Butterflies Continued...

Oh, brother... Mr. Butterflies, you do throw quite the wrench in my year of 52 dates...

Mr. Butterflies (aka Best. First. Date. Ever. Period.) is really making me swoon. The day after our first date that lasted 6 hours he sent me this text. "Just thinking of you and smiling"

Ahhhhh, sigh... :)

Here is the text message I got from him asking me out for the second time.


A formula:  C x B = W:
Crigger-chan hangs out with Mr. Butterflies at some point over the Weekend. Class are there any questions?

*Note that the initials have been changed... Though it would be kind of funny if he referred to himself as Mr. Butterflies.*

The only questions I had were, "When? Where? And what should I wear?" 


"How about meeting up in Laguna Beach?"

Score! Laguna is a great place for a second date. Cute streets. Delicious restaurants. Lots of bars with dark corners in which to kiss. Only one small problem. And by small, I mean GIANT. Rex lives in Laguna Beach. I DO NOT want to run into him on what I am hoping will be a great second date. That, in fact, sounds like the perfect way to ruin a great date. Thankfully, I know Rex is planning to be on the boat Friday night. So Friday, in Laguna it is! Now let's just hope I don't run into any of his friends...

Mr. Butterflies arrived at my apartment just after 8:00. At this point I had been through three costume changes, two hairstyles, and a hefty glass of wine. On my previous dates I have rolled up in what I wore to work, old stand-bys that I feel can be wasted on an okay date I'm not expecting much from, or jeans and a t-shirt. I clearly wasn't worrying too much about attire. Which is shocking I know, coming from the Queen of the Closet, but they need to impress me, not the other way around. I invited Mr. Butterflies into my apartment, which is shocking. I never invite people into my apartment, actually there are very few people who even know my address. Some people are crazy. You never know where the Craig's List Killer is hanging out on OkCupid. So, I just generally don't want people knowing too much about me very early on. But having done a significant background check on Mr. Butterflies, his stories all checked out, and no criminal record to speak of, I invited him in.

I even offered him some of my coveted Apple Pie Moonshine, so now you know I really like him. I don't share that delicious elixir with just anyone...

After an hour or so of sitting on my couch, drinking a bit of moonshine, we headed out to Laguna. We grabbed dinner at a sushi restaurant. The way to this girl's heart is through raw fish. After sushi we went to a Belgium Bar for a beer and to settle a basketball bet. I said that basketball was invented in Canada, because James Naismith is Canadian. He said Indiana. Turns out we were both wrong, because it was actually invented in Massachusetts. But since I was convinced it was Canadian I insisted on buying our beer. The Belgium beer was delicious and the atmosphere was pretty great too. Apparently walking down those 8 steps into the subterranean bar had actually transported us to somewhere in Eastern Europe with its funky house music and crazy light shows. Oh, and the hilarious dancing of the interesting clientele. At one point Sweatpants-Boy, who was sitting beside us, bit the dust. This answered our question of why he was out in sweatpants. Clearly dancing is more of a sport for him than the rest of us.

After we left Poland we strolled around the quiet streets of Laguna, his arm around my shoulders, my arm around his waist. Allowing another human being to touch my in public is a very big deal. There have been people I have dated for years and haven't wanted them to so much as hold my hand in public. Heaven forbid someone get the wrong idea and think I am taken... But with Mr. Butterflies, he can put his arm around me and cuddle me close all he wants.

Our next stop was a little bar tucked away on a side street. The lighting was low and it had cobblestone floors. The lamps looked like they were a hold-over from a bygone era when everything was lit by gas. I immediately liked it. We found seats on a bench and nestled in, taking in the space and leaning against each other.  It is easy and comfortable with Mr. Butterflies. At one point he looked down at me and kissed me so softly and lightly I briefly wasn't sure if it had actually happened. Or if I had managed to hallucinate the whole moment.

"I've wanted to do that from the moment I first saw you... I came around the corner and saw you standing there. I thought you were so cute. I really wanted you to be the girl I was meeting."

So, I guess I wasn't hallucinating.  Instead, maybe I have the ability to conjure Nora Roberts movie characters ala You've Got Mail into real life? It is like when Tom Hanks comes into the park and Meg Ryan says, "I wanted it to be you," except I guess I am Tom instead of Meg. Did someone tell Mr. Butterflies You've Got Mail basically ran in a loop in my DVD player for years? 

