Favorite Date

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery pic is Austin and Melia's Valentine's Day photo taken by her Dad. Good looking couple, aren't they?

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - LOOK FOR THE COLOR WORD IN THE POST TODAY!

All you have to do is read A Simple Life Monday through Friday (February 14 through February 18). Every day this week, I will use a color word SOMEWHERE in the post.

After you read Friday's post, you will need to send me a comment in the Comment Section, an e-mail or Facebook message giving me the list of colors mentioned in the posts that week.

Your entry should look something like this:

Monday - Red
Tuesday - (The color word I use in the post that day.)
Wednesday - (Same as above.)
Thursday - (Are you getting the idea now?)
Friday - (Please say you understand!)

The FIRST person who leaves me a comment, e-mail or Facebook message with the five correct color words in the correct ORDER will win... A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE! How about that? Pretty cool, huh?

NOTE! NOTE! NOTE! - I accidentally had TWO color words in Wednesday's post. You may use either word in your answer, and it will be counted as CORRECT! Don't worry. It was my mistake. It was not a trick. I promise... I'll be much more careful today!

RANDOMNESS - The saga continues. Most people could probably tell their courtship/engagement story in a day. However, what should have been so simple and natural was complicated by Mikie's refusal to see the obvious! (I know I sound bitter, but I'm not. Really. Well, maybe just a tad.)

The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part Three

Yes. Mike was very... hmmm... what's the term? Enamored? Besotted? Crazy about? Anyway, he really, really liked this chick... and I was getting really, really tired of hearing about their dates, etc. So I kind of backed out of the picture. Not in a bad way. I just went about my business... without Mikie.

A month or so later when the relationship ended because (EXCUSE ME) he wasn't dating the person God wanted him to date, we were able to pick up where we left off in our friendship. But, I was no longer happy JUST being Mikie's friend. It was pretty frustrating.

During this "frustrating" time, Mike's best "guy" friend and roommate (who was also a good friend of mine) called me. Kerry had talked to Mike about dating me. It was apparent to all of our friends that Mike and I were supposed to be "together," and Kerry wanted to know what I thought. I agreed. Then Kerry told me some unsettling news. He had already to talked to Mike about asking me out... and Mike had said no. "We are best friends. If something goes wrong, it will mess up everything."

I told Kerry I would handle the situation.

I called Mike and asked him over for Sunday dinner. I cooked a slow cooker pot roast with all the fixings. (I loved my slow cooker even back in my single chick days.) I set the table and had a flower centerpiece. I had candles even though it was in the middle of the day. My presentation was dead on!

This wasn't Mike's first pot roast Sunday dinner at my apartment, but I made sure it had a little extra! As he sat in the den watching the races on TV, I fixed the glasses, etc. and worked up my courage to talk to him. My roommate was due back from church any minute, so what I had to say had to be said quickly and succinctly.

"Mike. Stay on the couch. Do not get up," I yelled from the kitchen.

"Uh. Okay." I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Why don't you ask me out on a date?" I yelled again.

I heard the couch squeak. A sure sign someone was getting up when he had been told NOT to move.

"Do NOT come in here," I repeated.

The couch squeaked again. He had sat down. "Well. What if it didn't work out? It would ruin everything. It would make everything awkward at church. It would make everything awkward with our friends. It would just be awful."

"You're wasting a lot of time and money dating a bunch of girls you are NOT supposed to be with. If it doesn't work out, we'll deal with it, but we both know we're supposed to be dating each other."

Another squeak. "I'm not telling you again. Sit down! Do not come in here."

And then I put his mind at ease. "I've thought about the church thing. If for some reason we're wrong and we're not supposed to be together, you will have to go to Dawson. They have a good Singles Department and their pastor is wonderful. I know several people who go there, and I will introduce you to them if it gets to that point."

He started laughing then, so I had to add, "I am NOT kidding."

And then he was at the kitchen door. "Okay. You're right. We need to be dating." And he was smiling and looking amused, and instead of feeling happy and triumphant, I was just mad.

"Since you didn't handle this part well, I expect you to take over from here, and I'll be waiting for your call. I'm not supposed to ask you to ask me out. You're going to have to man-up!" (I may not have used that exact term, but you get the idea!)

"So I don't get Sunday lunch?"

"You may have Sunday lunch, but then you must leave, and we will never speak of this again."

In walked my roommate, and we sat down to pot roast and fixings and one of the strangest meals I've ever shared with Mike Faulkner.

When I walked him to the door, he smiled and said, "I'll be calling you soon."

To which I replied, "Whatever."

You would think with that auspicious beginning, everything would just fall into place, wouldn't you? We still had to overcome a few bumps in the road, but we'll talk about those tomorrow.

