Because They're THAT Good

Pete Shagman's Famous Breakfast Muffins
I can't take credit for this recipe, but it is one I have to share with all of you. These are the best damn breakfast muffins on the planet. Like, Tater Tot Casserole good. You can quote me on that.

Ingredients:

• Crescent rolls -- I get the round biscuit shaped ones, for ease of use.
• 3-4 eggs -- too many and they puff up too much
• Bacon/Sausage -- about a half a pound, I use maple sausage
• Onion Powder -- teaspoon or two to taste
• Garlic Powder --teaspoon or two to taste
• 6oz Cream Cheese --softened
• Cheddar Cheese -- I use about a half an 8 oz block, cut into 1/4" cubes

Directions

1. Preheat to 375.
2. Cook bacon or sausage and set aside. Flatten crescent rolls and press into Pam'd muffin pans. (Use the big muffin pans)
3. Soften cream cheese and add eggs, garlic salt and onion powder and blend/beat/mix
4. Drop a little bacon/sausage and cheese chunks into crescent cups. Pour egg mixture in, then a little bit more bacon/sausage/cheese chunks on top.
5. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the centers are NO LONGER JIGGLY! Eggs will start to brown slightly around the edges. Eat warm!

Don't mind my amateur photography.

Yum! And they freeze really well too, had one this morning and put in the microwave for about 45 seconds or so.

Enjoy!

My Idea Of A Perfect Date Night

Dinner at Max & Erma's restaurant. Indulging in our favorites: tortilla soup, soft pretzels and watermelon lemonade.

A round of mini-golf at Magic Mountain. A hot pink golf ball. Avoiding the "hazards" of fallen leaves and slanting greens.

Hunting moose, killing zombies, knocking out opponents in the ring, and jet skiing. And playing the kiddie games because they're only one token.

Watching Supernanny in bed, listening to suggestions on how they could "sex up" the show. Nothing that a little cleavage couldn't fix.

Falling asleep next to the person you love knowing there isn't any place you'd rather be.

Oh and let's not forget the most important part of the evening - WINNING at putt-putt:

;)


What's YOUR idea of a perfect date night?

Invisible Spider? No, Invincible.

Scene: Leaving Clancy's last night, walking towards the front door.

[both of us see a spider at the same time on the glass window of the front door, and glance at each other. each knowing the other is afraid of it.]

Michelle: Don't look at me, I'm not killing it!

Clancy: [does the manly thing even though he hates spiders and attempts to kill it with a shoe from the closet]

[spider falls to the ground, dead]

Michelle: Did you get it, did you get it?!

Clancy: Yeah, I think so.

[we both look down, spider scurries across floor]

Michelle: He's not dead! [begins stepping on it with the shoes on her feet]

[after each squishing attempt, we look at spider and watch for any sign of life. spider waits until we look away and begins, rather slowly, trying to escape. again]

Clancy: He must be sneaking into the spaces where the tread on your shoe is.

Michelle: [lifts leg and turns foot over to inspect tread on shoe. no tread exists.]

[puzzled looks pass between us]

Michelle: Seriously?! This spider is invisible.

Clancy: I think you mean invincible honey. Because if he was invisible, he would be damn near impossible to kill.

Michelle: [giggles embarrassingly] OK, let's just kill the damn thing.

Clancy: [grabs extra piece of wood trim from closet, bludgeons the spider to pieces]

Michelle: [inspecting the spider parts on ground] Very convincing spider, but you don't fool me!

[pretty sure spider is dead, but will check back tomorrow]

A Wicked Weekend

We had a fabulous time at Wicked this past weekend. It was actually our second time seeing the show (it was my birthday present last summer), but what a contrast from the last time. Closer seats = hearing more of the funny parts and actually being able to see the orchestra pit! Popular and Defying Gravity still rank as our favorite parts of the show, but the whole thing is amazing and you have to see it if you have the opportunity!


A view of Emerald City

Monday morning we had to narrow down our "tourist" options. We had a lot of places we wanted to visit, but only one day! The weather was a gorgeous 65 degrees (looking back the zoo might have been the best option to enjoy the unseasonable temperatures). We decided on the Natural History Museum first. You might say it's because we thirst for knowledge. Or you might say, we're dorks (but I'm sure Clancy's thinking to himself right now while reading this for me to speak for myself). We saw precious rocks, a "chunk" of the moon and many "wild" animals in their outside nature exhibit. We're talking deer and raccoons here people. You don't see these things every day! ;)


Dinosaur Bones!

We probably had the most fun outside taking pictures. Humping dinosaur tails and touching butts. Who knew you could have so much fun learning about history?


Clancy riding a wave


He just missed my humping action


Not so scary stuffed


Big surprise, he wanted his picture taken with the sculpture of the woman's ass

Our next stop was the Rock & Roll Hall of fame. Couldn't take any pictures of the exhibits unfortunately because there were security-nazis every 5 feet. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. No, I don't think I'm going to steal Jim Morrison's third grade report card, but thanks for looking over my shoulder and making sure I don't. I did get my fill of Beatles memories as there was an entire floor dedicated to the making of their movie "Help!".

Clancy showed me "the wall" from one of Pink Floyd's concerts that he's always talking about. I couldn't believe how huge it was. We also saw Janis Joplins' car which was as hippie as you would imagine. Overall, it was pretty interesting, but with 6 levels and cute (not practical) shoes on - my feet were killing me and I was ready to head back to C-bus!


Gorgeous building, no?

I always seem to forget about the camera in my purse when I venture places, but at least we got a few of the highlights! We didn't manage to get any pics from the night of the show, but I couldn't resist posting the picture of the new dress I picked out just for this occasion. Paired with my knee high black boots and tights, I have to admit I looked kinda smokin'. Clancy, will you verify? ;)


The Guess Dress, puffy sleeves and all

Next - hopefully Lion King this summer. Or maybe Wicked for a third time! Either way, I'm glad I have someone who enjoys this stuff as much as me.

Valentine's Day - In Pictures

We decided to DIY this year:
Candlelight steak dinner prepared by him.
Baked mac and cheese side dish prepared by me.
Homemade chocolate covered strawberries prepared by him - SO IMPRESSED!
Some of his favorite cookies prepared by me.

And a few other special surprises for each other.

In one word: wonderful.

I Confess - I Have A Valentine

It's Valentine's Day. The Hallmark holiday where they jack up the price of roses to $400 a dozen and make you call ahead for dinner reservations 6 months in advance. No, I'm not a skeptic. I actually really love the holiday; I just think it's hilarious how corporate America has used it to its advantage. Smart really.

My fondest memories of Valentine's Day growing up were from high school. You were able to buy carnations for $1 and have them delivered to students during classes. Always wondering who you'd get them from. There were cut out paper hearts hung all over the school with the name of every student (and believe me there were 600 in my graduating class alone so that's a lot of hearts) and my goal was always to find the heart with my boyfriend's name on it and carry it with me all day. It was the time when stuffed animals, big heart shaped balloons and over-sized cards weren't corny or cheesy.

I miss the innocence of that time, but I don't miss the immaturity of teenage love. Relationship problems were advertised throughout the school, couples would fight loudly in the hallway, then you'd see them making out later during lunch period. Crushes weren't ever secret and it would always be your worst enemy that found out you liked the tall boy in your 2nd period English class. No, I definitely don't miss that.

This year I am looking forward to Valentine's Day not for the flowers and chocolates, but for a rekindled romance. Clancy and I rang in the wee hours of the New Year together talking about the possibility of working things out. That we missed each other and thought maybe things could be different. I have only hinted about it on my blog until now 1.) out of respect for him and not sharing every detail of our relationship with the world and 2.) because I wanted to enjoy the butterflies in secret - at least for a short while. It made it all the more exciting.

So I will spend this evening in the company of someone I really care about. Someone who I know really cares about me. And isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about?

Happy Valentine's Day, Clancy.

P.S. I like you ;)

These 10 Little Words

"I am totally, completely and utterly missing you this morning."

Would brighten anyone's day.

Then & Now

Then: I enjoyed the comfort of living in my parents' home. The stability. The security. Being on my own was a very scary far-into-the-future thought.
Now: I couldn't imagine not having my independence. Taking care of myself and knowing I need not depend on anyone else is the most empowering feeling in the world.

