This month I had already done my new volunteer activity for Metro teen AIDS, and eaten my new food (Dragon fruit) – all that was left was to do something unusual, like learn how to weld. Which would have been extremely cool, but somehow never happened. That’s because I was busy planning and then living another momentous occurrence. One my mother has been waiting for all her life – taking the boyfriend home to meet the parents for the holidays.
WHAT?!? As friends said, ‘You are soooo old, Annette; how have you never done this before? Ever? Really?’
Well let’s see. It could have something to do with the fact that Mom arranged my high school “crush” to come over to the house – and then she’d let me know to come out of my bedroom and visit with him. It could have something to do with the fact I was shy in college, and never dated someone over Xmas.
Then there was grad school in Miami (ahh, Miami), and, as I mentioned to my Dad once, my parents would not have approved of most of the long-haired guys I dated, and I also never wound up with a long-term boyfriend while there in that transient city.
Then finishing the doctorate and finding a job came first, throwing the timing off for so many things – such as actually having a solid date life.
“P” always had travel and work commitments.
“J” hated Texas, and though I asked four times, he hemmed and hawed about actually taking the risk and I gave up on him and the relationship.
Mom met “B” when she visited, but B and I did not last.
etc.
So now there is Andy. Wonderful Andy, who I love and who was all gungho for spending the holidays with me, even going to far away Texas and meeting the parents, although it is still somewhat early in our relationship.
And he did. And we not only survived, we had a lovely six days. And yes, my parents actually liked him. A wonderful way to end the year of 2015, the year of taking risks that yielded great rewards.
So 2016 is coming…. Stay tuned.
P.S. in the midst of that, we drove through Ben Wheeler, Texas (pictured), and I got to operate a small front-end loader to haul and dump gravel, both things I also had never done. Taking risks rocks (pun intended.)
AdventuresAcross2015 