Okay, okay. Now that everyone already knows, I'll record for posterity how Daniel and I met. It was simple. It wasn't one of those saving a girl because her shoe is stuck in a grate and she's going to get run over by a dumpster thing. It was calm and simple... and pretty sweet.
As per usual for me, I was man hating somethin' fierce this past year. I was ready to rid the world of these menaces, I was all for girl power and kind of wished I could have bat for the other team awhile. Then my baby brother calls me and says that he's getting married. Awww. That shut me up for awhile. All I could remember was those times spent "submarining" the poor boy... The boy that was forever running around in his cowboy boots and his little ascot who wanted to be a preacher and Michael Jordan all in one. Anyway...
Kati and I talked pretty often by phone or chat since they started dating, so we got to know each other pretty well in some ways. She knew my feelings toward men weren't exactly awesome, but she kept talking up her brother. "He's wonderful/amazing/funny/irreverent/sarcastic/etc..." I never really paid much attention. I just thought she had discovered how awesome the Peck kids are, and wanted to monopolize our bloodline. Anyway, I was pretty wrapped up in my own crap, too busy and bitter to think much of Kati's brother. In fact, I'd pretty much forgotten all about it up until the time we actually met.
In a very long, drawn out, tearful and dramatic saga, we finally made it out to California for the wedding. I say tearful and dramatic not because of myself, but because my dad (whom I adore) was taken to the hospital some six hours before his flight was supposed to leave. At the time, we didn't know what was wrong with him, but when I found out, I was already on my way to Pittsburgh to catch my flight. I was wracked with guilt about not heading to dad's instead of the wedding. In case you were wondering, dad is fine. He had an evil case of colitis that did actually prevent him from attending the wedding.
So Sky and Kati meet Shelby and I at the airport, and we're all excited to see each other and to spend a few days visiting before the rest of the family got there. Kati's brother had come in a week or so before us, and was staying with them. When we got back to their house, there he was. Kati introduced us, but I couldn't hear a word she said. I seem to remember my oxygen sats dropping and my blood rushing to my head. All I could think was, "Dammit all to hell. Kati was right. Shit." A strange reaction, I know. But you see, I didn't want Kati to be right. I wanted to wallow in my own misery a while longer. But she was right. And we've been like peas and carrots ever since.
This was our first night out there. We were out there for a week, and by the end of it, both of us knew that this was big. Very big. It's been two months, and I'm disgustingly happy. He's in the Air Force, and has been moving around a bit for the last couple of months, and will continue to be moved around (as near as I can tell) through next year. It's long distance for now, but we've been able to get together every month or so. It could definitely be a lot worse. We call, text and video chat almost incessantly, which is really nice. Then he'll be here for awhile in December. I'm hoping it'll be at least a few weeks, but we'll see. I think we may also try to head down to Alabama so he can meet dad during that time.
So far, I've been out to Colorado Springs and San Antonio to see him, and will be heading down to San Antonio again three weeks from today(!). I can't wait to see him...
If you're wondering about Shelby, and how she gets along with Daniel, they get along like gangbusters. She adores him, and I think it's pretty mutual. I have so many cute pictures of the two of them from California, but they're all in my email. I'll add them all to an album soon.. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a few highlights from our trip.
(I'm in love!)
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| Fun Fact: Sky and I can both open beer bottles with our feet. Note: The feet in this pic are Sky's |
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| Sky and Daniel breaking up... Sky decided Kati was his soul mate. |
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| In San Fransisco |
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| Daniel being a good big brother... |
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| Only pic of Shelby and Daniel that I got on my phone |
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| Typical text message... |
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| One of several thousand video calls. |
