Redundant question...

It's the end of July. It will be August first in a few short days. Where in the world did my summer go??? I really do know the answer to that question, but I still feel there is merit in asking the question. I'm suddenly facing down the new school year, a new job, new curriculum, new office politics and I'm just now getting in some solid lazy, TV time.

It's not like it hasn't been a productive summer...I mean, my best friend married the love of her life, I experienced a cool new city and discovered the amazingness of Powell's City of Books. I discovered the cool, awe inspiring Cannon Beach, fell in love, got engaged, pursued moving to a different time zone, started planning a wedding, did a sister vacation to Cedar City, spent time catching up with friends, worked to maintain a long distance relationship (turns out this one is really difficult), helping out family...it's no wonder my head is spinning a bit, right?

There has also been a significant health issue hanging over my head. The week I left for Portland my doctor told me there was a possibility that I may have Uterine Cancer. Yikes, right? I've had a biopsy (which was quite possibly the most painful medical procedure I have ever experienced - and that's saying something!!) and we're waiting on results. I'm choosing to believe I am fine. If it was actually cancer I think my doctor would be treating this whole process with a bit more urgency. Besides, for the most part, I feel fine. However, for the past month or so this has been a driving force behind quite a few decisions Vlad and I have made. To that end, we've decided that we are going to focus on getting him relocated to Utah before setting a date. We want time to just be together as a couple before jumping headlong into marriage.

I have about two weeks before I have to go back to school. Students return on the 19th of August and I need to be back on the 14th. I'm starting to get a little nervous about starting at a new school. I left behind a pretty solid, amazing faculty and group of friends. I know I can do this and I will do it well. It's just that first big step into the unknown that always makes me a tad anxious.

My summers have typically been very lazy and seem to go on forever. By the time August rolls around I'm usually very ready to head back to school. This year I just feel like my summer is starting and it'll be over in a few short weeks. So even though I know the answer the question, I ask....where in the world did my summer go????

Change of Address...

In the past week I have put over 1,000 miles on my car. Granted, a good chunk of that was from driving from Washington to Utah...but seriously, I have spent far too much time in my car of late. I feel like I should put in a change of address with the Post Office and use my license plate number.

On Friday Vlad and I left his place and drove an hour and a half to drop his truck off at the airport. We left his place around 4:30pm. After we dropped his truck off, put oil in my car and grabbed a sub par dinner, it was about 6:30. This is when our odyssey began in earnest. The drive to Idaho Falls really should have only take us about 8 hours...putting us in Idaho Falls around 2:30. We're not entirely sure how or why but this trip stretched into almost 12 hours. We ended up pulling over at a rest stop to sleep for an hour before continuing on our trek. We got to Vlad's Grandma's house around 6:00 Saturday morning. Now, the smart thing to do would be to grab some zzzzzz's. Instead we went to breakfast with some friends, got back in the car and drove to Utah. We took turns sleeping and driving. Once we reached my place, we changed real quick and then got back in the car and drove to Salt Lake to have dinner at my parents.

This trip was intended for Vlad to meet my family, but we were both so tired that I'm not sure my parents really got a good idea of who Vlad is and who we are as a couple. Oh well.... At this point we are running on somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 hours of sleep. Do we head back to my place after dinner? NOPE!! We get back in the car and head down to Lehi to spend some time with Vlad's best friend and best man. After some freak car trouble, we don't get back to my apartment until after midnight.

Sunday morning we were up and at a friend's for breakfast by 9am. We were both so tired. We managed a nap for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon, but we were both pretty much still dead on our feet. 

This week I've also been helping Annie with the kiddos as she recovers from an unexpected surgery. That means getting up early to take the kids to swim and ballet camp. I'm happy to help out, but me being slightly sleep deprived has meant young children are a test to my patience. On Monday Annie told me I need to take a nap...so true! I came home and passed out for two hours. I probably would have slept longer if Vlad hadn't called and woke me up.

It's been a very busy summer with lots of changes. On our expedition from Washington Vlad and I made some very important decisions. The biggest was probably that he'll be moving to Utah and not the other way around. It wasn't an easy decision but we both think this will be the best choice for us long term. All the stress and anxiety from last week was pretty much erased with that decision. There are still some unknowns but we're getting there...slowly.

I am so excited to marry this man. 

After surviving the ridiculous trek from Washington, ice cream was in order....