Then: I kept everyone close to me at a safe [emotional] distance. I let my relationships float on the surface while all my emotions and feelings were hidden below.
Now: My friends and family are my closest confidants. They are people I trust, love and can have deep, meaningful conversations with.

Then: Meeting new people was intimidating. Large social situations were not my cup of tea to say the least.
Now: While I'm no social butterfly, I am not as afraid of being put in an unfamiliar social setting. Surprisingly, blogging has helped me with this the most. As well as my new found confidence.

Then: I let love define me. My relationships were my world. My be all, end all.
Now: I have learned to love myself. I know that the partner I choose to spend the rest of my life with will enhance what I already have, not define it.

Then: I had a hard time trusting people and taking their word as truth for fear of getting hurt.
Now: I know without trust, a relationship has nothing to stand on. I trust until given a reason not to. In my opinion, it's worth the risk.

Then: My uptight personality kept me from being carefree. I was afraid to travel. Afraid to try new things. Change was my bitter enemy.
Now: I feel like the possibilities are endless. I will only live one life, why not live it to the fullest?!

Then: I would have married my high school "sweetheart". I would have settled for less than I knew I deserved to have love (even unfulfilling love) in my life.
Now: I know I can make it on my own. I will not settle for anything less than butterflies. And of course, chemistry.

Then: I was heartbroken. Moved on with my life, found strength and a whole lot of confidence in myself.
Now: I still have that strength and confidence. I will hold on tight to those qualities and never let go. I am ready and willing to give our love another try. And excited about what is to come.

The Last Post?

Dear Clancy,

Hi. I have a secret to tell you. You know that post I wrote yesterday? The one filled with reasons I hate men? Let's just say anger may have taken over there for a minute. Don't get me wrong, I want so badly to be the tough girl I seem to be in my writing. I really wish I was. But you of all people know that this has been so hard for me. That my heart and soul are literally breaking. And that I've been anything but tough. But somehow you've been big enough to listen. You've rode on my roller coaster ride, kept me from falling off. But soon I'll need to ride it alone. I'm scared for that day to come.

I don't want to make you out to be the bad guy. Because I know in your heart you think you're doing the right thing. Maybe you are. Maybe one day I will see that. For now I will hold on to our memories. Be grateful that I still can see you every day (if only for a short time) even though it's not the same. It's funny how someone can break your heart and you can still love them with all the little pieces.*

I've been avoiding the radio, CDs or any kind of music because everything seems to remind me of you. Despite my attempts, "When I'm Up I Can't Get Down" just keeps playing over and over in my head. Remember when you found out I liked Great Big Sea? You about flipped out. I will never forget the look on your face. And when I handed you those concert tickets the tears welled up in your eyes (if only for a second) and that brought me so much joy.

So many memories like that keep passing through my mind. I've thought back to the day I came back from Christmas vacation and you surprised me by showing up on my doorstep with flowers telling me how much you had missed me. And of course the day you surprised me with Holly. The trip to the conservatory, you were so excited to share your love of art with me. Someone who appreciates it as much as you do. And I'll never forget the day I thought I was "dying". Who knew we would laugh so hard about it later? Halloween was a blast last year. We were still getting to know each other and you may have even been caught dancing with me! But I guess I should know about sneaky dancing moves -- like when you caught me in that photo busting a move in your new house before you bought it. Seeing that cracks me up everytime.

I will hold on to those memories and all of the others stored in my heart. I could never hate you. I may yell, scream, cry, and curse the world but I will never hate you. You know how I feel about you. I've said it a million times. I wish things could be different. I really do.

Love,
Michelle

*stolen from Jenni

---

"Faith in Love" Reba McEntire & Rascal Flatts duet

You felt this coming on, you've seen it for a while.
But there are no regrets between us, we can leave here with a smile.
We have to talk about it, what we've always known.
The hardest part about today, is tonight we'll be alone.

We were just two hearts, bound for different roads.
Why they didn't lead us to forever, we may never know.
Oh, I will carry you with me,
I will hold on to our memories.
Don't let the dreams we didn't find make you feel like giving up.
Keep holding on and don't lose your faith in love.

