Snapshot of my day

Yesterday I had an event for work. It was a luncheon benefiting a support group of the foundation for which I work. It was a really amazing event, we raised a lot of money and bonus! it looked spectacular...so I am going to share.

I was in love with the room, I wish you guys could have seen it

The cocktail area

Some of our kids pictures were placed around the room, it was a beautiful touch.

The event was sponsored by Grey Goose so we had some yumm drinks

Marisol and I mid event, I looked kind of pooped already :-(

All photos Mitchell Zacks Photography

This is the crazy shit that I think about when I should be working

**So I guess I should preface this and say that I am sure most of you won't agree
with me on this and thats okay, but the reason for my blog was to put my
thoughts out there and thats what this is**

For some reason the other day driving home with a friend a thought popped into my head...How far would a guy be willing to go to get off?

The real train of thought stemmed from me wondering if a heterosexual male had no woman around to do the job for him would he be willing to use a guy to get off. Obviously masturbation is an option, but what if they wanted something more? A blowjob or sex. It happens in the prison system all the time, straight men turn to other men to get the sexual fulfillment that they desire.

I brought this up to my friend and we discussed it for a bit. I think most straight men would deny it, swear that under no circumstances would they turn to another guy to get some. But I think that they would be trying to protect their reputation, pride whatever. Men need to get laid, it's part of their makeup. I also think for a guy to say no would show how much he underestimates his libido. I for one don't think that getting it on with another guy makes them gay. I think it shows that they are secure in their sexuality. Just like two girls getting it on doesn't make them lesbians. But for some reason two girls exploring their sexuality is considered totally normal and acceptable. While two men who do the same thing are considered otherwise. I think its the feelings behind it that make all the difference.

The Kiss by Niemand8et

This double standard is something that I think about often. Why is it okay for women to comment on how beautiful another woman is but its not okay for a man to do the same when seeing an attractive man? I for one, have no problem saying that "I would totally sleep with that girl" yes, I am typically drunk when I say it, and even though I have never actually followed through on it, no one bats an eyelash when I make the statement. But if a straight guy would say "Dude, I'd screw that guy" instantly everyone would say that he is gay. I don't get it. I think under normal circumstances hetero men are attracted to women and vice-versa but there is that special situation in which you see someone of the same sex that you are inexplicably attracted to. Not that you would pursue it or act on it, but it happens. And thats okay. Because of this, I am sure that a guy, given the right circumstances would absolutely have sex with another guy, despite the fact that one or both of them is straight.

Thoughts?

I feel like an old lady and other updates

First things first, I can barely walk. My knees are all sorts of screwed up and while I would like to say that it was from something fun like having an insane amount of sex doggy style thus knocking my knees out of joint, I can't say that.

Honestly, I don't know what caused it. Truth be told my knees have been a bit wonky since high school when I was on the dance team. Yes, I was that girl. Don't scoff. Not to say I was any good, I wasn't, I was rubbish but in the process of being rubbish on the dance team my senior year I also completely fucked my knees. Being that I am more of a reading/video game/tv watching dork than anything else the chance for my knees to act up has been slim to none. But over the last several months I have become more active, meaning I have been trying to get my lazy ass in shape. And let me just say, my knees are protesting BIG TIME.

I was in such bad shape this weekend that I spent it in bed with a knee brace on and when I did get up I hobbled all over the place. Not the sexiest image, I know. Sorry to disappoint. Long story short, I am going to the doctors to get poked and prodded and in the meantime will refrain from any strenuous activity on my knees. So basically I am just going to be walking and very little at that.

In other news, Smeldon survived the weekend!!! And looked amazingly good when we walked in (hobbled) into the office this morning. The summer being such a slow time for us here in the events department is sure to set him further along the road to recovery, I have high hopes that he will be his old self soon.

Speaking of summer, I am beyond ecstatic to announce that as of today I only have 3 events left this season and I am done. Done I tell you. My last official event of the season is on May 19th and not two days later I am flying out to see my oh so Sexy Legless Pirate. We will be spending about 4 glorious days together before I come back to Miami and go on missing him until his visit to me in July.

