Our story - part 5

My apologies for this being long overdue. We've been working on the house getting it ready to be put on the market. The obvious questions are "where are you moving?" and "why?" These are the answers I'm trying to answer by telling our story. So please be patient while I get through the whole story. (My stories are never short.) Also, if you're wondering "when?" we don't have this answer yet. Maybe by the end of the telling of this story that answer will be known.

So Jason and I started dating May of 2007. It was a long distance relationship but we made the effort of seeing each other every weekend. After a few months it was Jason who usually made the 3 hour trip to Dayton, but I did try to get out to Olive Hill at least once a month.

By this time I knew I really liked Jason's personality and I enjoyed spending time with him, but I had reservations. First, he was way too good to be true. I had dated guys like this in the past and they used lies to convince me they were something they were not. So I was always on the alert to catch Jason in a lie - because I assumed he was one of those guys.

Another thing that bothered me was that he always had to hold my hand, have his arm around me, or be sitting right next to me. I'm not a touchy-feely person and was afraid that Jason was the clingy type.

These things bothered me but was it enough to end things with him? No. I figured I'd keep going forward and see if things got better or worse. But honestly I really wasn't optimistic about the relationship. In the back of my head I kept thinking that what I expected would happen and the relationship would end.

I remember one phone call where I freaked out on him and tried to break up with him over the phone. He actually refused to let me end it that way. He wouldn't let me dump him. We laugh about it now, but obviously his refusal worked and I listened to him. (Guys - this won't happen often, so don't try it unless it's really worth it.)

There was another time where we were saying good bye one Sunday night and he said something that made me respond with a reminder that I didn't want to talk about marriage until we had been dating 6 months. He turned and looked at me and said "I am the man in this relationship and *I* will determine when we get engaged." I looked at him like he was crazy but this really impressed me. Of course he would wait until that 6 months though (or so I thought). Little did I know that he had already started to pick out an engagement ring.

In September of 2007 we got a new partner in the Cincinnati office. (All you TH people are groaning right now and wondering what she has to do with our story. Heh.) I was sent down to Cincinnati for the week to put all the transferred files in our docketing system and stayed at a hotel that week.

That weekend we had a conference at church and I was doing the overheads for most of the sessions. I was exhausted from my marathon days at work and then I had to drive back to Dayton Friday afternoon with a headache. I got home where Jason was waiting on me and took a quick nap before we headed to church. The headache was better, but I was wore out.

We stopped at Taco Bell to get dinner and both of us got burritos. (I hesitate at this part of the story because I hate telling this story. Those who have heard it before are either cringing or snickering at this point.) I was driving and tried to eat my burrito. Unfortunately whomever made the burrito did it with little care and beans were squishing out in 3 different places. I was so frustrated that I did something that even to this day I can barely believe I did.

I opened the window and threw it out onto the road. Wrapper and all.

Jason just sat there for a moment and didn't say anything at first. He took a bite of his burrito and after a dirty look from me offered it to me. I didn't want it, so he put it back in the bag. And then I started crying. There was a lot more going on, of course, but even I wasn't quite sure what the problem was. Other than being really really wore out.

We got to church and Jason went in to let them know I wouldn't be doing overheads. I pulled it together and after talking to Scott (Sliver) and Jason went inside to just listen to the worship music. I was okay for a few songs, but then the tears started again and we had to leave. Jason and I had a long talk out in the parking lot where I let him know it wasn't him, it was just a lot of stuff from my past coming back to haunt me.

And he understood. He listened and offered comfort and I felt so much better.

Here's the thing. Jason had the ring that weekend. He was ready to propose. He had shown the ring to a few people on the worship team. Of course my burrito-flinging and crying had made him reconsider any proposal that weekend. I kinda wonder what those worship team people were thinking when I left crying...

It really wasn't the right weekend anyway. We still had unanswered questions and I wasn't 100% sure he was the right one.

Funny the difference 48 hours makes. (To be continued...)