Life's gonna move on and the pages have to turn.
We'll be stronger people now, from the lessons that we learned.
This one's gonna hurt, it's a little deeper break.
But just know I'm praying for you, as I watch you walk away.

It can hold you, it can save you.
From anything or anyone.
Heaven knows who's waiting for you, when two herts come undone.
Oh I will carry you with me,
I will hold on to our memories.
Don't let the dreams we didn't find make you feel like giving up.
Keep holding on, and don't lose your faith.
Oh, never, ever lose your faith in love.

Will Any Title Suffice?

I am warning you in advance that I am literally sobbing as I write this. I am going to try to be as coherent as possible, but I can't make any promises. Also, this could quite possibly be a long winded post, but right now blogging is my therapy.

Clancy ended things between us last night. He explained that he didn't see a long-term future with me (i.e. marriage) and that it wasn't fair to continue a relationship that was "going nowhere". He said he still loved me and cared for me, and that this was going to be hard for him too. He just felt that in the long run this would be the best thing for the both of us. In other words, inevitable and doing it now would hurt less.

In my head I can comprehend these words. I can even type them out and explain them to you. But my heart doesn't want to accept them. It's like, nope those words don't compute. Please try again later. Have you ever felt that way? I honestly don't know how to handle this. I was a mess last night. Into this morning. I didn't eat anything all day. Cried. Yelled. And cried some more. Got angry. Said hurtful things. Is this normal? Friends have told me it is, they've been there. Been physically sick even over losing someone they love. He just made me feel so abnormal. Since he's so experienced in the dating world (and I'm not being sarcastic here), he tells me he understands women. And that they just don't act like that. How can they not? Maybe they dumped you? Because really that's the only time I've ever felt OK about breaking up with someone, sort of. It still hurts. And I still shed plenty of tears.

Clancy is such a HUGE part of my life. And not just him. His house, which is the first place that has felt like a "home" to me since Erie. A place where I feel comfortable, that I can kick off my shoes and relax in. I can't even begin to tell you how much it will hurt never to see him again or the girls (dogs). His family has begun to feel like a part of my family. They're all such amazing people. It breaks my heart. It is literally breaking apart right. now.

About three months ago he had these same feelings. We had broken up for a few days, but had a heart to heart and I thought we had worked things out. We were getting along, I wouldn't have changed anything about our day to day life. We talked about fixing up the house. Like it was "our" project. We've talked about me freelancing in the future and him helping me on the management side of things. We've talked about travelling together. How we would raise our kids. That we didn't want to get married in a church and that he wouldn't wear a tux. Little did I know under that facade was an unhappy person. I wish he would have told me that his feelings weren't changing. I wish we could just try again. How do "you know" really? I mean he knows he loves me, why does he have to be so sure about marriage right now? We're obviously not to that point yet. He even had to throw in there how he's had that feeling before for other girls (yeah plural isn't that nice?) so he knows he's capable of it.

I just have so many unanswered questions. Why ask me to move in with you if you didn't see a future with me? Why bring me around your family so much lately and make me fall in love with them? Why talk about a future that you knew in your heart didn't exist? Why plan a trip that you didn't even want to go on with me? Why?

I know I will never hear the answers to those questions. And I know that even if I did I still wouldn't understand it. I will never be able to wrap my head around this. He has someone that loves him unconditionally, has stood by him through A LOT, has never faltered, and he wants to throw it all away. He says he will miss me, but I hesitate to believe it. Because if you really loved someone and would miss them if they were gone from your life, why end it in the first place? He'll easily move on, find another girl and I'll still be broken hearted. Love bites.

I know that everyone will tell me that I'll find someone better, I deserve better. I'll be happy again in time. But what can I say to that when the only person I want and that will make me happy is someone who doesn't want me back?

---

I can't thank you guys enough for all of your comments, emails, messaging, and facebook replies. If it weren't for them I would've been curled up in a ball crying instead of smiling through tears about the support I have. Case in point:

call me if you need to talk. you probably don't even want to talk. this sucks. i am hurting for you. i love you. i'm praying for you.

