mom 's mind a little bit when she was readjusting the arty globes.  Sorry.  

   After that we went for a walk in the dark along the river.  We had an extremely romantic walk, talk and cuddle.  We made out more than you should in public, but it was very dark.  We got quite familiar with each other and i totally made andrea into a liar.  Hates PDA's indeed. 

  It may have been a fun and interesting day but it ended sweet, and wonderful and cool.  She left me light headed and swimming.  Wonderful.  

The next day....romance through the evening.

 The next morning started nicely, andrea was going to come and pick me up and we were going to go for brunch.  I was truly looking fwd to this, you know, brunch is very much a couple thing to do.   It was going to be a marvelous start to me day.  And then our poor planning hit us like a brick wall,. andrea had to run her parents to the airport and that brought her to me too late to go to brunch, or do much of anything other than drive together to my brother's house.  Something about her working, you know, wanting to be on time.  Although if i recall, she was in such an early morning daze from my keeping her up so late the night before that i think that she might have crashed if i hadn't kept reaching over and holding her hand.
   The rest of the day was basically hell.  I spent it with some friends from Calgary and they didn't stop arguing and bickering and complaing about Calgary for the whole day.  And while i am willing to admit that i am not a big fan of Calgary, there is still not that much objectively wrong with it. I am willing to admit that the things wrong with the city are my own subjective opinions.  But that is ok, because i was on my way to see Andrea after this visit.  Although i still treasure the advice that i was given, basically advising me to not act with her in any of the ways that i was going to, or wanted to.  
   Eventually though, i was picked up by andrea after she had got off work.  We were then on our way to a marvelous place.  A place of treasure, a place of wonder.  We went to Annelie's to see my painting.  I can't believe how long we sat there with me just staring at my painting.  I don't think i used any social graces, i just stared and jabbered and jabbered and jabbered at my painting.  I guess if i had listened to my friends i would not  have neglected andrea like that while i just stared and jabbered.  But then again....it was my painting. Wow.
   After that interminable period of time we were on our way back to andrea's house. we would have it all to ourselves, i was going to make dinner and we were going to have a nice evening together.  I was looking forward to that.  In fact one of the nicest things that we did in our entire weekend together was our walking around the supermarket together, pointing out the things that we liked or disliked and getting all giggly when our tastes matched.  It was neat.  And then on the way to the car we ended up having a cute tiff over thirst. i was thirsty but not enough to go to the truck and get the change andrea couldn't hold with my being thirst and wanted to drive the truck right into the store up to the vending machine. it was very cute.  (for me, ok, for me)

   So supper, was to be; smoked salmon, brie and olives on crackers, melted to perfection.  Then we had grilled chicken breast, browned in a sherry reduction and then simmered in a balsamic sauce, this was added to fresh french bread with roasted bell pepper and eaten as a sandwich and a tomato, pepper salad.
   While i was preparing supper, Andrea and i took turns attacking the other to be lost in a few moments of making out.  We were, in a word, all over each other.   at one point long before supper was ready, i had her backed up against the counter, we were making out, were really into each other.  I was wearing my shorts (outside shorts, get our minds up out of the gutter) but nothing else.  As andrea adjusted her position just a little my rather large glass of milk was kind of knocked flying.  To shatter on the floor, at my feet. I was covered with milk from the bottoms of my feet to just above my knees. there was milk on the cupboards, there was mile all over the floor.  There was broken glass all over as well, and about 5 big shards resting politely on top of my bare feet.  I think that i was rather likely.  Andrea and i just stood there, arms around each other, thinking amused thoughts.  Andrea went off to put on shoes and brought back cloths and paper towels.  We cleaned up, in high spirits, having to be very careful, not to get glass around.  We were still giggling when i took andrea to the bathroom and let her sponge clean my feet, legs and knees.  It was very funny to us.
   After quite a bit more time supper was done, we ate at about quarter to 11.  What a long evening. But i guess, we were only at annelie's at 7:30, so not that bad.
   After that...well, you don't need details do you?  Can we leave it at that i woke up in her arms, content and happy?