Our story - part 4

In case you're just joining us, here's links to the previous blogs:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A quick recap: Jason and I met online back in May 2007. We met in person in Chillicothe, and then Jason came to visit me Memorial Day weekend. Things were clicking, there were definite sparks, but we were two different people.

Jason was so happy to get the relationship going, but I was jaded, cynical, doubtful and distrustful. I knew I had to let go of this if things would ever work out. So needless to say, things were a bit bumpy at first. A good analogy of our relationship - both of us are on the same rollercoaster and it has a REALLY big first hill. (This would be falling in love - really really in love.) Jason was all for it, ready to go plunging 100 mph down that hill with his hands wildly waving above him yelling "WHEEEEEEE" the whole time. Me? I was the one freaking out, wanting to get OFF the ride, shrinking as far down as possible and closing my eyes praying to God it wouldn't be as bad as I thought it was going to be.

How's that for a mental picture? :)

So with that as a background, let's get on with the first weekend I drove down to Olive Hill, Kentucky to visit Jason. It was a week after he visited me and he arranged for me to stay with his parents. I was so nervous about staying with his mom and dad. We're not just talking about meeting his parents, but staying in their house - walking around in pajamas in the morning, getting ready in their bathroom, eating their food. There really was no alternative, it's not like there's a hotel to stay at in Olive Hill.

I got off work early and headed east to Kentucky. (For those in Ohio, that's S.R. 35, not I-75.) It was a looong drive and it was almost dark by the time I got there. Jason met me at the Dairy Queen in town, where I got a huge hug from him, and then I followed him to his parents' house. His parents were very welcoming and low-key people. (Well, of course, it's where Jason gets it from.) Jason stayed over and slept on the couch and I was in the guest room. The next morning Gayle made eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy. How do I remember this so well? Because we've had it almost every Saturday morning in Olive Hill since then. (Yummy!)

Jason showed me around his town, where he grew up, where he went to church, and where he went to school. We went out to his cabin and hung out there the rest of the day. Jason made dinner on the grill and we sat in the hammock and just enjoyed the cool summer evening. We headed back to his parents' house and sat in the guest room watching TV and talking.
The next morning we went to his Baptist church where I got to meet his Sunday School class - he taught the High School class. They loved to tease him and having me there just gave them more to harass him about. (Not that week, but a few later, one girl asked what I was doing there if I was from Dayton. She hadn't quite caught on that Jason and I were dating. LOL! I won't mention who she was since she's probably reading this on facebook...) ;)

Being back in a traditional Baptist church brought back a lot of memories. The hymns, the choir, the invitation at the end. It really felt like I was back at home. My favorite part about the Baptist church is their support of missionaries. If it wasn't for my Baptist church where I grew up, I don't think I'd be so passionate about the people in Honduras. I probably wouldn't have ever gone on a mission trip.

After lunch at his parents' house, Jason took me to Carter Caves. We went through the Saltpetre (not a typo) Cave which is underground. I'm so glad we went at that time because it's now closed due to a disease that kills bats. There are other caves to go through though, thankfully. If you'd like to see Carter Caves, you'll have to go see it yourself - it's amazing. I'll show you a picture of Jason and me while we waited for the tour to start.
So we get back to Jason's parents' house, Gayle had made a stack cake for me to take to work the next day. I was so impressed that she would do something like that for me. We wrapped it up and gingerly put the cake on the back seat of my car. Jason and I had a discussion about whether or not to put it on the floor. I won because the floor was dirty, so it was going on the seat. I had to get on the road, so I said goodbye to my gracious hosts and followed Jason out to the highway. Another huge hug and I was on my way home.

And then somewhere just past the Ohio state line, Bambi hit. Bambi hit my car. I've never hit a deer before and I had no idea what to do. My first thought was to drive up a little further because I couldn't bear the thought of stopping next to a dead or severely injured deer. Seriously. My clear thinking had been replaced with scattered thoughts.