After a few more moments in the bar we decided to head back to the car, grabbed a beach bag (what a planner he is) with a towel, some bourbon, and an Ale-8, and head down to the water. Boy does this man know the formula for making me fall hard and fast! We sat on the beach until it was far later than either of us intended. While I should have been tired, I wasn't. On all other dates I would have bounced long before now. On other dates I wouldn't even have gone down by the beach (hello Natalie Halloway...). But sometimes you just know you are in the middle of  your very own romantic comedy and you should just enjoy it. And I was pretty sure he wasn't going to leave me dead in a ditch. :)

I Think Yatch; Part 2

Rex and I met in Laguna Beach, which is where he lives, for our second date. Laguna is a really cute town. It's small. Quaint even. People walk around with their dogs dressed in cute outfits and eating ice cream cones. There are little boutiques and locally owned restaurants. If you live there, people greet you by name or a smile and a nod as they pass. Or in Rex's case, the bartender at his favorite restaurant will remind him what he had for dinner the night before in case he wanted to order it again. It has a community feel that is often missing in big cities. It is a feeling I have missed since moving to the sprawl that is Southern California.

At the restaurant we grabbed two open bar stools beside an elderly couple. This suited me just fine because I love the elderly. I love that old men flirt shamelessly with me because they know they have become harmless. I adore the elegant way older ladies dress that is reminiscent of a bygone era, with a hint of something modern splashed on. And Lord knows I love a story better than just about anything, and the elderly are certainly willing to share theirs.

Over a very nice bottle of red wine, Rex and I caught up about our week and chatted with the couple beside us, who have coincidentally, been coming to Laguna on vacation for last 30 years. The gentleman and I made a bet over who could drop a bottle cork and get it to stand up. I lost, but then he taught me the trick and now I have a new way to pick up men in the bar. As if I really need another. After a delicious dinner Rex and I said our goodbyes and headed off down the street to an Irish pub where his friend works.

He introduces me to his friend, who replies, "Have we met before?"

"Nope." I say smiling, while she looks a little awkward. So... Rex brings a lot of ladies in here does he? Which in all honesty is fine by me. Because, I have no intention of being a one-man  kinda lady right now. And I don't want some guy putting all his proverbial eggs in my metaphorical basket. I don't really want to be in the business of crushing people's spirits. That just puts out to much bad juju!


As we sat in the bar drinking our Johnny Walker Gold Label Scotch it dawns on me that I don't really know that much about Rex. Not really at least. I don't know his last name. I don't know what he studied in college. I don't know much about his family. His profile says he has a child, but they don't live here, however he hasn't mentioned it and I haven't asked. So I don't know what that situation is. And it hasn't ever occurred to me to mind.

I would like to think that I am enjoying the mystery. Unfortunately, the more likely case for my overly inquisitive self is that I'm not really that interested. Yes, he is nice. Yes, he never lets me pay. Yes, he has a yacht. But does he make my heart flutter? No.

Is a relationship all about flutter and sparks? Of course not. But I have had those flutters and sparks. And I really like that feeling. That anticipation of hoping he calls. The excitement of picking out an outfit for a date I'm really looking forward to. The day after dissection call with my sister, my friends, my mom. The over-analyzing every little thing as I am one to do. The thrill that is this something real because it scares me, but I just can't stop myself from stepping out on that ledge in hopes of falling into something great.

Maybe my relationship with Rex is one of those slow to ignite relationships. Or maybe we are destined for buddy land. Only time will tell.

In the mean time, I have two more dates!

Sneaky Love, Lasting Love

My Mamaw and Papaw have been married for eons.
Okay, well not eons.
Sixty-three years this November, to be exact.
That's more than double the whole time that I have been on this planet.
I have to get married tomorrow and live to be 91 in order to be married to someone that long.
Good thing I am planning to live to be 113...

Aside from the lengthy time my grandparents have been joined in holy matrimony, what is truly remarkable is how in love they still are with one another. I would call them obsessed with one another. My Mamaw will "run" into the grocery store to pick up something and my Papaw will say he is going to wait in the car. Before too long, my Papaw has wondered into Food City to see if my Mamaw needs any help.

A few years ago my Dad and Papaw were looking at old family pictures. My Dad picked up a picture of my Mamaw taken when she was young, right about the time she and my grandfather got married. He said, "Boy, Betty sure was awful pretty back then."

My Papaw looked my Dad square in the eye and said, "She is still awful pretty."