Mea culpa

I am totally and completely failing at the whole don't be a sappy over-sharer on social media. Sorry guys...total fail. Mea culpa.

After the melt down of yesterday I had a nice chat with Lisa and we both are very happy that we're going through this wedding/newlywed thing sort of together. Vlad asked me last week if I thought I'd be getting married so close to Lisa and I honestly didn't, but I'm very glad that I am!!

Vlad came home from work today after having a rough day and I was definitely in need of some cheering, so we went on a date. It wasn't anything fancy or anything but it was so nice to go out together and just spend time together. We went to dinner at Qdoba...side note - why has this delicious Mexican Grill not found its way to Utah?? It seems like it would be a no-brainer. Anyway, after dinner we went to check out the various family plans on our respective cell phone carriers, because hellooooo, we're going to be a family! How's that for a reality check??

We then worked on our registry...yeah...that was fun. I had some guilt over some of the larger items... Kitchenaid Mixer and things like that. Vlad and I were walking through and looking at the various items and talking about what we would actually use and it hit me...I'm getting married. Like...seriously. I'm getting married. I have friends offering to throw be bridal showers. People are going to buy me stuff...lots of stuff. Vlad and I are going to be husband and wife...eep!! As this reality check was happening, I turned to look at him and thought to myself...that's right. You're marrying that goober... but he's your goober.

After some serious retail therapy/window shopping, we went and got ice cream.

His "why you take my picture...I eat ice cream" face

His "yeeeeah...she's going to take another picture" face

His...yeah...he's just a goofball

I'm thinking, "Yay! I didn't cut his face off!!"

Aaaand his phone had the better quality

First Melt down...check and check...

There are so many things going on in my life right now. The wonderful things are bigger than the not so great things...mainly, I get to marry my best friend (and no, I'm not talking about Lisa). However, there are few things that I can't control and are holding up some of my plans with Vlad. It's so incredibly frustrating because I just want to be with him and start our life together.

Other than hinting at it a little, I haven't said anything online and I'm going to be super vague while trying to explain what's going on. There are some health issues (me...I mean, of course it would be me, right? I'm the medical anomaly in my family, so why would that change now?) that will have a huge impact on the when, where and how of the wedding AND potentially the next six months of our lives AND the rest of our married life...potentially. The uber frustrating part is that I won't really know anything until the end of the month. That means that while we can sort of discuss options and potential outcomes in vague generalities, we really can't make any concrete decisions about anything.

And I mean anything.

We have a tentative wedding date, but that date may change...significantly...depending on the results of tests that can't be done until the end of the month. We can't set a venue with a date. And you can't really plan anything without a date.

We have no idea, really, where we will be living. Will I be moving and starting a new job? Will Vlad be moving and looking for a new job? WE.DON'T.KNOW! We don't really know anything other than we're getting married sometime in the next 3ish months.

Now, for a person that needs to know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen and where it's going to happen on even the most mundane of events, imagine the anxiety and stress I am feeling to not know a damn thing. I'm a teacher. We like to be in control. We are used to assessing the situation and taking swift and decisive action to address the issue at hand. I can't do that now. It's making me feel a little helpless...and I don't like feeling helpless. In fact, I loathe it. It makes me cranky.

I love Vlad. I love him more than I thought possible and I really am quite happy. I'm just wishing we could fast forward to the end of the month and really begin. This waiting game royally sucks. Lucky for me I have a sweet, supportive, funny and kind partner in life to wait with. Overall, I'm pretty lucky, don't you think?

Once upon a time...

...there was a girl who was frustrated with the dating game. She was tired of going on first dates. She was tired of paying for membership(s) to online dating sites. She was tired of getting involved with men that treated her poorly or were just brain dead. She was emotionally drained and tired of it all and she was ready to throw in the towel. But before she could do that, she decided to give it one last go.

With some reluctance and slight resentment, she charged the dating website membership to her account. She knew what would happen...or so she thought. She'd talk to some men...maybe go on a few first dates, maybe even a couple of second or even third dates. But, invariably it would fizzle or he would be odd, weird, scary or just plain boring. Or perhaps they'd both acknowledge that though they thought the other person was nice, it just wasn't going to work between them.