   The next morning i made french toast from the remainder of the french bread and without any major spills.  Then andrea took me to sister in law's where i was to spend the day with my family.  She was to meet up with me later that evening to join us all for a picnic.  the day was quiet and more than once i felt myself wanting to see andrea again.  But i also got to misinform the parents some more, that was fun.
   Andrea picked me up after everyone had left, so that gave us some alone time on the way to the barbeque.  The barbeque was all right, although there were 8 other children the same age as my cousin.  Once again i was slightly taken aback by the way that Andrea just took to the babies, but no big problem. Shortly after that...we had to take our separate paths.  Andrea had to go home and i had to sleep on my brother's couch to facilitate the early morning departure the next day.  We had a long woeful look at each other.  We went for coffee   We talked about interesting things, like she wasn't very comfortable with the way i was treating my mom, but in the end all was good and we were sad and lonely as we said good bye. 

   Honestly, i can't say the weekend fulfilled each and every dream that i had about it, but it also delivered in some areas things that i had never anticipated. It was wonderous.  can it happen every weekend now?

 The Girl Comes To Me.

   Andrea figured out that it would be a good time to come and see me the weekend before she started school. for labour day.  Ok this isn't completely true, after our first weekend together and in conjunction with our continuing online relationship, which never subdued after we had met, neither of us could even think of not meeting again if we had the opportunity.  So after much planning and discussions of time and money, with me pushing for a week and her not being able to stay that long, we settled on her flying in on a friday and leaving again on a tuesday night.  Not as long as i would like (but she couldn't really stay for a whole year could she?) but longer than not seeing her at all.

   The time before she arrived was happy and sad.  Happy she was coming, sad she would be going again.  But that didn't matter. Each day a different piece of cleaning had to be done.  I did some laundry and dusting that hadn't been done in months. Sure sure, my house is generally neat <looks around right now and cringes at the breadth of the lie> but i don't really dust that often, allowing it to build up until i just have to get rid of it.  Bathrooms, ktichen, laundry...so much cleaning.  I generally like to stagger my cleaning so i don't do too much on any one week but this was my girl.  She even said that she didn't care if i cleaned the rest of the house as long as i cleaned the bathroom.  i sniffed at that, i had cleaned it the weekend before. but...but....for her the moon.  So i cleaned the bathroom too.  i had done everything except vacuum when friday morning rolled around.  i wasn't nervous at all, i was just happy and excited, i was so looking forward to seeing her. I wondered if i should be nervous because andrea had told me that she was and had been.nervous. She couldn't figure out why but she was.  I thought that maybe there was something i didn't know, but i didn't really care, it was mere hours until i got to see her again.
   I had tried to find a ride for andrea but my normal sources were all going to a play together so my poor girl was going to have to take a cab.  I offered to go out and meet her but she said no, and i also realized that since i was going to ditch work to be with her on tuesday i had to stay late enough on friday to make a difference not to mention the fact that i was going to vacuum when i got home. .  So about 4 different times that day B offered me different ways of getting his car to go out there myself.  And each time i had to turn him down because i had to stay for the whole day.  But he made it his mission to make me feel guilty about not going to pick her up.  And it started to get to me, it really did, each time he came up with a different way, but i didn't leave early.  I stayed.  But i was seriously starting to feel bad about it.  But i got through my day.  On the way home i went to my favourite flourist on the north shore and got some flowers for her.  A very nice bouquet of gerbers (her favourite) and sunflowers (which i had bought her before), i was quite happy about them.  It had been my thought all along to have flowers waiting for her.  Thankfully B was there to give me a ride home to make it easier, of course that also gave him a chance to poke at me a bit more for not picking her up.  He wasn't making me happy.

   So i get home, put the flowers out so she can get them when she comes in.  And then i vacuum.  the house is complete. all right, all right, i admit it, this is why i didn't pick her up, so i could vacuum.  (this is the test, did you believe me, or did you know i was joking).  And then i sat and read.  My nerves were fine but i was getting so impatient, i kept thinking and rethinking times for the taxi from the airport and how soon she could be here.  And thankfully i saw a taxi out front 10 minutes before my best guess.  I was happy, i recognized her legs through my window. I went outside of the apt and went to the door to open it for her.  I was standing in the window of the door and she was looking at the buttons for mine.  I even heard it buzz behind me, and then she looked up.  and i kid you not, as she looked up, her face was so incredibly beautiful that it filled me with joy to just see it. And then she saw me and she smiled and i almost stepped back.  What kind of good thing had i done in my life to be allowed this glory.  I don't know, i have no clue but i was willing to accept it.  I opened the door and stepped forward, my arms going out to hug her as she held out her flowers to me.   She bought me flowers.  I admit that i figured she might, considering comments she had made before, but still.  They were a gorgeous lilly arrangement and i was so totally blown away by the concept of getting the flowers that i felt just about everything in me start to melt.  
  I hugged her and kissed her and brought her into my apt, and gave her my flowers.  What a treat.  Now i was one vase short. Because i had only one.  So in-between about 30 hugs, 100 questions and a tour of the apt, we managed to get the flowers in a vase and make a new vase out of a super big gulp container.  They looked ok, my flowers for her, in the shitty vase, they looked ok.  So then we did another tour of my place, really it isn't big enough for that, but this time were doing the art tour, my telling her all the stories for the paintings.  When we got to my bedroom, i pushed her on the bed and we stayed there for a good long while.  It would have been, perhaps a more productive couple of hours if it weren't for the 5 phone calls i received from B and Shar to make sure everything was going ok.  hee hee.  Things were going just fine.  A couple hours later we ordered chinese food and pretty much just hung out in each others arms.  And then we went back to bed.  What more do you need to know?