And I know you probably don't want to think about this right now, but if things don't work out, you'll have plenty of guys beating down the door to take his place. I haven't "known" you for very long but I can tell that you're gorgeous, intelligent, fun, caring, and definitely the best girlfriend Clancy has or ever will have. He'll regret it.

I really hope it all works out for the best. I really do.

We are SO much better than anything else they will EVER have! SO MUCH BETTER!!!

I wish there was more I could do or say but you have to understand you didn't
deserve this. You deserve to be happy and loved unconditionally.

i know that whatever happens - it'll probably be for the best. sorry to sound cliche. but that doesn't have to mean its permanent. stay strong michelle.

I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now but I am definitely willing to make a cake and/or cookies and send it your way.

And all of that doesn't even begin to break the surface.

Elysa almost made me snort water through my nose while we were chatting last night. Bald, fat & beautiful, right girl? And this girl can rock a post. Thanks Rachel, that really made me feel like everyone had my back. And also, thanks for the laugh this morning. I needed one:




I love you guys. Please keep reading and I promise when I feel more up to it I will be catching up and commenting on all of your blogs again really soon.

Basically The Worst Day Ever

My BRAND NEW CAR was shaking/vibrating this morning. Freaked out. Had it taken to the dealership to be looked at. Am now four hours late to work after all is said and done.

My boyfriend decides that we're not working. Tells me this over the phone. Won't give me a straight answer as to the "status" of our relationship. "We'll talk later." According to him I've just been fooling myself all this time. He's unhappy. I break down, sob, cry the whole deal.

Oh, so I must have been imagining that day when you asked me to move in.
And I must have been imagining that day you told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me.
And all those talks about our future together, I must have been having those with myself.

I have never hurt so bad in all my life.

Beware Of The Sleepwalker

Phone conversation between Clancy & I yesterday afternoon:

---

C: Hi babe. Do you remember getting up in the middle of the night last night?
M: (Chuckling) No. What did I do?
C: You walked over to the window, the shades were still pulled down, and you made this ... noise ... you know like the one you made yesterday when you swallowed the ice cube*. You stood there for like 30 seconds or so. I kept saying "What? What?" but you didn't respond. Then you crawled back in bed and I asked again "What is WRONG with you?". And you told me "You wouldn't understand."

---

The last time I sleepwalked was when I was six years old, so I found this pretty amusing. Clancy ... not so much. He now believes that he needs to hide his pocket knife so that I don't unknowingly try to kill him in his sleep. Come on, I'm harmless ;)

*Yes I'm a dumbass and swallowed an ice cube while at Cedar Point on Sunday. It hurt like hell and felt like glass - I am SO NOT exaggerating.

Weekend Recap - Cedar Point

It's Monday.
It's Columbus Day.
I'm working.

Those three things do not make me a happy person. What does make me a happy person you ask? Spending time with the love of my life and his family at Cedar Point. It was HOT (near 90 degrees, hi Fall? when are you coming?), but we still managed to have fun.

We arrived late on Saturday night to Clancy's parents' house. Chatted, watched sports (gasp! even we were surprised) and basically made fun of each other. An all around good time. I am glad that I can say truthfully that I love his parents. (I know some of you aren't as lucky in that department, so for this I am definitely grateful.)

Sunday morning his older sister (who's pregnant and just found out she's having a girl! yay!) with family in tow showed up at the house. Her son Jack will be turning 2 at the end of the month and we brought his birthday present because with our Nashville trip we'll likely miss the celebration. He opened it while we were there and was so excited that he wanted to open. the. boxes. now. pleaseandthanks. We got him his very first Mr. Potato Head, what kid wouldn't love that? And two accessory packs to boot (the king and construction worker). Clancy proceeded to ask "What, they didn't have the whole Village People accessory kit available?" Haha babe. You're so funny.