And finally, last but certainly not least, ladies and gentlemen, I am going back to school. Its long been something that I wanted to do and always seem to be too busy or there's not enough money and I finally said Fuck It. So I'm applying and getting my shit in gear. I am going to finish my Bachelors in English Lit and fingers crossed get my Masters in Library Science. Yes boys, that will make me a Librarian. Is it sad that all I have ever wanted is a career that allows me to be completely surrounded by books. I don't think so, but then again, it takes all kinds.

Its not looking good

Ladies and gentlemen it would seem that I wrote about my lovely Smells just in time. He is not doing well...he has been staying at the bottom of the tank, not really swimming, not really getting his work done.

We are at a loss as to what to do. He is kind of old for a Beta, he's been with us for 2 years. I guess it could just be his time, but what a sad day it will be. We fear he will not live through the weekend, so we have decided to say our farewell's to him when we leave today just in case.

I will keep you all updated, well wishes are requested. I'm sure Smeldon would really appreciate it.

Kittens and Rainbows and shit...or just kittens

My lovely office mate Marisol (oh yeah, I switched offices for the good of the company, blah, blah, blah) sent me a text on Saturday. She was all sorts of banged up after rescuing 5 kittens she found in her attic. How the fuck did they get in the attic? Apparently their mother was quite the aerialist. It would seem like she gave birth elsewhere and decided to haul her load to higher ground, you know, in case of flooding. So Marisol awoke to some crazy meowing. She being the fearless one that she is crawled into the attic and rescued the kittens one by one.


They are 2 1/2 weeks old and quite possibly the cutest things I have ever seen. Let me just set the record straight for a second here...I am not a cat person. No offense to the cat people of the world but I think that sometimes cat people can be a tad on the strange side. And when I say cat people, I don't mean people who have cats among their other animals, I mean EXCLUSIVE cat people. You know who you are, admit it, you're a bit weird. Its okay you can't help it.

As I sit at the vets office cooing to my dog, mingling with other dog people, letting the pups frolic in the waiting room, you lovely cat person, are cowering in the corner protecting your cat with your very life. You scoff at us silly dog people and fancy yourself classier than the rest of us because you don't act a fool with your pet. Its okay, I get you. Cats are all regal, blah, blah, blah. But they are not for me. Despite that, it is a well known fact that cats fucking love me. LOVE ME. The ex-bf had two cats. One who meandered in and out when she so chose and the other who basically lived on the street and came home every once in a while. The boy was only ever there when I came to visit and the girl, well she used to drool on me. My petting, drove her to such heights that the bitch drooled on me. Frequently.

Wow this post took a drastic left turn. Back to the subject at hand. I am not a cat fan but these kittens not even hades himself could refuse them. They needed to be bottle fed so Marisol brought them into work on Monday. Good lord, did I ever melt like an icecream cone in July when I saw their little faces...don't believe me? Proof.

Look at that shit! Just look at it!!!

You roar baby! Like the adorable little cub you are!

For the record, I totally considered taking one home, thats how smitten I was with my little cublet. Who the hell wouldn't be when he released that fierce roar while in my arms (yes it was just a tiny squeek but it shows that he has gumption and thats what counts)

This one was my favorite, somehow it managed to have purple eyes, no not blue, purple.

Now, for those of you who actually care and would like to know what happened, Marisol found a lovely lady who works at a shelter and is taking care of them until they have been weened off the bottle and can be adopted.

Are You Aware?

