Fireworks

Happy 4th of July!

I went with my family to a lovely (and yummy!) picnic earlier this afternoon. Afterwards, I was rather tired and I took a nap ~ effectively cutting my packing time in half ...

So instead of going to see fireworks this evening with my parents, I'm watching them on TV. Right now, the orchestra on TV is playing a Leonard Bernstein medley ... and I haven't started packing yet! After my nap this afternoon, I received a special delivery birthday present from a friend ... with all sorts of traveling goodies (Shout wipes, a 10-Euro bill, snacks, compact packing bags, etc.).

If the weather is fine (although weather websites indicate it may be otherwise), I'll be in the air this time tomorrow. I finally booked the hostel where I'll be staying for my first 3 nights.

So I better go figure out exactly what I'm wearing tomorrow ... and ... pack!

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First, however, I wanted to share an update about a certain guy who made an appearance in this blog about a month ago:

When I had to head up to RuralSchool for another class earlier this week, I called this guy because he lives in the area ... and because he and I hit it off last time (mini-golfing, walk along the river, getting caught in the rain, etc.). :-) I asked if I could stay at his house and sleep on the couch so that I wouldn't have to make the long commute twice in one day. He said that was no problem ... so we did just that.

I arrived at the school to meet him, but before we hung out, I practiced for about an hour. (Much-needed practice!) Then we went back to his house where we proceeded to make dinner (actually ~ he made dinner and I washed the dishes- my favorite chore) ... yummy dinner. Then he asked if I wanted to go on an adventure, and I agreed. He let me borrow some sweatpants and a sweatshirt to put on over my shirt and capris because it had gotten chilly outside.

We drove back to RuralSchool campus, and we parked on the empty street. He guided me toward the soccer field, empty, no lights ... to stargaze. He lay out a sweater for us to sit on, and we both plopped down on the ground. The moon was incredibly brilliant that evening. He pointed out one of the planets, and I showed him two constellations I recognized. Then he produced his iPod and handed me an earpiece. We continued to talk as we listened to 80s ballads. After a few songs, he asked me to dance.

Incredibly romantic ~ this stargazing, the music, the dancing ...

After the second song, I pulled away and sat down again.

"I'm not ready for this," I told him.

He wasn't sure what I meant at first.

"The romantic overtones, all this, just ..." I stumbled over my words.

"I do like you," I asserted, "but I'm not ready for ... this just ... This is too fast. I'm interested ... if we take this a lot slower."

He thanked me for being honest and said he was willing to give me that time. Very sweet, caring, intelligent, thoughtful guy. Before dinner, he had asked if I prayed before meals, and if I did so silently or aloud. I told him it depended on the company, and he asked if I wanted to pray for both of us because he didn't know any "standard" prayers in English.

Later that night, he offered to sleep on the couch in the living room so that I could sleep more comfortably in a bed. We stayed up late just talking. I do like him. It's quite obvious to me that he's interested too. However, I don't know where things will go because he's trying to find a job somewhere and he's not going to find the type of job he's looking for anywhere near RuralSchool. So ... we'll see what happens ...

I read a book a few weeks ago when I stayed at a friend's house. I think the title is something like I Kissed Dating Goodbye. While a few of the ideas presented in the book are rather extreme (i.e. not kissing until the wedding day), many of the concepts are things I'd like to try in how I interact with guys. I've made many of the mistakes discussed in the book (even with how I approached CGFC earlier this spring), and the solutions make sense to me.

For the first time in a long time, I'm not looking for a relationship. While I like this guy, I don't want to rush things. I don't want to complicate getting to know him as a person with having extra expectations (on either side) for something more. Even a kiss would have complicated that.
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So I'm sitting here, watching the fireworks on TV, listening to the orchestra play, remembering all the various places I've celebrated this holiday ~ DisneyWorld, Canada, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Arizona, D.C. (on the mall!), the beach, Ireland ... and wondering where else I'll get to celebrate this holiday in the years to come.

Now that the display is reaching its spectacular ending, it's about time that I start packing! I'll be gone for over a month (which I absolutely cannot fathom) ... but I do intend to.

If you would like a postcard from me, you can email me through this blog or leave a comment! :-)