Shortly after the Mr. Potato Head reveal we left for the roller coaster capitol of the world - Cedar Point. The occasion - Clancy's father's work picnic. Which means free food and ice cream, and of course we took advantage of this upon arrival. Filled up on hot dogs and fried chicken we moved on to the kiddy park. We watched Jack ride a few rides (his first trip to an amusement park!), and took a spin on the merry-go-round. Yes, even Clancy :)

We proceeded on to Camp Snoopy, rode the Paddlewheel Excursions, the train and of course a few roller coasters. Some of the favorites included:
(Mantis-top left, Corkscrew-top right, Gemini-bottom left)

The one Clancy really wanted to ride? The Top Thrill Dragster (bottom right)




I'm kind of regretting not riding that one to tell you the truth. I'm sure Clancy's reading this right now thinking to himself "Yeah, right". I am afraid of roller coasters to an extent. Ones with really high, straight drops usually. And hello? 420 feet - that's like really. high. But I regret it for the simple fact that I'm sick of chickening out. Of not taking risks. I've decided I'm going to try to throw caution to the wind more often in my life. Spice things up a bit. We'll see how that goes. So babe? We should totally make the trip next weekend and ride the damn thing! Take me before I change my mind! And let's ride there in this:



We were about to leave the park, but decided one more coaster - the Raptor, my favorite. We walked to the front of the park ready to get in line and saw the dreaded waiting sign. 45 minutes. We gave each other a look as if to say "45 minutes? Shit, there's always next year." What happened to the days of waiting 6 hours in line for one 2.5 minute ride? We're old, that's what happened.

So I'm sitting in my office right now:
-a little sunburned
-with a swollen ankle from getting off one of the rides
-but wishing we could do it all over again, right now



P.S. I love you and you look super cute in your bike shirt I bought for your birthday. Just thought I'd mention that.

I Never Wanted Nothin' More

One year ago today I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my date. He was nearly a 1/2 hour late (he called saying he would be - so I gave him a little credit), but luckily he was worth the wait. In the weeks prior we had text messaged each other, flirted in the office, the whole nine yards. He had even asked me before to hang out, not in those exact words but more along the lines of "So, what are your plans tonight?". I knew where he was going with the question, but I was afraid of getting involved with my boss. I don't know what it was about that Wednesday but when he asked that same question I responded with "I'm not sure, what are you doing?" That answer gave him the courage to suggest getting together for drinks and a movie.



We had a great time. Conversation flowed really easily at Adobe Gilas. We had a few drinks, ate chips & salsa, and talked about work, how much we hated our boss, and the fact that I recently conquered Tiger Woods on the golf course on XBox (although he didn't believe me). The chemistry was pretty obvious. His smile told me he felt the same way. A little while later we ended up at the theater watching Gridiron Gang. Not the best movie in the world, but great for a first date because it contained several bust out laughing scenes. Eased the nerves.



We had parked in different lots, my car being closer, so I drove him to his car. I could feel the butterflies flying rapidly in my stomach. There was no first kiss, but we had hit it off. I liked him - A LOT. We followed our first date with a group date a few days later (dinner at Champps and bowling with our friends Roger & Krista). That night we shared a wonderful kiss in the parking lot of Champps when he walked me to my car. The butterflies were back. He put his arms around me and we stood there for what seemed like hours. I didn't want to let go.



We've had so many great times together. Visiting the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Conservatory, the infamous Halloween party, Thanksgiving & Christmas spent with each other's families, nights out on the town, work parties, St. Patrick's day in Cleveland, going to see Wicked for my birthday, the Great Big Sea & Ricky Skaggs concerts, the Lorain County fair this summer, and so much more.



Clancy, I can't wait to spend more of my life with you. Each day we grow closer and even more in love. There are moments I wish I could stop time and be with you in that moment forever. Your arms around me, your hand gently brushing the hair from my face, kissing my forehead and telling me you love me. To quote Kenny Chesney, "I never wanted nothing more."

I love you. Happy one year.

Agnostitarians?

Warning: This post is not intended to offend anyone. I respect a person's religious beliefs no matter what they are. It's the hippie liberal in me.

Clancy and I were lounging for a little while after dinner last night watching TV. A commercial came on about Kosher food. It showed an illustration diagram of a cow the front half was labeled "Kosher" and the back half "Non-Kosher".

---

Me: "So what does Kosher mean anyways and why is the butt-half of the cow considered non-Kosher?"

C: "I thought Kosher had something to do with the way the meat was processed, but I'm not really sure why that half of the cow wouldn't be Kosher and the other half would."