Soon, i will do the next day.  

 Day 2 - Saturday

   Is there anything that could be better than waking up in the arms of the one you care the most about?  I suppose it is entirely possible, but if, so i don't know what it is.  I mean there are a lot of cool things about sex and orgasms and i supposed that winning a million dollars or giving a concert to a full concert hall would have their draws but is there anything that can make you feel as good as long as waking up comfortable and happy in the arms of your girl?  I am sure there is not. Although this time there was a problem.   When, late Friday night we finally went to sleep my arm was stretched out to the side of me and her head was laid back on my arm.  When i fell asleep it felt really good.  when i woke up my arm felt a little funny. something about it being there for about 6 hours with her head upon it.  I figured that it probably, the numbness, wasn't that good a thing for me.  For a few minutes i lay there thinking that i needed to get my arm out from under her head, that there might be problems with it that had to be taken care of. but you know, i couldn't wake her up, i couldn't risk her waking up, she looked so peaceful and sweet.  So i lay there for a moment longer.  The longer i stared at the ceiling trying as hard as i could to not think about my arm, the more the numbness stopped being numbness and moved into the realm of pain.  Now i am sure that it was only in my mind, but you know, my mind is where i feel pain in the first place, so it was making a difference.  It was making me hurt.  And after what was without a doubt an eterinity, or, if you were to use something as functional and silly as a clock, about 35 seconds, Andrea, on her own accord, woke up and rolled over to look at me.  As she rolled over i picked up my arm and all i could feel was a stabbing pain moving up through my arm, blossoming like the first tufts of whipped cream out of the spray can.  But that quickly passed and didn't matter as i looked in Andrea's eyes, first thing in the morning.
   So we hung out and just enjoyed each others' company for a while and then around 9 o'clock or so we started thinking about deciding if we should go out for breakfast or eat leftover Chinese Food.  Eventually the desire to sit across from each other at brunch in the morning, something, if you will recall we missed on our first trip, won us over and we decided to leave.  My poor andrea, at my urging, decided that we could forgo a shower and makeup and just go and do that sort of thing after we came back.  This was a good thing because it meant that we could likely get to brunch while it was still open.  (ok, ok, I'm sorry Andrea, that wasn't fair).    
   Away we went.  We had breakfast at Joe's Diner.  it was nice, we talked, we laughed, we said mean things about the strangers around us.  What more could you ask for?  After this we went towards the drug store to pick up a couple of things we needed.  We cavorted up and down the street.  WE stopped in a great candy store that only sold candy.  It had candies from all over the world. What a great place.  In and out of stores, window and rack shopping. I bought a ring.  I put it on her finger.  Psych!  I bought a ring for me.  We wandered the street, into and out of stores, playing with each other.  It was great fun, we really do have fun together.  And what better way to spend a Saturday morning than cavorting with your girl, hand and hand, up and down the street.   We also picked up a new and prettier vase for the flowers.  Her gift almost as important looking as mine now. 
   We came home. hung out in each others arms for a while longer and then had to get ready to go and see Bard on the Beach, Measure for Measure.  Due to some activities that can not be hurried so much we were a little late leaving the house but it was totally my fault.  HA!  You assumed sex, but we were actually just lying together on the bed and i was going through my old high school annuals.  I got caught up and didn't think about the time very well. so then i jumped in the shower.  That was a little sweet i guess. Something i never told anyone was that i made up a little song for my Andrea, near the start of things.  But i have a poor singing voice, the only place where it sounds good, is in my shower.  She had never heard that before.  So i took her in the bathroom and put her outside the shower curtain as i sang it to her.  Romantic? Maybe, but it was very nice for to hear it as i intended it when i wrote it. 
   We went to the play.  it was the first time Andrea was going to meet my closest friend, Shar and B.  She was a little nervous, shar who was under the weather was also nervous, because she was going to have to meet her not at her best.  But we did meet and things went all right.  I got to watch a play with andrea's hand in my and my arm under hers.  It was glorious.  And the play was even ok.  After the play the tentative plan was to go to dinner with the people and then go out to a party at a local bar for one of my friends.  But i wasn't into sharing her with all that noise, and Shar was feeling to bad to go out.  So shar suggested that we watch a movie.  I thought this would give me a chance to hang out with my darling some more.  On the way towards Granville island we were talking about food.  We may have had our first argument. Or maybe it wasn't the first. it was kind of silly. i suggest that we eat somewhere, at a fish and chips place, she said ok.  Then i asked her if she like fish and chips, and she said no.  So said we couldn't eat there. And she said we had to.  This went around and around for a while, B and Shar listening and smiling the entire time.  When we split ways, to meet up at Shar's a little later, i had won and we were going somewhere else.  Brian was amused greatly when i called him 10 minutes later and told him we were sitting in the fish and chip place having supper.  In my own defense, i capitulated only when we found out that they had other things on the menu that andrea would like and eat.  Andrea also confided in me that she thought Shar didn't' like her and that brian did.  I was a little worried by this because shar did like her.  but no matter.  
   After dinner we took the foot ferry over the bay to get to Shar's apt to watch the movie.  As we were walking there she admitted that her feet and hips hurt from all the walking we had done.  So, i did the only thing i could do, i left her wish Shar as i walked up the hill to rent the movie.  This was a scary notion to me. Not only did she think that shar didn't like me.  If there is any one person in this world who really knows the dirt on me, it is Shar.  and here i was giving her an opportunity to learn everything that she wanted.  Eww. but she was sore.  So i went.  and as i left i heard shar laughing evilly. i was frightened.  Enough that, after i left, i was so concerned that i even called shar on my cell and instructed her to be good.  Her response, of more maniacal laughter didn't make me feel any better.  But when i got back they were still smiling.  i haven't learned what they did talk about it, but later when i asked my girl how felt about shar now, she said she was sure shar liked her. So it all worked out.  
   We spent the rest of the evening watching 'On the Town' the frank sinatra, gene kelly navy movie that has 'New York, New York' in it.  I love watching movies with my head in andrea's lap and this was just what i did.
   Oh, and before I forget, my favourite thing of the evening, was the disturbed look on shar's face as i kissed andrea goodbye when i went to get the movie.  Shar had never seen me kiss anyone before and it made her feel really strange. 