As you will already know from yesterday's warning, today is blog swap day. That means that Jossie has kindly agreed to subject you to my ramblings, while she does the same over on my own blog. I guess I should let you know a little bit about who I am, to supplement what you know already. My name is Ben, and I currently reside in Southampton, England (if you look at a map, then it's on the south coast, roughly in the middle of the country. Just north of a little island we call the Isle of Wight). I am also currently unemployed and have been for three months now, though I am also a news editor for a technology website on a (largely) voluntary basis. I like music, particularly people like The Beatles and Bob Dylan (though my taste is pretty varied), I have a pet cat called Mutton (he's fat) and I am trying to improve my life with a carefully selected list of goals. I have decided to sit outside to write this post, in an attempt to get a bit of sunshine. This is me:




Now that's out of the way, we can get down to business. I have a hard time trying to decide what I want to write about at the best of times, so I canvassed for a few suggestions this time around in the hope that it might turn up something a bit more interesting than usual. One friend suggested I talk about poo, which I did seriously consider. Have you ever noticed that if you have a conversation with a group of people (you have to know them well) for long enough, the topic will eventually come around to that of bodily functions, without fail? (or maybe that's just the kind of company I keep). So that topic is out and instead I thought I would talk about awareness.

Where you are sitting now, be it at a desk or somewhere a little more scenic with laptop in hand, you are (hopefully) paying attention the text on your screen. Maybe there are other people around you, maybe there are not, but are you really aware of what's going on? Of course, the brain (being the helpful thing that it is) does a very good job of imposing selective awareness. We naturally pay attention to things that we deem to be more important, calling on all of our life experience to this point to help decide what that is. Most of the time this is very good thing. You wouldn't want to be crossing a road to become distracted by the feeling of the wind in your hair, causing you to be hit by an oncoming bus. But in an urban world where there is constantly so much input, it can be hard to just sit (or stand) and take notice of all the things that usually become a blur.

So wherever you happen to be now, take a minute (or five, or ten) to do the following:

Be very still, relax and open your eyes. Pay attention to the things going on in your peripheral vision. Open your ears and really listen, if there are a lot people around try and pick out individual conversations (that can be really quite fun). Also pay attention to your own body. Feel the air moving across your skin. Maybe you are hungry but hadn't realised until now. Do all of that now (stop reading).

Welcome back. Now what did you notice that you wouldn't have normally? Fortunately I had birdsong, plants, a gentle breeze and butterflies nearby. But also the sound of traffic, trains passing and spiders scuttling around close to where I am sitting. Hopefully when you go back to whatever it was you were doing, you'll feel a little bit different. It may not last long, but it's something.

Its coming to get you

So ladies and gents tomorrow is the oh so popular 20sb Blog Swap and what does that mean, well it means that you will need to go elsewhere to read little old me. Is that all? Nope.

It also means that you need to show my blogswap partner some love. To wet your little appetites I am going to give you a few tid bits:

1. He's a boy
2. He's British
3. He's quite nice and gave me the thumbs up to curse in my post, WHAT! Awesome. You love him already I know.
   
4. My post is something you have never read about on my blog

So thats it. Where will you be tomorrow? Hopefully showing us some bloggy love :-)

Lets do this! Karaoke for the fine music connoisseur

Last night on the way home from Teresa and Gabriel's house Bryan Adam's came on the radio. I like to think that everyone the world over knows and loves this man as I do. But I have encountered several people in my life who adamantly deny loving his tender lyrics and powerhouse vocals. FOR SHAME. He is the fucking man.

How could you not forgive him, or let him show you how to REALLY love a woman

He captured my heart way back in the 6th grade. At the time I was dating a complete asshole for a boyfriend who cheated on me with one of my best friends and in order to make it up to me he called and played Bryan Adams "Please Forgive Me". It worked, hook, line and fucking sinker. I mean what the hell was wrong with me! the song was about having sex, something that I was another 5 years away from having but somehow "I remember all your moves" was the sweetest line ever. Why? Well obviously because Bryan's raspy voice was singing it. He couldn sing the alphabet and you would feel like the ABC's had cheated on him and smashed his heart. I immediately made my mom take me out to Specs (taking it back old school) and buy me his greatest hits album, So Far So Good. I would eventually listen to the tape so often that it had to be retired and replaced by a cd in my adulthood. This also happened in later years to my Amy Grant album and shamefully to my Tevin Campbell. Don't judge, I know there are some scary ass skeletons in your musical closets as well.

Oh Tevin you had me at "I'm Ready"
but seriously who the fuck names their kid Tevin!

Anyway back to the point. As I belted out "Run to you" off key of course, cause thats just how I do. Vickie looked over at me with disgust and scoffed. I kept singing my little heart out, incorporating some hand gestures and dance moves as I saw fit.

She looked at me and said, "You are only ever allowed to sing Bryan Adams and Amy Grant at karaoke, you get so into it its fucking disgusting"

Amy, always such a lady

My response, "Ohhh, ohhh and the New Kids on the Block too!" And I continued singing. We got out of the car, Vickie laughing at me and as we walked up to the apartment I said "Admit it, you love him he is Brabulous! See what I did there, Bryan and Fabulous. Its word perfection!"

Just try to say something bad about my boys, I'll cut you. Seriously.

I thought she was going to slap me.

But seriously, any takers?? Karaoke with the most amazing songbook ever: Bryan Adams, Amy Grant and NKOTB, we may even throw in a little Tevin for good measure?? Who could refuse that? Its so Grantastic!! Ha, I'm an ass.

Latin girls don't peel

Except for this one!! Effing shit. I am really so pissed about this (totally exaggerating, but its allowed)

I got such an awesome tan (read:burn) on my last beach outing. I was CONVINCED it would turn into an awesome golden brown color as per usual. And it did and then two days ago while on the phone with the Sexy Legless Pirate I practically shrieked when I realized that my back was in fact peeling.

I am not a whitey. That is not supposed to happen. Last night while talking to him, I put my hand down my shirt (don't think dirty thoughts) and pulled out a chunk of skin that made me look like a snake had just shed its coat. Bleh! Gross. Not only am I dropping skin but now I have a whiter patch in the middle of my back. The rest of me looks fine. But really thats not the point.

Molesting my boyfriend within an inch of his life or the update

I realize that ever since the mentally draining Face to Face series I haven't posted about the Sexy Legless Pirate...not because I haven't wanted to, obviously we are all about each other but because writing that series drained me and lets be honest made me miss him a thousand times more than I already did.

Our weekend together was so perfect in a super cheesetastic way that getting back to life sucked, hard. Now three weeks later its even worse. We both have kind of crazy schedules and finding time to talk to each other and spend time together isn't always easy (and by spending time, I totally mean video chat, cause thats how you roll when your 800 miles away). But I think we're figuring it out.

He decided that he'll be going to school in New York come the fall, while I am SUPER excited for him, it also puts him another 800 miles away...but whats the difference really, he's just a plane ride away. I think honestly the hardest part about this whole thing is wanting to constantly see him and not being able to. You never realize how much you love kissing until you can't kiss the person you love whenever you want.

As it stands now he'll be coming down in July for my birthday and we'll hopefully get to spend a week (or more) together loving each other up. Depending on a few variables I may fly out there to see him before then...I can't promise that I won't jump on him the second I see him at the airport and devour him whole, but he wouldn't expect anything less.

And really could you blame me.

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If you are looking for another super ridiculously awesome blogmance (see what I did there, huh, huh) stop over at Beth's blog and prepare to melt like ice cream on the sidewalk.

I know how to rally

Despite the fact that I was down in the dumps this weekend, I was quite the busy little bee and did an excellent job at faking my happiness. To say that it was eventful was an understatement.

Friday - Head to Score (lovely little gay club) for drinks and dancing to celebrate David's birthday

The birthday girl

Fucking frozen cosmos!


Bunny and I were drunk and serenading each other...I believe it was to the tune of "Lovefool"

Not only did I spend half of my weekend dancing and surrounded by gay boys but I also spent it drunk. Score, has this lovely little diabolical alcohol concoction known as a Frozen Cosmo. Effing Bastards. I couldn't stop drinking them and I also couldn't get rid of the hangover the next morning, thus forcing me to miss out on the park outing for David's birthday...which turned out to be okay since it rained like nobody's business.