Her expectations firmly in place, she went forth and attempted to put herself "out there". She came across one profile that caught her eye. He liked to travel...he was self aware...he had a cute smile. He also lived in another state. "Meh...", she thought, "Not like it's going to go anywhere anyway...". And with the click of a mouse she sent off the first round of questions, not really expecting a response.

Imagine her surprise when he answered her questions and then, gasp(!), he kept responding. It wasn't easy for either of them...they'd both been hurt in the past and were somewhat skeptical that something could actually work out for them. They progressed through emails within the website to emailing through their personal emails. Phone numbers were exchanged and with some trepidation, they had their first phone conversation. Clocking in at approximately three hours, it set the pattern for long conversations about any and everything.

Phone calls stalled as he was in a show followed by finals and disappeared for a little while. She wasn't sure what to think but, with some encouragement from her fearless best friend, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and was patient...ish.

Phone calls picked up again post-show and they started Skyping. Soon they were making plans to meet up when she was on vacation in Portland.

You can probably imagine how nervous and anxious she was to meet this boy. He could be completely psychotic or smell bad or be totally boring or worse yet...be a wonderful guy with zero chemistry. Yet, she needn't have worried. They fell in love in Portland. It wasn't slow but rather like lightening. She watched him as he walked the beach with her, explored the Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden and found herself picturing their life together. When he dropped her off at the airport, she wasn't sure how they would make it work only that she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

What was originally going to be a two week separation turned into one week because neither could stand the thought of being apart for so long. She packed her bags and a week later showed up on his door. Luckily, he was expecting her...

The rest, I suppose you can say, happened as these things do. There was a ring and a question. I bet you can figure out her answer...

Something out of a fairy tale...isn't it?

Dating...the dessert buffet of life

Being a single twenty-something (almost 30), I've met and dated my fair share of men. This most recent bout has got me thinking about the type of man that I would like to date. There are currently three guys...well, now two, but at the time of this metaphor there were three...that I was talking to and possibly going on dates with. Each one of them fits neatly into a different dessert. I shared this with Shannon and she thought it quite fitting.

Gentleman #1 is Vanilla ice cream. He's dependable yet unexciting. Vanilla ice cream is nice on a brownie or with lots of chocolate sauce or whipped cream. Yet, alone vanilla ice cream is a tad on the boring side. Vanilla (the gentleman in question) doesn't inspire excitement. We've actually been talking on and off for almost six months and we're just now getting around to going on a date. And let me tell you, it has taken far more logistical planning to get this date together than it typically does for me to get ready for the school year. And I think part of what makes him Vanilla ice cream is that he, himself, doesn't seem too excited about our date.

Gentleman #2 is a decadent, fancy bakery brownie. He is, incidentally, not in the picture anymore. At first you are dazzled by this brownie. It's got a fancy wrapper with a frilly edge! It maybe has a chocolate shaving garnish or a fancy gold leaf decoration. It invariably comes wrapped in a shiny cellophane wrapper with a ribbon. You pay a ridiculous amount of money for said brownie because you think, "Anything that fancy or expensive has GOT to be delicious". Unfortunately, after you've eaten the entire brownie because "dang it! You spent $10 on that sucker!", you sit back and think: "Did I really just spend all those calories on that?" I think that's enough said about gentleman #2.

I haven't quite classified gentleman #3 just yet. I have a sneaking suspicion about what he will be, but the jury's still out.

I know the kind of guy I'm looking for is a Betty Crocker Brownie mix brownie. These brownies are deceptively delicious. I have been known to just go at them with a fork. This beauty of this brownie is, you can find it in any grocery store. It's in an unassuming box. It's nothing fancy, but it never fails to put a smile on my face. 

Signs...

Signs that you may or may not have given up on the dating scene for the foreseeable future:

1. You become irrationally angry at the radio for playing such sappy love songs as "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift,  "When I was Your Man" by Bruno Mars, "Good Stuff" by Kenny Chesney (who I really don't like on a good day!).

2. You have to suppress the urge to chuck your hymn book at the lovely couple two rows in front of you at church.

3. As Lisa would say, "You are going to a play tonight where you could potentially see the guy you've been flirting with, and you're wearing five different shades of green." I've sort of given up on trying to impress.