   After the movie and discussions that followed, we left poor sick shar on her own and took a cab back to my place.  Once there we went right to bed, to once again be in each other's arms.  Is there a theme here? Sure is, we like each other. 

Tomorrow is Sunday.

   And today is is Sunday as a matter of fact.  We weren't in any hurry to get out of bed today.  We didn't know what we were going to do, but we did have leftover chinese food for breakfast and that was what we were going to eat.  And after lounging in bed for a good long time in the morning that is just what we did, we got up and played with our food.  It was good, even two days later.  Leftover chinese food may not be as good as pizza but it is still good.  It was cute, my heating up fthe food for her, us actually eating at the kitchen table.  Not wearing any clothes for it.  Wait a second, that's how i always prepare breakfast. hmmm.  well, it was still nice.
   We have a definite plan for the day, we were going to go to Grandville Island and do some shopping and wandering around and then after that we were going to go with Andrea's brother and sister out to Whiterock to have a meal with her uncle and aunt and uncle  and cousins.  I wasn't sure what to think about that, i mean, more family, meeting more family, not to mention the fact that i was going to be spending a lot of time with a number of people that actually know andrea better than i do.  And this is not easy considering the number of house that andrea and i have spent together talking and interacting.
   
   So we go to granville island looking around. We play in the kids area, i talk about buying her a stuffed toy and she won't let me.  Something about them becoming dust mops.  The whole time talking and jostling and being a couple. did you get that? being a couple. what more could a person want, really.  really, what more could a person want?  We go to the market, buy a bottle of wine to bring to supper and some food so that we can make breakfast the next morning.  Brunch in as it were.  you know, we didn't really do anything, we didn't really buy anything but what does that matter, we were together.  We did end up getting what we needed for breakfasts.  But not the same things, we found some yogurt and fruit salad for my darling and i found some eggs, some cheese, some peppers, some mushrooms and some spicy roman sausage. i was going to have omelet's.  Healthy, not so much.  Having my mouthwatering? Totally and completely.