Saturday - Park outing for David's birthday followed by club outing to Discotekka (another lovely little gay club) with some other friends to hang out with some friends we had visiting from New York. (Boys that we met when we were in New York in February.)

I don't have pics of my night yet :-( I'll update when I do...but this is what I missed at the Midnight Easter Egg Hunt

She's definitely not a wilting flower

Sadly due to our out of town guests I had to miss one of the most anticipated events in our social calendar...Zoey and Lissette's Midnight Easter Egg Hunt. I can't even begin to tell you my disappointment at not being able to attend but there is always next year and Vickie brought back sufficient chocolate, condoms and dinosaurs on skateboards to last us until then.


Sunday - Breakfast/Lunch with Teresa and Gabriel and off to my parents house for Easter dinner.

This is my hangover face...and my awesome tan.

Nothing says yumm like a plate of Cuban food

Sunday morning while still in bed I regaled my sister with the previous nights story...honestly unless you know me and my life there is no possible way to explain it in which you guys will understand the magnitude of the evening...but lets just say we ended up knowing so many damn people at the club (some we wanted to run into some not so damn much) that we practically took over the effing bar area. Four hours later I had a ridiculous bar tab of over $100 and was thoroughly wasted for our 4 am trek to the car.

My weekend ended with me in bed with a tummy full of yumm Mexican food made by mommy. It was an okay weekend, you know despite all the depression shit.

Excuse me while I put it out there

So as you can probably tell from my last post things haven't been too great lately. Its hard to really put it into words and I have tried, really, to do it several times but at the end of it all I realize that while you guys will always do what you can to help me deal with it you aren't the problem and I need to face the problem head on.

So I did. I put it all out there today. I am not sure whats going to happen, if its going to make things better or worse but at this point I really had no other choice. I am not a confrontational person by nature, I am used to bottling up the things that bother me until I get to a breaking point and flip the hell out. But I refuse to do that anymore. Its not a good approach to dealing with the stuff that bothers me and its not fair to the people who it directly affects either. They should know whats going on not find out once they can do nothing about it.

Do I feel better about the whole thing? Quite frankly, no I don't. I feel like shit. Probably worse than I did all weekend. It was strange for me too because I had a hectic weekend, almost every second was filled with people, things to do and see. So I faked my way through it. Smiled when appropriate, laughed, made a silly joke. Was my heart in it? No. I would have preferred to be home in bed coming to terms with the status quo.

I'm not really sure what to do next. I guess I'll just let it be and see what happens. If nothing does, thats an answer in and of itself.

Thank you guys for being so awesome and so quick to offer a shoulder it really does help to know you all care so much. I hope you had a great Easter Weekend :-)

I feel kind of stunted, frozen in place.  I have so much that I want to get off my chest but don't feel like I can do it here...I don't feel like I can say it all to be honest.  I wrote a post about it to get it out of my system, hoping that would make me feel better about the whole thing, but it hasn't.  

I'm frustrated, disappointed, unsure of how to proceed.  

A couple of days ago I was so satisfied with life...nothings changed really.

I hope this blows over soon.  

Getting my rocks off

What do normal people do when they want to get off? They have sex or masturbate or ask a perfect stranger for some loving...no, actually no one does that its unsafe.

What do I do? Well friends, I read Fanfic.

Lamest. Answer. EVER. I know this. I am not ashamed of that fact. Actually, I am. A little.

This is the kind of shit that happens when your boyfriend lives 800 miles away. But lets be honest I've been reading it for like 3 months. And to whom do I give the credit for getting me hooked on it...you know, I'm not going to throw her under the bus, she knows who she is ;-)

Honestly though, FanFic is some hardcore shizz. Some actual porn is tamer than this crap is. I sweat reading it. SWEAT. And where do I read it, basically anywhere. I'm shameless.

