One Year Ago...

After reading this Erik had a few comments...his are italisized

I was on my way back from Gulf Shores with the fam. I was trying to hurry back cause I was going to a Def Leppard concert with some guy and his friends. It was NOT a date we were just meeting...

Laura had been trying to find somebody for her brother-in-law to date. I came back from Cali and declared I was going to settle down and get married! So Laura told me I should meet her brother-in-law. Well of course this talk goes on for months with nothing really happening. Towards the end of July Laura told me that her brother-in-law had an extra ticket to a Def Leppard concert and he had asked her if anybody wanted to go. It was my weekend off...I love Def Leppard...I was up for it!

He called me while I was on vacation at the Gulf with my family...I was shopping at the outlets. I missed his call but heard the voicemail a few min later and called him back. He asked me if I wanted to go with him...I said sure...and asked what time I needed to be ready...he said he'd have to get back with me.

Next day I'm shopping again (cause its raining) and he calls again. I'm embarrassed to say I'm shopping again...but he gives me the final plan. He'll pick me up at my house at 6:00pm.

While I'm at the beach my air conditioning went out in my house...end of July HOT!!!! Mama and Daddy bring me home and Daddy's trying to fix my air. I'm getting ready for the "meeting" (concert), screaming at Mama and Daddy to leave cause they can't be here when he comes to get me...I've never met him! They finally leave and literally 2 min later my doorbell rings...

Even though it wasn't a date it was potential and I had been praying for several days straight (well since he called) that he would just be decent looking. When my doorbell rang I peeked out the peep hole and felt all the butterflies go away...he was decent looking. (Aaaauuuggghhh thats what I wanted to hear just decent looking!!!)

I opened the door and he said "I like you're stickers on you're car". ((Actually I said that when we got in the car))I have a sabanation sticker and a houndstooth hat sticker. He was an alabama fan...sweet! I told him I would invite him in but my house was like 100 degrees and he said thats okay and we go to get in his car...ITS A JEEP WRANGLER!!! I love guys in wranglers! (Oh yeah!!!) I still tell him that I bet I had checked him out before. You can take any regular old guy and put him in a jeep and he looks HOT! I was happy...but its still just a meeting, not a date.

Laura had been telling me how shy Erik was so I was expecting to have to do all the talking...which is fine. But Erik talked a lot! We had to go to Erik's best friend's house to pick him and his cousin up. We made small talk the whole way there. I know we talked about jobs, me traveling to Cali, Laura...but I don't remember specifics. DJ, Erik's BFF, lived with his Grandmother in Pinson. When we got there DJ had not gotten home yet but we went on in and talked with the Grandmother. (DJ was in the shower...we were waiting on Jamie.)

Here's where it got a little awkward. Erik and DJ grew up together so Erik knew his Grandmother very well but this is the first time I've EVER met Erik and NEVER met DJ...let alone his grandmother. (We weren't suppose to be there long.) But we chit chatted and then I heard weird noises...

There had been another older lady sitting in a chair in the corner. She had been kinda quiet the whole time. The weird noises were coming from her. She was watching tv and would just all of a sudden start laughing or start talking to herself or the tv. Erik had not told me about this woman. Finally DJ's grandmother said that this was her sister...and then I realized she was mentally retarded! Some kind of warning would've been nice...you know just so I wouldn't have been so surprised! (We weren't suppose to be there long...we were just suppose to meet there.) Turns out though DJ and his grandmother are related to my sweet little neighbor, Marie. We figured this out while sitting there waiting for DJ.

Finally DJ got home but we were still waiting for his cousin, Jamie to get there. She finally gets there and we head out. DJ drove. Him and Jamie sat up front and me and Erik in the back.

We all talked to whole way to Oak Mountain. They were very friendly and included me in on all the conversations. I liked them all immediately. We got to the concert a little late just missing the opening acts. Of course I had brought my camera and we get to the gate and he won't let me in with my camera. I'm sad and we had parked a long ways away. Sweet DJ walked it back to the car for me and me and Erik went on in, got a drink, and sat at a table waiting on DJ and Jamie to get back. (Oh that makes me look bad, I should've walked it back for you.) When they got back we went in and found our seats and the concert started!