   After we get back from shopping and putting the stuff away we pile into the car with the brother and the sister and the random german girl (i don't know, you don't know, we're even) and head to white rock, or surrey, or whatever you call it.  Dinner ho.  We have a rather raucous time in the car.  You know, andrea's brother and sister are rather fun and they share this camaraderie and dynamic that i never had with my siblings.  Hell, even when you see them poking at each other you can tell that they like each other.  So we did this, we had fun in our drive.  And we get to the house.  I am warned repeatably about the kids and how, um, exuberant they are.  
   My gosh, for a, ummm, 4 year old and a, ummm, 8 year old they were rather energetic.  But i was ok.  Andrea was under the impression that i hated kids because of the way i interacted with my little niece and i wasn't going to let her know that things were any different than that.  Or i wasn't until i got to know them i guess.  I was avoiding them myself at first and they were me as well, because i am big and scary and that was good.  They also were going ape over Johs, andrea's brother.  Then i made a mistake, i talked to one of them.  Something about calling the little cutie pie stinkbug won my inclusion in the random attacks and revelry that the kids called their lives.  In fact i became a sort of focal point with josh.  If anything i would say that we horsed around big time for the rest of the night.  
   Supper was grand, the aunts uncles and cousins were pretty neat.  After dinner we took a walk down the beach in whiterock.  It was kind of cool, although my poor sure footed andrea isn't. She is dead clumsy.  Now put her in unstable shoes, in the dark and walk her down the rocky and wooded beach and guess what happens.  Well, we avoided catastrophe and made it back alive, although how she coped after i picked up the stinkbug and put her on my shoulders and took the arm she had been holding onto for the last km and ran down the trail.  Too bad about the parking tickets. 
    We went back to their house and chatted some more.  It was cool.  Then we came home.

   We were exhausted.  So tired in fact that we just crawled into bed and went to sleep.
    Anyone believe that?  Well, we talked about that happening, how's that?

   At this point, i had to start counting down. tomorrow is monday.

  Monday, monday, sunny monday.  Today is monday, what a monday.  Hi there.  
Waking up in the arms of one you care about, have i mentioned this already just up there?  i think that i have, so i might not talk about it again for a minute or two but suffice it to say that i did wake up there, in the arms of heaven.  And that, if i must admit it that i had not slept in the same way that i did the first night, for after all i am relatively bright and i am not one to let someone's head actually cause a tumor in my arm or something like that. know what i mean?  
   I woke up excited.  Ha.  Dirty minded freaks.  I guess it is ok to admit that i did and after i was done being excited about that, a while later, i was still excited for that other reason that i had been. I had good food to make a good breakfast from. you don't know how seldom i actually bring food home so that i can make myself a breakfast out of it. I was excited.  Not as excited as i might have been as the breakfast that my darling was having was one i could not eat. Well, i guess this is not true, i could eat it, i just wouldn't like it.  She was having vanilla yogurt with fruit salad and grain something or other in it.  Well, to be honest, i don't like yogurt, i am not a big fan of fruit salad and i pretty much hate grain something or other.  But this is what she wanted and what would make her happy, so this is what she got.  best i could do is put the food out for her and make her nice coffee to eat it with.  I on the other hand made an omelet out of eggs (go figure), emmental cheese, spicy roman sausage (kind of like a double smoked pepperoni, only different, mushrooms and red pepper. Oh my, oh my, it was just good.  Great. Grand wonderful even.   And making food, scantily clad, while chatting with your girl is really a wonderful experience. If you haven't done it this week, go out and do it. Do it NOW.  Ok, ok, wait until tomorrow, for breakfast.

   Today was to be our date day.  We were going to forsake all others and have a date. Well sort of.  My friend E had expressed interested and need to meet Andrea, a feeling i could relate to considering how much i want to do this on a regular basis.  So we got ourselves together and left the house, aiming for the Vancouver Art Gallery at about 2:30 (ok, ok, that first while was a rather long while, what of it?), actually we ended up being rather behind and took the bus instead of walking as we would have wanted.  This might have something to do with the fact that every time we started to get clean something would happen to get us dirty again, but i am not saying this is a definite thing, it just might have happened.  So off we go to the gallery, we had talked a lot about going to galleries and i was very much looking forward to it.  E and his wife were to meet us there and we would cavort about the gallery together.  I am usually a pretty solitary gallery type person and enjoy my time there alone very much.  But on occasion i meet someone that i am just a perfect mesh with in a gallery.  I think i have only done this about 3 times in my life, with them the gallery is better than just the sum of the art.  I was so hoping that this would happen with Andrea, but i am afraid it did not. Now don't' get me wrong, the gallery was fun with andrea and i enjoyed myself, but there was just something that didn't hit that extra super level.  But i haven't given up, i think that it might be there and when next we are together i am gong to take us to a gallery i haven't been to and we will give it another chance.  After all, i had been to this show at this one a couple of times already.  So we wandered the halls of the gallery with E and wife, lost them and found them again, and then we were out and we split from them, because the next stop on our date was a movie together, something we had yet to do but something we both wanted very much to do considering how important movies are to my life.  So we went to see the Cell.  It was pretty good, but it was made better by the fact that andrea had wrapped herself around my arm and was holding my hand.  There is something just so comforting and special about having your girl wrapped around your arm. 

   After the movie we ducked in and did some shoe shopping, and as is true to most stereotypes when i am around they get flaunted.  Andrea bought nothing and i got a great deal on some shoes.  Holding hands like goons we crossed the road to chow down on some raw fish. It was andrea's first time for sushi and we did it right a nicely lit table for two.  From there we went home and cuddled for the rest of the night.  What a joy it was.  Could i ever spend enough time with her?  Likely not, but what do you want?

Tomorrow is the last day. Ig.

     As i just stated today is the last day.  i had taken the Tuesday of this long weekend off as a holiday day so that i could spend the last day with my andrea.  I didn't even want to think about this as i woke up this morning.  It was the last day, at 4 o'clock she was going to up and go away, to get on a plane to once again become a person of the web instead of a person of reality.   Again there was the treat, the joy, the pure unadulterated exuberance  of waking up beside the person who is the one for me.  You know how it goes.   Or you don't, if you don't then i wish you all the best. 
  This morning was almost a replay of the other.  We hung out in bed until we were too hungry to not hang out in bed anymore and then we went and made breakfast.  We even ate the same things again, i don't know what she was thinking about there isn't really anything better than that omelette i made, there really couldn't be.  yeesh, yoghurt, fruit salad and grains...icky.  Give me eggs, spicy roman pepperoni, cheese and mushrooms every single time.  
   After we had finished eating our breakfast we got dressed and just mooned around some. Neither of us were particularly ready or willing to even think about the end of the day because at the end of the day she is leaving, she is becoming not near me anymore.  and that just bites.  it just sucks.  
   So we go down out, because out is where it is at.  No, that's not true, we went out to return the movie we had rented the night before.  We did this and then we popped into an antique store that is on the way.  I am always on the lookout for some nice glass to make into jewellery and antique stores are a great place to do this.  While there we looked around and i bought a vase and a destructible we had a rather enjoyable time.  It was fun.  And we got the best compliment not only did the owner assume that we were a well attached couple he also assumed that we owned an antique shop because we sounded so knowledgeable when we talked about stuff.   this is made even more amusing by the fact that neither of us think that we really know all that much.  It left both of us glowing and happy though. 
   After this we took a break (you realize we where having a pretty rough day at this point?) and went to starbucks.  My girl is a coffee addict, and i am a my girl addict so this all works out. After this we went back to my apt and just hung out.  We danced, or i danced and she laughed and etc.  You know how it goes.  

   We spent the last half hour before shar came to pick us up for the airport in each others arms.  It was a good half hour.  From there we went to the airport where we had dinner together after we had checked in Andrea...to...sigh...leave.  It was good that shar was there because with her there we had no choice but not to be all sappy and sweet and just disgusting.  So we got to spend the time together and it wasn't allowed to be sad.  That was a good thing,  thank you shar.  Then we walked to her gate and shar did the cutest thing.  You see, she is a definite candidate for gross out at the site fo me being lovely, so she said goodbye to andrea and then she bailed.  She went far away fast.  Or rather she went into a nearby store where i found out she encountered a problem with the must watch accidents syndrome and she watched us through the shelves in the store.  We hugged, we kissed, we almost cried, she left.  this is what happened physically, at this time, i am not ready to talk about what happened emotionally.  Thank you.

this was the end of the trip.
sigh.