"Normal"

Being "normal" has never really been a goal of mine, so that's not what I'm talking about. What I mean by normal in this blog entry is a normal lifestyle. Ever heard of the curse, "May you live in exciting times"? Well, 2005 was very "exciting" for me - my sister was going through a nasty divorce. She could call her lawyer for $$ per 15-minute phone consult, or she could call her little sister for free. Take a wild guess. Plus, I'd like to think that I offered support and friendship as well. That situation, coupled with my mother's two hospitalizations and a heavy load at work, made 2005 a year that continues to go down in infamy. In fact, haven't I blogged about this before?

Anyway, this year has been exciting, but in the positive meaning of the word, because Bri entered my life. Granted, his father's health (and unfortunately, he's gone now) was/is one of life's challenges that we had to make it through early in the relationship and now my mom's going through something medical (but planned, so not as much of a crisis situation)... But things feel like they're settling into a routine. Bri's bringing more and more stuff over (in fact, his apartment doesn't feel like home so much anymore) and our schedule -- particularly with class 4 nights a week for me -- is intense but tolerable (besides just being tired a lot lot lot). Some day I'll probably fight that and blog about getting us out of a rut but for right now, getting to "normal" as far as the daily daily is concerned feels good. In fact, I want more of it. I want to continue to settle in, continue to stabilize. It feels good and warm and cozy, which is very nice as we're moving in to the winter season. Think hot chocolate, cozy blanket, book on the sofa, while it's icky outside - that's how he makes me feel.

And there are plenty of positive exciting moments -- such as when we got home last nite and Brian revealed the lingerie he had picked up for me while we had stopped in a clothing store for something I was looking for. Apparently, while I was in the dressing room trying stuff on, he plotted with the sales woman to covertly buy some items and then conceal them under his jacket. Focused as I was on my own particular errand, I knew nothing of it until we arrived at home, and voilà! a beautiful set of lacy stuff was set before me.

First, I love the suprise factor (no special occasion, just an "I love you"). Second, I love the covert operation factor. Third, I love that he actually picked something that really goes well with my coloring, plus in a style of stuff that I will feel comfortable in and he will like to see me in - the perfect combination! Mmmmmm: Baump-shiki-baump-baump.

I'm writing this entry in a stream-of-conciousness fashion, but him picking up something that suits me brings me to something else: Bri really listens. The other day, we were looking at some stuff in a store and I made some comments about, "Well, I prefer this style or that detail." You know, whatever, I wasn't even paying attention. He was making his own comments, too, as we went, and we were just chatting as we were going. Well, a couple of days later, he was surfing the web, apparently looking for what I had been talking about. I know he listens but that was a very clear example of it, and it was nice. I hope I listen as well to him. If I treat him half as well as he treats me, I'll know I'm doing a good job in our relationship. I love you, Bri. And I look forward to continue combining our worlds and weaving one new life together.