Oh, and the only reason I'm telling this story after I specifically told Mikie we "would never speak of this again" is because... Well, he told everyone!

Blog Linkage - Beautiful photographs, housekeeping tips and crafts! Oh, my!

1. Go to Confessions of a Pioneer Woman under My Blog List. Click on Photography at the top of her page and take a gander through all of the pictures which represent "Love." She is having another photo contest, and the entries are breathtaking. I've enjoyed looking at them this week... and there's more to come!

2. Go to eighteen25 under My Blog List and scroll down to the entry entitled "Keeping House." I love her house, but I also love her attitude. Check out the word on the chalkboard in the family room. What a sweet word for "home."

3. Go to www.andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com and scroll down to the post entitled "Emily did something crafty. Holla." dated February 15. These Valentine's Day mailboxes are precious and would make a wonderful family tradition for years and years to come. Love the idea!

Favorite Date

Today is your day to share YOUR favorite date ever with your special someone. It may have been a once in a lifetime date, or it may be the date you look forward to again and again and again.

Either way, SHARE, SHARE, SHARE and give the rest of us some great spouse date ideas!

MY FAVORITE DATE EVER - My first date with Mikie was my favorite date. We went to Milo's and I dribbled Milo's sauce all over my brand new, way too expensive, blue and white striped outfit... and then a movie. There are two reasons it was my favorite date.

1. I was with Mikie... my future husband and best friend.

2. I love going out to eat and then watching a movie in a dark movie theater. Future husband or not, I've always ENJOYED those two things. (Mikie was a definite bonus.)

MY FAVORITE "DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN" DATE - If and when all the kids are out of the house at the same time (very rare), Mikie grills a rib-eye for him and a tuna steak for me. I bake potatoes. We have a very nice, simple, quiet meal together. We play backgammon. We go to Books-A-Million and wander through the books and magazines before sitting down for coffee/hot chocolate, etc.

MY WORST DATE EVER - I had a blind date with a nice young man I had absolutely NOTHING in common with. He picked me up at 7:00 a.m. (IN THE MORNING, PEOPLE), and we spent the day at the lake with his family and friends. I returned home at 10:00 p.m. (IN THE EVENING, PEOPLE). There were multiple reasons this was my WORST DATE EVER.

1. It wasn't with Mikie.

2. My date didn't speak. I mean, he could speak. He just chose to ride in unbearable, uncomfortable silence all the way to the lake and all the way home.

3. Did I mention the drive to the lake was over two hours long? Yeah. That's right. That's over 240 minutes of my life I'll never get back!

4. A 15-hour date (unless it's with Mikie) is usually going to be a huge mistake. HUGE!

5. A blind date at the lake where at least part of the time you are required to wear a bathing suit... in front of strangers... Need I say more? Shoot me now!

6. After a few minutes in the boat, you have boat hair. Nothing you can do about it. Boat hair is there to stay!

MY FUNNIEST DATE EVER - I had the boys put the tent up in the backyard. Each night, a different group of people spent the night in the tent.

1. Austin and Josh
2. Austin, Josh and Roxie
3. Josh and friends
4. Roxie and friends
5. Me and Roxie
6. Mike, Austin and Josh

And then I had a brilliant idea. How fun would it be for me and Mikie to have an all-night date in the tent? We could pretend we were in the woods camping... just the two of us. The kids were old enough to stay in the house alone. It would be fun. NOT!

We ate, watched movies on the computer, talked and talked and talked, checked on the kids and got ready to go to bed on the nice, comfy air mattress.

We were almost asleep when Mikie said, "I think we're on a slant. I feel like my head is lower than my feet."

"Mike. You're imagining things. This is a perfectly level part of the yard. We're fine. It's your imagination."

The next morning (when we were fortunate enough to wake up), I looked over at Mikie and was shocked at how red his face was. I asked him if he was okay. "I have a killer headache, and my feet are freezing."

Hmmm. I also had a killer headache, AND my feet were freezing. Sitting up had a dizzying effect on both of us. It appears Mikie was right about the slant situation. All the blood had flowed to our heads during the night... and our lily white feet were lacking the red stuff. A few minutes later, we were all good... kind of.

I've learned when Mikie thinks we're on a slant, we are most definitely on a slant!

So share. The good, the bad and the ugly. What's your story?

Have a fun Thursday. Find the color word in today's post. Hopefully, there is only one, but if I've slipped in another one, you know the drill. Just make sure you mention at least one for Thursday's post in your Contest answer.

Tomorrow's post will have Weekend Happenings, the last part of the Mikie and Belinda Story AND the last color word. Be sure to put them in the correct order. I'll announce the winner of the Outback Gift Certificate before noon!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda