Today’s thankfuls: smart phones and WordPress 2.0 for the Android. It may take forever to write a post from my phone, but I’m a man on a mission today!
Sunday afternoon I arrived at PDX a little bit after 1:00. Going through security felt surreal; actually boarding the airplane was even stranger. I’m used to picking people up or dropping them off at airports – not flying. I managed to grab a window seat near the wing and settled in for takeoff. I was a little
nervous as the engines powered up and we raced down the runway, and then we were airborne. “This isn’t so bad,” I thought as we ascended to our cruising altitude, and I settled back to enjoy the flight.
That’s when it got bumpy.
Turbulence was so bad it felt like we were on a roller coaster for awhile. Worse still, the captain wouldn’t let the flight attendants out of their seats for the beverage service. I wanted my bloody mary!!!
About halfway there things calmed down, and I was able to breathe again. I got my drink – free of charge, even – plus a bag of peanuts and pretzels. Thank you, Southwest. The last hour was completely smooth, and I actually started to enjoy the whole experience. It was dusk as we descended into Vegas, and the lights were just coming on. I saw the Luxor and a few other neon-bathed hotels. And then we were on the ground.
I met Tara in the baggage claim area, and we embraced with our usual fervor. I wished her a Merry Christmas and we kissed for awhile. Stopped for a quick bite to eat and then left Vegas for the long 4-hour drive to Ely. That was uneventful; there were no strange lights in the sky, but we did pull over at one point to look at the stars. There was no moon and the sky was clear; all I can say is, wow.
It was damn cold, too. 13 when we reached her house around 10:30. It felt great to walk through the door again; when I left on September 11th I didn’t even know if we were going to pursue a relationship. Now we’re practically inseparable and I love it! We settled in next to her Christmas tree and exchanged gifts…what a blast that was! It’s so nice having somebody special to share the holiday with. I love everything she got me, but just being there was the greatest gift of all.
Tara didn’t have to work on Monday, so we spent the morning lounging in bed and watching movies. She made us scrambled eggs and green chili gravy (yum!!) with tortillas, which we also ate in bed. Talk about a decadent morning. I didn’t want to leave, but eventually we got up. Took a walk, relaxed at her place some more, and then drove out to visit her grandparents for awhile. They are very nice people, friendly and warm and welcoming. I like them a lot. I also got to meet her sister Maggie. A little after 5 we drove back into town and met up with some people at Racks for Monday Night Football. Maggie was there, along with Tara’s youngest sister Jessie, Jessie’s boyfriend Arturo, and another friend named Taylor. Oh, and then Tara’s dad showed up. We all had a good time and enjoyed delicious greasy bar food. I apologize to my body for that, but whatever. We left about 7:30, made a quick stop at the grocery store, then back to Tara’s place, where we crashed early.
She has to work most of this week, so we kissed goodbye and she left around 7. I’m enjoying coffee and watching a movie and just generally kicking back and relaxing. She’s going to pick up lunch for us, and this evening I’m cooking her dinner: my oughtta-be-famous chicken cacciatore. Role reversals be damned, it all feels pretty domestic and I’m kinda digging it.
This visit is off to a fantastic start, and I’m loving every minute of it. There may not be any snow in the forecast, damn it, but otherwise it’s perfect.
Catch ya later!
Mark My Words 
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