Look over at Jossie waiting for a meeting to start, are my cheeks a bit pink am I kind of breathless. Yup, there it is. Edward/Bella porn at your service. How shameless am I you ask? I read it while visiting with friends, sitting at my desk at work, I get updates to my e-mail and I check it every couple of hours. I can't even imagine how many hours I have logged reading this crap, nor would I want to...am I planning to kick the habit anytime soon, HELL NO.

What does the Sexy Legless Pirate think? What else could he think? I'm a dork, but its kind of cute at the same time. Obviously he loves me or he's crazy. Maybe a combo.

Seriously though, if you want to get in on the action let me know...I'll e-mail you some stories*.

Why does this feel like a shady drug deal?

I feel dirty.

*If you aren't all about Twilight though I can't give you suggestions you'll just have to look for the good stuff yourself.

Bounce House Shenanigan's at Zoey's 31st

My weekend was a whirlwind of drinking, partying, tanning, getting the shit bitten out of me by mosquitoes. Oh wait! Thats not fun. No it sure isn't.

Saturday was Zoey's birthday party, ever so appropriately it was a child's birthday party but for a group of late 20 early 30 somethings. Complete with a bounce house, relay races and a pinata filled with contraband. To say that the party was awesome would be an understatement, everyone had a really great time and really who knew we had that many hours of partying in us.

Our palace of bounce

My favorite part was watching everyone try to clandestinely sneak into the bounce house for shameless childish glee only to be caught and photographed by the rest of the party having way too much drunken fun in there. And bonus! No one threw up in it despite the drinking and pounds of Arroz Imperial we all ate.

I was sad, my name was misspelled and my loot bag was empty...no love

Seriously, we kept loosing people to that corner of the bounce house, we were tearing that bitch down!

Mary the Pin the Tail champion of the world!!!

I won a teeny vodka bottle for blowing up one of those balloon monstrosities, I've got skills, people, skills.

Cotton Candy deliciousness

Pinata's are harcdore in Miami...Don't get in the way unless you want to get stabbed or maimed...no joke, Teresa got knocked over for some anal beads

Getting into the bouncehouse was reminiscent of the birth canal (its meant for 5 year olds)

Teresa decided it would be fun to smother me with her boobs, I was too exhausted from the bounce fest to even care

Teresa's toes partying up with Mary and me
Teresa doing her sexy pose

Vickie and the birthday girl, Zoey

Eugene about to get his shit crushed by Carlos

Being that today is actually Zoey's birthday I would just like to take a moment and say a
big effing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her, love you Zoey!!!!

Face to Face Conclusion

What happens now...well we aren't really sure. For you curious minds who have asked if we are official...yes we are. Other than that we don't know...we'll see what happens.

We took a lot of pictures over the course of the weekend but I'm only sharing a few with you...hope you aren't too disappointed.

Sexy Legless Pirate snuggling in bed with Bailey



On the beach

At the Douchebag Party, in full "Woo Girl" glory

A few drinks in as evidenced by my expression

SLP in full blown douchey mode

Face to Face Part V

Part I, II, III, IV can be found there.

Around 2am we left the party and headed home...we had stayed later than anticipated we wanted to have some time to ourselves that night. Despite the lateness we were wide awake and had no plans to sleep anytime soon. We made the most of our last few hours together, exploring each other and where things would go. Bedtime finally came around at 5 am.

Exhaustion had set in by this point but we still fought back unwilling to close our eyes and wake up to our last few hours together. We figured the best thing to do was to set the alarm for 8am, that way we could make the most of our last moments. We crawled under the covers and finally succumbed to sleep, waking up the next morning later than expected. It was 10 am by the time we opened our eyes. We immediately turned into each other and snuggled our last morning together away.

Eventually we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed to the kitchen for some coffee and breakfast. He made us eggs, throwing left over ingredients from our impromptu dinner two nights before into the pan. We sat at the dinner table our legs wrapped around each other as we talked about past relationships and plowed through our food, it was delicious, even for a non-egg eater like myself. The morning flew by. Every few minutes we would look at each other and it would hit us that all we had left were moments.