4. Roll my eyes at coworkers discuss their upcoming wedding.

5. Would rather spend the night in with my grading and netflix than go be social.


It's been a rough six months or so for me. I've been on a lot of first dates with good men and they haven't progressed beyond that. I've told myself it's because we weren't right for each other and that's true. But it's often easier to tell myself that there's something wrong with me. No one ever tells you what a toll dating can take on your self-esteem. Even if you're not being horrifically rejected, going on a constant stream of first dates gets old. It's exhausting and after a while you start to wonder what's wrong with you.

So, in an attempt to prevent the bitterness from taking up permanent residence in my head and heart, I have hereby declaring a hiatus from dating. I have no idea for how long, but I just need to take a step back and remember a time where it was just fun to spend time with new and interesting people.

Adventures in dating...

A big part of being a single twenty-something is dating...more so for others than for me. However, I have dated a variety of "gentlemen" (we're using that term quite loosely, here). I've had some really great experiences, some horribly awkward and uncomfortable experiences and some downright horrible experiences. Last weekend I went on a date that fully justified and supported every judgmental thought people have about online dating. Yes, I'm doing the online dating thing. I do not defend or explain it. It just is. (I should probably insert a little disclaimer here. I'm feeling a bit prickly today. Which, I realize is not the best time to be blogging but here we are.) 

Anyway, back to my date. We'll call him Jack. Jack and I had been emailing for a while, texting and talking on the phone. He is from Texas, has a delightful southern drawl and made me laugh more than any other guy in the past. We had great chemistry and I was pretty excited when he asked me out on a date. Turns out that this charming southern gentleman is actually a self-proclaimed homophobe, an advocate of corporal punishment in schools and saw no problem, whatsoever, with the use of the "n" word. Needless to say, it wasn't going to happen between us. The quirky, appropriate jokes of our previous conversations had been traded in for crude bathroom humor and inappropriate stories. I just kept asking myself...who is this guy???  He also lived at home with his parents, did not have a college degree and didn't want to put forth the effort to get into shape after being warned by his doctor he needed to. 

This takes us to today. The last two guys I have gone out with fit the same description. I will tell you, Jack definitely took home the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Award, that's for dang sure. However, both men were 34, living at home with the parents, no college education, talked about dreams of a real career but had taken no steps to actually achieve it and had no drive beyond the next day. Now, I'm not saying that I am the best thing to happen since sliced bread but really...? I mean, seriously?!

Girl's just wanna have fun...

I'm what one would call a "late bloomer". I rarely, if ever, dated in high school. I was asked to the dances by guy friends or it was girl's choice. I was never the first girl asked to the dance. In fact, I was more than once, a guy's 'back up' date. I didn't go to my junior prom and spent my senior prom avoiding my date. I dallied with inappropriate relationships (we're talking parolees, gang members and burn outs - what can I say, I had thing for the bad boys). I now think it is a miracle that I didn't end up in serious trouble.

College wasn't much better. I had my first ever bonafide boyfriend for all of about three weeks at the very beginning of freshman year. After that I didn't date...at all. I had a run in with a NCMO (if you don't know what that is google it) end of my junior year. However, seeing as how I was desperately in love with his cousin that was dating a friend, who just happened to be spending the semester abroad...the trend of inappropriate men continued.

Since then I've dated closet cases, a schizophrenic, megalomaniacs, egomaniacs, commitment-phobics...and the list goes on. It sounds like I date a lot but this has been spread over the course of six or seven years. I didn't date a lot until fairly recently and really, it's only a lot in comparison to my fairly empty dating history.

The guys in my most recent past haven't been perfect but then, neither am I. And I mean really, if a guy doesn't have a skeleton in his closet, he's got a Bertha in the attic. (if you don't know the reference...seriously, go read a book! OR go check out pinterest.com) We're all just trying to find the one that is the same kind of crazy.

I have a blind date tomorrow...my first, in fact. Lots of dating lately...lots of dating.

It's exhausting....

Thoughts for this evening...

1) I forgot my glasses at home. This is upsetting for two reasons

1. I am squinting at my computer screen and it's difficult to read
2. I'm squinting at my computer screen!!!

2) I missed class a couple of weeks ago due to jury duty and wasn't there when the professor explained an assignment. I did, however, get a copy of the rubric and we have examples in a class manual. The professor offered to meet with me if I felt I needed further explanation. The assignment was fairly straight forward so I figured, why waist my time and hers? I turned it in last week and she seemed skeptical that I would have been able to do the assignment. She made a comment saying, "well, if you can do it without further explanation, I'll be very surprised." Got back the assignment today...full credit. In your face, snarky mc-snarkison!