It was a great concert! One of the best I've ever seen. The lead singer even put on an Alabama football jersey and sang a few songs. Erik was throwing back some beers and I knew he was a little tipsy. He was dancing and more talkative. He even flashed his breasts at one point during the concert. (He thinks this is where I fell in love). (You didn't write about my killer dance moves.) Oh, Erik has this fabulous dance to Foolin by Def Leppard...we were doing it all night

After the concert we were all walking back to the car. I was trying to figure out how the date...I mean meeting...was going. I knew Erik had had fun but did he like me "that way". And then he put his arm around my back...awww...he likes me...and then I thought no...he could just be using me to hold him up...remember he had been throwing back some beers. Then he hugged me...okay he likes me.

We got back to the car and braved the traffic. Before I knew me and Erik were making out. This is the point where I decided it was a date. I felt a little high schoolish making out in the backseat with his friends driving but he was a good kisser so whatever. (And I had had a few pineapple and vodkas too).

We all decided we were hungry so we stopped at Krystals. I wanted a corndog and told them that. I found out months later him and DJ make fun of me cause of that.( I want a corndawg!!!) We got back to DJ's grandmother's house and got in Erik's jeep. He drove me home and we were in the driveway and of course I was expecting a kiss goodbye...

I waited...nothing...so I go in for it and I get the cheek. Ouch! So I get out and he leaves. All week everybody's asking about "my date". I tell everybody it was fun but didn't end good. Oh well...

Sometime the next week I get a phone call from Erik while I was at work. I missed it but stepped outside to call him back. He asked me out again and we decided on the next weekend I was off. He would think of something to do.

I'm happy...I guess it went better than I thought. Laura warns me how he can't think of good ideas and I need to be prepared to think of a date idea. (Laura's killing me...where's the love???) I can't think of anything good but just decide we'll go to dinner and a movie.

Erik calls me that day and is like "have you ever been to the comedy club?" I hadn't and that sounded like a GREAT idea!!! I was shocked that he came up with something so good! I mean its hard to top a date like a Def Leppard concert but he did good.

I think it was a Friday night (could've been sat) but we went to the comedy club. We're having a great time and then the comedian thanks the Quest for promoting the event.

Sidenote: The Quest is the very well known gay club in Birmingham.

Me and Erik both kinda start looking around...he leans over and goes "I think we may be the only straight people here". Yep...everybody there BUT US was gay. It was fine though and we had a good time. The comedian was funny...geared towards gay people...but funny.

That night my air was now fixed and Erik came in and hung out a bit. We kissed again. All was good.

The next Wednesday I was sitting on the back porch playing on the computer and he called me. Its only like noon. He told me his niece's bday party was that night and asked if I wanted to go with him. I said sure and we hung up...

HOLY @#*&!!! What did I just say yes too...I started freaking out. It was only our third date and I was going to meet the family!

Laura had been telling me how she had been in the family for 10 years and he had never brought a girl around. She had never even known him to be dating anybody! I called her (she was working). I told her he had invited me and I was going. I think she screamed a bit but I made her promise to be there and try to leave work early so she would be on time. She promised.

We went to eat at Red Robbin. His family is huge and I immediately fell in love. They are awesome! They reminded me of my family..especially the way it was when I was young and there were tons of kids. They are all loud, laid back, and hilarious! The kids are adorable and I immediately loved them all! His mom hugged me at the end...I think she was just glad her son finally brought a girl around : )

That night again Erik came over and I asked him about the first date. Why had he not kissed me goodnight after we made out in the backseat. He said he was afraid he'd puke in my mouth. Apparently he had thrown back wayyyy to many beers and was more tipsy than I thought. He had went home and puked that night. (I puked my guts up...)

And thats the story of our first date (and a few after)...