It isn't uncommon to walk into my grandparent's house and see them holding hands across the end table that sits between their recliners. If I had a quarter for every time I saw them steal a kiss as my Papaw empties the dishwasher and my Mamaw wipes down the kitchen counters I could make a hefty purchase. As a little girl I spent a lot of time at their house, nearly as much as at my own. I loved (and still do) being with them; they were, and still are, always having fun together. The fun is probably a little less exciting at 83 and 81, but it's still fun.

My Mamaw is always offering advice about love. It is usually unsolicited-- but spot on. After being married for 63 years you figure it isn't just conjecture at this point. She actually knows what she is talking about. One of her recent gems of truth imparted during our last phone conversation was, "Love will just sneak up on you when you least expect it. That's what happened to me."

When my Mamaw met my Papaw, they were just Betty and James Orvil. Betty was actually on a date with another man. Betty and James kind of knew each other, both having grown up in a small farming community, but they weren't what one might call friendly. However, one afternoon James was driving past the school house and saw Betty getting on a pep bus to go watch a game and he was smitten. He followed the school bus to the game. Walked right up the bleachers to my Mamaw, who was sitting beside her date, and said, "Why don't you move his coat so I can sit beside you."

When my Papaw tells this story he just laughs. My Mamaw looks a little sheepish, but haughty at the same time, like she is saying, "Well can you blame him? I'm a catch."

Obviously, my Mamaw moves the coat and my Papaw sits down beside her.

I asked my Papaw once what he would have done if the bus had driven somewhere really far away, and not just a neighboring school.

He said, "Well, I would have kept following it, hoping I didn't run out of gas I guess."

The rest is history, or so I thought until recently.

Not to long after James whisked Betty away from her pep bus boyfriend he asked her "to go, as they called it back then, steady."

"Well, I said yes," said Mamaw. "But I didn't really mean it. I just didn't want to hurt his feelings. So I had been pretending to go steady with him, but my heart wasn't really in it, until one day when I was in town and heard that his sister was trying to fix him up with one of her friends. Well, I just decided then and there that would most certainly not do. I realized then that I was in love. It had just sneaked right up on me. That will happen to you too, Babes."

You seem nice, but please stop planning our wedding.

Matty suggested we meet at the Cheesecake Factory. Which is interesting because I had been craving the avocado eggrolls for about a week. From our phone conversation I knew he was an attorney, funny, a big Disneyland fan, and had his own online dating stories (the one about the little person is a classic). If nothing else, he seemed like someone with whom I could be friends.  When I arrived he was seated at a high top table at the bar, drinking a Bud Light. I took this as a good sign, clearly he doesn't have a problem with less than great beer.

Over his beer, my red wine, and a plate of the avocado eggrolls (his suggestion, not mine) we talked about Disneyland, work, families, moving to California- he's a transplant too-, the horse races, and how his roommate met her boyfriend online. He also told me about his mother, complete with an imitation of her Indian accent, asking him "Matty, if you are gay. Just tell me. It's okay, I will still love you." because he is last unmarried sibling.

I can actually relate to this. Not because my mother is Indian, concerned about my sexuality, or trying to marry me off. I'm actually pretty sure she and my Dad high-fived after hearing that my former flame and I called it quits. But, rather because my grandmother seems concerned that when I decide to settle down there will no more men left on the planet to marry.

Here's how that conversation with my Grandmother went;

Mamaw: How's your love life?
Me: About the same as it always is. Lots of Mr. Right-Nows, no Mr. Right.
Mamaw: Well you know Crigger-Chan, when you decide to settle down they might all be gone?
Me confused: Where are they going?

If Matty told me once, he said it five times that he was "shocked no one had snatched me up."  Which is very flattering, don't get me wrong.  Matty also mentioned that his mother would love me if we ever met. He's not wrong, parents always like me. Ask my friends from high school. If they told their parents I was going it became immediately acceptable for them to go as well. He talked about his sister's recent wedding and the lecture his mother gave him about working out and dressing nicely so he could find a wife.

On a side note, he seemed pretty fit, I didn't make him do a fitness test or anything, and his clothing all matched, but maybe that was luck of the draw...

He wasn't asking me how many bridesmaids we should have or what flower arrangements we should get, but the more Matty and I talked, the more I could sense that we are in different places in our lives. He wants to meet someone, fall in love, and start a life with her. Yesterday.

I want those things too. After my year of 52 dates.

Best. First. Date. Ever. Period.

Have you ever had a first date that was so good you just remember a feeling of warmth that spread through your chest and made your fingertips tingle? The soundtrack playing in your mind is just a muddled cocktail of laughter, snippets of songs you sang along to, car horns, and random nonsensical tidbits about another person that out of context don't make sense? The smells that still cling to the inside of your nose and transports you back is beer, fresh air mixed with tar, and the clean scent of laundry detergent that wafts ever so faintly as you bend your heads close to answer trivia questions?

The picture you see in your mind isn't the whole picture, but rather a smattering of small things that make up the other person. It is a bottom tooth slightly overlapping another. It is a fleck of gray hair that shows up only in the bright sunlight. It is a straight nose, unlike my own more, ahem, shall we say regal nose? Its long fingers that flatten out on the end and leave me wondering if it is hard to tap the letters on an iPhone key pad.

All these things crystallized in my mind make up the other person, but leave me remembering him as though he were drawn in charcoal and smudged around the edges.    

I know we talked. There was never an awkward silence. But I don't really remember what was said. I remember snippets and moments. I did tell him about my brief, but glorious career as an archeologist as we wondered through the La Brea tar pits. And that I was the two-time state geology champion. He told me about his research, his godfather, that it makes him sad to think his children might grow up in LA and not have the chance to play in creeks, climb trees, get dirty, and catch lightening bugs. He didn't think I was crazy for having a sister who isn't actually related to me. But there were five more hours that we filled up with conversation that passed in the blink of an eye.

I heard myself saying I needed to be heading home, but not actually wanting to leave.

It was a first date that felt nothing like a first date.

Get a mitt and catch a clue... I'm just not that into you.

Being raised in the South by a mother who taught Emily Post everything she knows, I often find it difficult to be anything less than extremely tactful in social situations.  While this leads to good first impressions, successful job interviews, and people generally liking me, it also gets me into sticky situations with men in whom I am not interested.

I smile, which men mistake for enjoyment, but really the corners of my mouth just always turn up. Some people have angry resting features. Not me, my face is like that of a clown's with a smile painted on. I can be sobbing or running, and I am still smiling. Plus, I'll try anything once (except bad clothes) and find myself on first dates with people I know I am not interested in because I know it takes courage to ask someone out. I am too polite to leave a date in the middle (except for one time when I climbed out a window). At the end social convention has me trained to say, "I had a nice time", because I did have a relatively nice time compared to spending the evening in the ER getting treatment for a shark bite.

I really think it is the word "nice" that gets me into trouble. Add my accent full of "nices" that sound more like "niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice" and people think I am flirting. Not to mention that in the South, the word "nice" has a different meaning than it does in other parts of the country.  Allow me to explain.

Non-Southern Lady: She is a nice girl.
Translation: She is a nice girl.
Southern lady: She is a nice girl.
Translation: She is far beneath me and I will plaster on a fake smile and suffer through it, but the only way she'll get into the Junior League is stepping over my dead body. *Ghetto finger snapping and pursed lips are also implied in this statement*


...So at the end of my date with Sonny* what do I say when he says "I had fun."

You guessed it.
"I had a nice time..." Relative to being forced to watch an art installation piece where a lady gives birth in front of a live audience. Yes, this was nicer than that would have been.


The following day when Sonny* texted me, "I had a nice time with you last night. Would you like to make plans to get together another evening coming up?"

I waited a solid 36 hours before replying with, "I had a nice time too, but I am really busy this week and next and don't have time to get together." Hoping he would read this between between my polite lines. Let's face it buddy, if I was really into you I would find time in my busy schedule to see you.

Thirty seconds later, Sonny* has replied. "Let's plan something for the week of the 12th."

I choose to ignore that text.

Two days later I got "How's your day going?"

I also ignored that text.

Three days after that I got a phone call, which I let go to voicemail.

 As you read this imagine that someone is pinching his chin and pulling his lips back as he talks so he kind of hisses. "Heeeeey, this is Sonny*. It's Thursday over here, about 7:00. My number is 555.888.1313. I'll talk to you soon."

Is it not Thursday where I am? Don't we live in the same county? I clearly have your phone number since I responded to a text message. And really, do you honestly think will you talk to me soon? I haven't responded to three texts which would take all of 30 seconds. I doubt I'll be returning your call.

And shock of shocks; I didn't call him back. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. After all it was only one date. Why call him only to tell him "It's not me. It's you." That just seems mean.

The following Monday I get another text.