C: "You know I saw a symbol once and I was curious what it meant so I looked it up. It's a U with a circle around it and the letters p-a-r-e-v-e after it. It means that the food was blessed by a rabbi. It's on a lot of products, too, you'd be surprised."

Me: "I don't want to eat blessed food. So I have been unknowingly eating blessed food?"

C: "Well you know we could become Agnostitarians and only eat non-blessed food. I bet we could get a huge following behind us."

---

What I Like About You - You Keep Me Warm At Night

Why I'm convinced I am dating the best man on the planet:

• He hates sports even more than I do.
  
  You're wondering how this is possible I'm sure. I know, it defies the laws of physics. A man that hates sports - are you sure he's a man at all you ask? Yes - TRUST ME - he's one hell of a man. And you may wonder if two people who hate OSU can even live in the same zip code. I know it doesn't seem logical, but yes it happens even here in Buckeye Country.
  
  
• We've had the same 6 pack of beer in our fridge for weeks and only 2 are missing.
  
  He's not your typical beer chugging, can crushing frat boy and god do I love that. We have fun in our own ways, why drink beer? And when we do drink, we don't mess around - where's the vodka?
  
  
• He doesn't think guys should have "girl" friends.
  
  Um, hello? Did this come out of a man's mouth? I am so glad that I know the guy who admitted that platonic male/female relationships are hard to come by unless one or both people are related, married, or have known each other since before they thought about sex (and even then it's still iffy). Secretly I'm just glad he doesn't hang around unnecessary ginormous jugs.
  
  
• He's Tim the Toolman Taylor & Lance Armstrong rolled into one.
  
  This boy rides and is passionate about it. Hearing him talk about what it was like to ride at night was like hearing him talk about the best orgasm he's ever experienced (not that we've talked about that - hmm I hope it was with me). He doesn't just ride, but knows bikes inside and out. It's so great to see him working on bikes and knowing how happy it makes him warms my insides. Now as for the Toolman part, he's a regular Mr. Fix-it. Show him once how something works and he'll remember it for the rest of his life. He's fixed so many things around the house like second-nature and I look at him in amazement saying "Babe, how in the hell did you know how to do that?" His response is always, "Oh, this is actually my first time attempting to (change a light fixture/rewire electricity/fix a screen door/change a faucet/put in cabinets) but I saw my dad do it when I was younger and I remember how." He is a god.
  
  
• He knows what an iron is and knows how to use it.
  
  Seriously, this guy can iron with the best of 'em. Sometimes I even pass off my ironing because he's so good at it. But really, I'm just glad to be dating someone who doesn't mind sharing the daily chore list. Sometimes we slack, but neither one of us are afraid to wash a dish or get out the vacuum.
  
  
• He gets more questions right than me on Jeopardy.
  
  I swear he is a Mr. Know-it-all. Where all those sports stats would normally be stored in a man's brain, he has stored the most RANDOM things you can imagine. He even used this extra knowledge to score some points with me early on in our relationship. "This man knows art!?! Are you kidding me? Can I have his babies?" His genius is a running joke between us, me usually being the butt of the joke. "Oh, remember that one time you were right?" And I'm never right about anything important - no, the last time it was Blockbuster's Late Fee Policy. And I graduated with honors from college people, I'm no dumbass.
  
  
• Behind all that alpha-male lies a sweetheart deep down inside.
  
  You may wonder why I started writing this as the topic of my blog today. Well, I was looking for something in the night table beside the bed when I got home from work(I'm leaving out the name of the object to save myself some embarrassment - but for those of you who I know can relate, all I will say is it takes 2 AA's). In the back of the drawer I came across the movie ticket stub from our first date. How freaking adorable? It warmed my heart to know that he kept that after this long. Lately, I've been worried about his feelings for me. When you've been dating someone for awhile things just aren't the same as that initial lusting for each other. Me, being the most insecure person in the world, takes it to mean "Oh my god he must not love me anymore." But then he'll do something like he did the other night in bed that makes all my fears disappear. I laid my arm across his chest to snuggle closer to him and he gently picked up my hand and kissed my wrist ever so softly as if to say "Good night, love of my life."

I can only smile as I write this knowing that soon I can put my arms around him again and kiss his sweet lips.