3) I'm trying to figure out how I will be able to afford to student teach next semester. I won't be able to work...at all...and due to recent events in my life have very little extra money. I am gladly taking donations...just kidding....sorta.

4) The trip to Paris has been postponed to a yet to be determined date. See previous thought... Sadness.

5) In the past five months I have dated more than ever before. I guess you could say I am making up for lost time. HOWEVER, no one ever told me how much havoc a man/boy/guy/man-child can wreak on one's life. Up, down, sleep deprivation, drama... I'm telling you, it's nuts!

6) I love Downton Abbey. Maggie Smith is amazingly hilarious. If you haven't seen/heard of this fantastic tv show on PBS...go watch it. You'll thank me, I promise.

-

To blog or not to blog...

...that is the question. I've had some pretty great things happen in the past month or so. I've debated blogging about it but I'm just not sure I want to send it out into the interwebs just yet.

I will say this, my new ward is pretty fun. I've met some really fun and exciting new people and made some great friends. I've been to Bear Lake, attending movies in the park, had BBQs and pool dates with the girls.

As far as what else is going on...I guess time will tell if I share it with you all. But I do want to just say - I am happy. I am far happier than I have been in a very long time.

Reasons to be happy on this somewhat gloomy looking Monday morning

1. So glad the sunburn is fading...not peeling or pealing. Either would be gross and awkward.

2. Get to go see Harry Potter tonight with some fun peeps.

3. Slept through the night without waking up...I know, sounds like a new born baby update but seeing as how i haven't been sleeping well for about two weeks, this was a very welcome change.

4. Looking forward to a fun picnic with the tiny humans on Friday. I forgot how much I love Liberty park.

5. Finally got an answer to a nagging question and feel pretty good.

6. I have left over Empanadas for lunch today...Yum!

7. Duet with Lisa has been performed without any major hiccups...croaking notes, passing out or bursts of tears.

8. Clean room!

9. New friends are fun

10. Did I mention I'm going to see Harry Potter tonight....?

Epiphanies...

1. I remember I had a good friend give me a massage and it hurt like you wouldn't believe. I was having back pain due to being hunched over my desk and computer for several semesters. My muscles were screaming at me before I did anything about it. As I was gasping through the pain as she worked out the knots and kinks in my muscles, she told me that we feel pain for a reason. I remember during my health issues I felt like no one truly understood how I felt and the physical pain that I felt on a daily basis. I was thinking today that the same applies to emotional pain. I have been fairly good at ignoring emotional pain and scarring. Sometimes being strong is actually detrimental to your own emotional well being. We feel pain because something is not right. We feel pain because our body -our heart and soul - is trying to tell us something is not right. If we ignore that in the name of "strength" what are we actually doing to ourselves? I've gotten pretty good at ignoring pain...maybe it's time I stopped.

2. Circumstances and people are not put into our lives haphazardly. Events don't always turn out the way we wish or hope - rarely so, in fact. But it's almost always for a reason and it's important for us to understand what those reasons are and why we needed to experience that. We'll be stronger and more resilient for it.

3. Sometimes anger is a healthy emotion. We just need to be sure it doesn't rule our every thought and action.

4. I woke up this morning after a fitful sleep and I thought to myself, you're going to be alright. Somehow, that was very reassuring. I feel more in control of my life and what my future holds than ever before. I will not be acted upon. My future is mind to create.

5. Roommates and sisters are the best...seriously.

Check it...

You all really need to check out this blog. I've also linked it over in my sidebar thingy. I have a feeling this is going to a be brilliant thing. It's started by a friend and all posting is completely anonymous. If any would like to contribute let me know and I can send you the details. I've got a couple gems myself!

Roses and Thorns

Roses
Spent the morning taking photos of my shoes with my sister. She's making me a shoe calender. I know, she's pretty cool.

Got to see Audra McDonald in 110 in the Shade...pretty sweet.

New shoes really do fix most problems.

I am a matter of weeks away from being done with my first term of grad school.

I get to go to Bear Lake next weekend.

Went to Lagoon last night.

I absolutely love my Curriculum Design class.

I may buy new bedding tonight...I love bedding, books, and shoes. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Thorns
My right eye has been twitching since Thursday
No more boy.