"Hey. How was your weekend? Would you like to make plans for an evening this week?"

If I wanted to make plans with you I would have. A WEEK AGO. Do you not understand you are getting the brush off here? Seriously, three unanswered text messages and an unreturned phone call? Clearly you have not seen He's just not that into you? Or if you did, you learned nothing from it. Watch it. You might learn something. The same principles apply to gals!

I decide I have to text him back, if only to put him out of his misery and to stop him from blowing up my phone with his texts and voice-mails. My mom, a.k.a. Emily Post said telling him "I'm just not interested in you." was too blunt and mean even if I use my thickest accent.

"Well how about telling him you are joining a nunnery?"
"Can't. My Match.com profile says I'm protestant."
"Well drat!"
"Yep, because that is a likely story. Young lady moves to California, breaks up with boyfriend, has a bad date and joins a nunnery." 

I went with a simple text to avoid lying directly to someone's ear.

"Sonny, I'm really sorry, but I don't think I am ready to be dating. I am still attached to someone from my past."

Send = Problem solved.

Or not.

Within two minutes you-know-who was blowing up my phone. Worried about what I would find on the other end of the line I let it go to voice-mail. And promptly blocked him on Match.com so he couldn't see my newly updated profile...

The next day I get this text message.

"Hey Crigger-chan, keep my number and let me know when you might be ready to date again."

Yes, I will keep your number. For screening purposes.

I Think Yatch!

When Rex messaged me on Match.com I wasn't blown away by his picture. In fact it kind of scared me. He had assumed what I like to think of as the football player pose; crossed arms and a fight face. All that seemed to be missing were pads and a helmet. But his opening line showed he had read my profile so I clicked through his pictures. Lots of pictures of him on a boat (I like boats), one of him on a child's tricycle (shows his playful side I guess), and some miscellaneous ones, including the dreaded mirror photo. Despite the fraught with trouble mirror photo, and probably because of the goofy photo on a tricycle, I emailed him back. We messaged back and forth and eventually he asked for my phone number. As he didn't seem psychotic I gave it to him.

We then texted for a few days. To be honest, I prefer texting, having been really put off by the first two prospects voices. Plus, it has a much less serious air to it. If he turns out to be crazy I can pretend he is just a book and close that chapter. Hearing a voice makes the person on the other side of the line seem more real. Via text I learn that he has a boat. And by boat, I mean yacht. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I also learn he likes hockey (he's Canadian, eh), doesn't know much about college basketball (we all have our flaws), and thinks I am funny (clearly he has a good sense of humor).

So... we make plans to meet one evening after my yoga class. This is all strategy on my part. The later I push the start time of a date, the less time I actually have to spend with him should he be awful. I mean, he owns a yacht and a house on the beach, he is probably insufferably snobby, right?

Wrong-o, Crigger-chan. He is nothing but lovely!

In my usual fashion I end up running late to meet him. I totally miscalculated how long it would take me to get home from yoga, shower, pull myself together, and actually get to the restaurant. By 8:00 I realize I am going to be late. Really late actually, since I was supposed to be at the restaurant already. I text him, saying "I'm really sorry, but I'm running late, but will be there by 8:30."

To which he responds, "Take your time. No big deal. :)"

The smiley face was his, not mine.

Whaaaaaaaat?! You aren't mad at me for being late? It isn't the end of the world that I am running behind? You realize that good things come to those who wait? You see that I am someone worth waiting on? Rex, at this point you could look like Quasimodo's ugly brother and I might not care. At least not tonight.

I arrive at the restaurant and find him waiting outside. He opens the door, lets me pick the seat (unlike some people...) doesn't even flinch when I order nice bourbon and then proceed to eat a sizable helping of sushi and sashimi. We chatted about everything with no awkward pauses. He was interesting and smart, and as far from snobby as you can get! Which was surprising given the size of his yacht.

He even seemed to enjoy my detail laden stories, or at least he faked his interest well. I have dated people in the past that didn't enjoy my variety of story-telling. The first time that man told me to "cut to the chase" I should have cut out the door. We stayed at the restaurant until closing time chatting with the bartender about my favorite topic, Kentucky. And when the valet brought his keys to him, he tipped him handsomely. I find it immensely attractive when people are generous and kind to waiters, valets, service clerks, etc...

When the bill came and I asked, "What's the damage?" He snatched it away and replied, "No damage!"

What? We aren't going dutch? You aren't trying to take me home? This is a good first date.