First I called Jason and told him I hit a deer. He asked if I was okay and I said yes, but the cake didn't make it - it wasn't on the seat anymore. And before Jason could get any further information, I told him a state trooper had pulled up behind me so I had to go. (We laugh about this now, but I was REALLY upset about the cake.) So I get out of the car and he tells me that he was coming the other way and almost hit the deer and then saw it jump in front of my car. So he turned around and came to check on me. My car was hissing so we assumed it was the radiator and it was best that I didn't drive the car any further.

I called Jason again and reassured him I was alright. I checked on the cake and it was laying on the floor - plate down. Maybe it would be okay. (I've learned my lesson. Cakes go on the FLOOR.) Jason said he'd be right there and would pick me up in Lucasville, which was just a few miles down the road.

I got in the state trooper's car and called my insurance company while the trooper called for a tow truck. After the calls were made, we chatted about church and he said it was good to meet a sister in Christ. That really helped me get through the next hour.

When the tow truck driver showed up, the trooper reassured me that he was a good guy (although a rough-looking chain smoker). He took me and my car to the Speedway in town to wait on Jason. I went inside to get something to drink and a few minutes later the tow truck driver came in and suggested I get in the truck. I guess a homeless man was going around harassing people. I was glad for the help, but it was really unnerving. Where was Jason?

And then my knight in shining armor arrived to pick me up. I almost started crying at the sight of him. I was definitely crying later in the safety of his car - from exhaustion, frustration, and relief. We didn't get to my house until after midnight, so I insisted that he stay over and head back in the morning. He wasn't sure about staying over, but since we hadn't kissed yet, I told him it was okay, we were still in the "friends" stage. Gotta tell you though that a huge kiss would have been in order that night! And even if I was still saying we were just getting to know each other, I was definitely falling in love with him! Maybe that first hill on the roller coaster wasn't going to be too bad after all.

By the way, the cake did make it to work with me the next day. It was a little flat on one side and wasn't quite centered on the plate. But everyone said it tasted great - even if it did hit a deer. :)

Our story - part 3

This will be short, I hope. I should be in bed, but I'm waiting for the last load of laundry to get done so I can hang up my pants to dry. Hoping to be able to wear them tomorrow. What? You don't care about what I'm wearing tomorrow? Fine, I'll get on to that first week after we met.

The first weekend Jason came to Dayton was Memorial Day weekend. He had a family reunion on Sunday and it upset me a bit that he'd rather be in Dayton with a girl he barely knew than at a family event. He assured me it was an annual thing at his Mamaw's house and he's always there. They won't miss him this year. But then he found out two of his favorite cousins from Ohio were going to be there, so he apologized that he'd have to cut the weekend short. This made me feel better about his priorities. So he was just in town Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning he headed back to Olive Hill.

Friday night my small group (Bible study) had a cook out, so the first few hours he was here, he was meeting 7 of my friends. :) They all loved him. The next day we went to Ken & Melissa's house - this would be the most difficult of tests - the best friends AND children test. He passed both of these. Jason jumped in and helped Melissa in the kitchen, and then Ken kidnapped him and they went driving around to see some of the historical places around Kettering. Later Eme was sitting with Jason and I and I asked if he was a redneck or a hill billy. She looked at him really good and then looked at me and said "he's a PINK neck!" So funny!!

Sunday morning he came to church with me and got to experience the Vineyard. I was curious if he'd be okay with that kind of church and he loved it. We went to lunch at the Greene and then he had to head home.

But before he left I gave him two pictures of me - a Glamour Shots picture and a really hideous funny picture of me. He loved them both. He took great pride in showing people the pictures of his new girlfriend. He loved show them the ugly one first and wait for their reaction. Seriously! (If you're brave you can click on the picture and see the full sized one.)

So one week after our official meeting things were going very well. He sent me flowers at work and therefore announced to everyone there that I had a boyfriend - and he REALLY liked me. I didn't mind. I was enjoying finally dating again. And it was what I had envisioned a good dating relationship to be - HE was pursuing me. (Because I'm fabulous and I'm worth it! That's an inside joke with Jason and me.) ;)

Next time I'll post about my first weekend in Kentucky. I promise it's a lot more eventful and ended with Jason rescuing me in Lucasville.