I've had the same headache since Monday.

I've got a two big curriculum projects due on Monday.

I've had Bad Romance by Lady Gaga stuck in my head since last night.

Retail Therapy...what?

I just purchased four pairs of shoes from zooshoo.com. Got me some sexy new heals and some cute new flats. And all is right with the world....Photos to come.

Life is good....

....just sayin'.

Happies

Being called darling, three times by the cashier at Zupas the other day.

Seeing a young dad teach his son how to ride a bike driving back from work.

A wonderful late night and waking up in a good mood despite the lack of sleep.

Turning in a paper that I actually had time to prepare for.

Finally having a washer/dryer at home and doing laundry at home.

The neighborhood cat that likes me the most for some inexplicable reason - especially considering I can't touch her due to allergies.

My adorable, almost three year old, niece dressed up as a ladybug for her first ever ballet recital.

Not feeling stressed and overwhelmed about school.

Practiced our song for Sunday and we sound pretty good (now just need to write a talk).

The flowers I planted in pots outside my backdoor are not only still alive, but thriving.

Highland Games on Saturday - real men wear kilts, or at least they'd like you to think so.

Update of Sorts

May has been a busy month for me. Moving, school, work, guys...it's been busy but good. I still love my classes and school but I am finding it increasingly difficult to stay on top of everything. I had to ask my dad to change the oil in my car because I didn't have time to do it between class and work. I'm barely keeping up on my reading but I love the discussions we are having in class and the do enjoy the readings. It's just sad that I don't have the time to devote to it that I would usually like. I also need to register for the Praxis 41 English Content Exam. I shouldn't need to spent too much time studying for it but I should at least brush up on some of the content. I don't know how the students going full time fit it all in. I guess most of them aren't working but it is still a fairly intense program.

I've had a pretty fantastic weekend. I went to the Outlet Mall in Park City and did some shopping on Friday night with Lisa. Saturday I finally got some flowers planted out back. I opted for some flower pots instead of planting something in the ground out back. I just don't have the time to maintain it and the more I thought about it I didn't really want to spend all this time improving someonelse's property. So we now have three cute flower pots on our back porch. Saturday afternoon I went to a Bee's game with a great guy and had a lot of fun. Of course I had today off and spent the morning at the zoo with the fam and then a picnic in the park. I also got a cute pair of Converse and a book I've been wanting for a while. All in all a pretty fantastic weekend!

Chivalry is dead - sorry ladies

I don't know if you all have heard this yet but it's true - chivalry is dead. Deceased. Terminated. No longer alive. It has kicked the proverbial bucket. I'm not saying this to rag on the menfolk or be rude or anything but I felt it my duty to let my fellow woman know and I have proof.

It was approximately two weeks ago on a windy, cloudy forlorn Friday evening. I was still at work and I got a phone call from my sister, Annie. Her car had died in the Harmon's parking lot not far from my office and she asked me to come and jump her car. Her husband was at home with the kids and couldn't come to her aid. I jump in my car and hurry over to Harman's. (side note- apparently Harmon's is the place cars go in my family to die. Mine did the same thing several months ago and would not start.) When I get there I pull up next to her car, pop my hood and get out. For the life of us we could not get her car hood open. She is texting her husband and he says to just pull the lever. We pull the lever and nothing happens. No magic popping noise telling us the lever released the hood. We both tried together, separately, there was jiggling and much effort but to no avail. And here's the rub. While we were standing there in the crowded, busy parking lot we were passed by many people - male a female - and not one person stopped to help us. We were obviously struggling but not one person offered their assistance. Two men parked and left in the spot right in front of my sisters - both of them even looked at us peering up into the hood of her car but did either of them stop to see if we needed help? Nope. They just got in their car and went on their merry way. Now, I know I may not be much to look at sometimes but have you seen my sister? Yeah...She's pretty. So no one stopped to help us. I ended up driving her back to her apartment so her husband could take a look at the car. He's a good guy and handy with mechanical things. He fixed my car for me!

Now, I know we're in the age of the "liberated woman" and I'm supposed to be able to do all these things for myself and I shouldn't want guys to be chivalrous. Can't have it both ways...blah blah blah. I've heard it and in fact said most of it before. However, when we were in obvious need of assistance and no one and I mean no one would help us out...something is not right.