Something that we had planned and looked forward to for so long was gone...it seemed like we hadn't done enough, or maybe we had done too much and wasted our time together instead of reveling in each other as we should have. He wasted no time in packing, our time was scarce, he just threw his stuff in the suitcase, letting it all fall as they may and sealed it up, while I got dressed in the background for an event that afternoon. Every few seconds we would come together in the middle of the room to kiss, hug, hold hands. It was bittersweet.

2pm rolled around and it was time for our final goodbye's. The weather outside matching our moods, the rain began to come down as the cab pulled up to the curb. We gave each other one last hug and a long meaningful kiss. He said his good bye's to Bailey and walked out the door. Leaving in his wake two sad girls and a pair of boxers to remember him by.

Face to face Part IV

Here's Part I, II and III

During the course of the night I had rolled into the center and bundled the sheets around me. I noticed the emptiness as soon as I opened my eyes. My first reaction was fear, what happened to him? Had he left? But I looked over to the door and sitting haphazardly on the floor was his open suitcase a shirt sleeve hanging out onto the floor. I got up wiping the sleep out of my eyes and tidying my hair to see where he was. The bathroom door was open, empty. Kitchen, lights off, not a sound. Couch was bare. Where was he?

Then I remembered, he had left at 8 to run an errand. He didn't want to bother me by waking me up to go with him, we had discussed it the night before. I reached over and grabbed my phone from the night stand to send him a text "I miss you" his response a few seconds later "I'm coming home ;-)" I smiled. He said he was coming home, not "I'm heading back", home. When he got there a little under an hour later I was curled on the sofa clutching my morning coffee and watching TV. He plopped down right next to me and curled up with me while he ate some breakfast.

We had grand plans for the day, heading to the beach to walk the outdoor mall, maybe some time on the sand. We even had some not so fun stuff on our schedule, taking Bailey to the vet, she hadn't been feeling well and he wanted to make sure we took care of her. We got dressed and made our way to the beach. It was a beautiful day, sunny and breezy. The perfect day to be out soaking up Miami. We walked up and down Lincoln Road, made our way to 17th street and sat on the sand while we talked and people watched. He took off his shirt to soak up the sun and I reveled in the wind blowing my hair all over the place. We finally decided that we had some more serious things to attend to and headed back home.

While I ate lunch he took a short nap, re-energizing himself after his early morning, but it was short lived and he barely slept, I promised a second nap attempt after the vet visit. It took longer than expected but we kept each other company and joked through it, pointing out the difference between cat and dog people. My uncanny ability to pick cat people out of a crowd impressed him beyond compare. We finally made it home after what seemed like an eternity. My pockets a bit emptier after the rigorous exams on Bailey but happy to know she'd be okay.

As soon as we walked in we immediately stripped down for nap time 2.0. Plans for the evening were a bit nerve wracking to us both, we'd be attending a party for Gabriel's birthday and he would be meeting all my friends. I was nervous and I already knew everyone who'd be there, I couldn't imagine what he must have felt like, but he seemed to be handling it well. Before long it was time to get up, we showered and got dressed, me in my "Woo Girl" outfit him in whatever he had left in his suitcase. He wouldn't be dressed in theme but it was a forgivable offense.

A little later than expected we walked into the party and were met by a crush of friends waiting to meet the new arrival. Before I could bat an eyelash he was taken off my hands by Teresa who introduced herself and made the rounds with him. I spotted him as I walked around and greeted my friends trying to catch his eye and reassure him that they wouldn't bite. Before long he had a beer in his hand a fedora on his head and was back by my side. It was an evening to remember, drinking, dancing, playing, laughing. I was happy that this was how he had met everyone. We were all at our bests, he got to see their true colors and me at my silliest.

Towards the end of the night we snuck into the parlor and had some time for just the two of us. We kissed, hugged and compared notes, he told me who he had met, what they had talked about. Some of my friends, came out and sat with us, joked. He was happy, he liked my friends, and they all seemed to like him. Our time was running out and we both knew it, he'd be leaving at 2 the next day, a few hours was all we had left...