New dating stories

I think its kind of fun to post my dating disasters here because it can be interesting to read from time to time. For a while I had a boyfriend and after that I wasn't really dating so I haven't had any stories for a while. The ones I have now aren't as good as the ones I've posted before but my stories now are more about how bad I am at dating.

I've been a little out of practice so I'll admit I'm not great at dating. A couple of weeks ago I went to a movie with this guy I've known for a while. We had a drink first and got to talk a little. We watched the movie like we were buddies and finnished off the date with a very awkward one-armed hug, completely dodging the kiss without even knowing it. He didn't even walk me to my car. That last part is all his fault. He should have walked me to my car. But after we left the movie I was exausted from working all day and wasn't thinking clearly so I couldn't leave fast enough. After looking back, he probably was hoping for a small kiss of some sort , since this wasn't a first date. I just don't pick up on those cues very well. Didn't really hear from him after that.

This past weekend I met another guy I've know for a while to watch the fight. Turns out he's a friend of the other guy I just mentioned. Both guys were there, though it was surprisingly not wierd. Strange thing, same thing happened at the end of the night.

I'm learning that I can be so awkward on dates these days that I have no clue how to flirt or let someone know I like them. Instead, I'm very good at making it look like I can't wait to get out of there.

I'm sure its like a cold and will pass before too long. Otherwise I'll become a hermit. I won't have another choice.

Crazy kids

I go to the grocery store after my swim today to get something to make for dinner. I'm getting milk and I see this mother about 50 feet away with three boys that seem to be a handfull. They look a little oyt of control but other than that I didn't even notice. Until the younger one, around 5 years, came up and hit me and said "Outta my way, Lady!" The mother just continued to get the juice out of the cooler. She didn't do anything.

I have plenty of experience with kids who are out of control. But I can't imagine ANY of them doing something like that. Especially without me having something to say about it.

Gripes....

I wasn't feeling all that well last night, so I wasn't able to be too confident about any plans for today. I wanted to work out today, and there was a concert I planned on going to with my neighbor. I mentioned to my mother that I might not do either and may even call the doctor if it got worse. Normally she will agree with me to just rest and stay in. This time she told me how she thought I should really go. My neighbor is a divorced man who I have gotten to know but am in no way attracted to. He and I have talked and are quite confident we have no intention of ever dating. I think my mother still hopes we will and this is her way of trying to make that happen. She was quite insistant that I go despite how bad I feel.

I called her today to ask her to let my dog out because I'd be gone in the evening and she could help telling me how happy she was that I was going. Poor mom, she's so hopeful.

I woke up feeling better but my cough was still bothering me. I attempted to go to the gym but only got 20 minutes into a run before a coughing fit stopped me.

I went to the concert but came home right after because I feel pretty crappy, once again. I probably shouldn't have gone, running or to the concert. I know it made my mom happy.

My gripes....mom needs to just relax and let me take my time, and I hate being sick.

Update on my life....

As most know, I'm a pretty avid runner. I've had bone issues in the past that seem to limit my running to no more than 10 miles. These days I get to around 4 or 5 and get a little bored, but I'm not quite worn out after that so I decided to start swimming. Then I thought it would be okay to start riding the bike while I'm at the gym. Though I'm not a fan of the bike at the gym (I'm sure I'll like a road bike more) the whole experience is pretty enjoyable.

Then I went to Chicago to visit a few friends. We had an excellent time, but I came home with a cold. Not a full blown cold, but one that is coming on slowly because I'm determined to fight it off. So I'm hoping it'll be gone by tomorrow, or be completely full blown. The most irritating part is that I can't work out at all. I'm getting very anxious.

On the bright side, I'm not being set up any more. I'm doing well on my own with dating but I'm obviously preoccupied with other things.

Good luck to those who are doing much better with their triathlon/marathon/bike tour/etc. goals. If any of you have any advice on what I can do to not fall too far behind while I'm sick, I'd love to hear it.

I must look very pathetic

I'm happy to be set up but only my closest friends every once in a blue moon. I do fine with dating on my own and when I'm not dating most people know its because of my own choosing. I always have options of who I'd like to date if I want to. These days I've been pretty busy. I've been training for a race and working quite a bit so I've put off dating for a while and most of my family and friends understand this.

Yesterday I received a facebook message from a man I dated about eight or nine years ago. He's married now. I really haven't spoken to him in almost as long. He wanted to set me up with one of his friends. I'm shocked. Is it really that common for people we haven't spoken to in years to do something like that? Especially someone who knows nothing about me? And I'm wondering what kind of subliminal message I'm sending out, over my facebook page, that makes me look that desperate. Wow!

This is just another story for my own children oneday. I'm not about to let him set me up....especially considering that some of my closest friends have been forbidden from doing that ever again. Tell me this though, do I really look that pathetic and desperate? I didn't think so but I'm really starting to wonder now.

kids will surprise you

Each time I have the kids for a full weekend we're given a grocery list and need to get everything on it before the weekend starts. My list last weekend consisted of granola bars and frozen lasagna, spaghetti and frozen garlic bread, and all sorts of other things that really can't be good for the kids. As I also mentioned before, I got yogurt for smoothies. I realized later that the cheapest yogurt is the worst yogurt. It has a ton of HFCS. But we only added a small amount compared to the amount of fruit and fresh OJ so I guess it wasn't that bad.

Friday night I had my partner take our older girls to the grocery store to pick out what they wanted for the next day. I know they're healthy eaters and nothing healthy was on my grocery list. These girls are all 12 to 15 years old. The bought supplies to make two different types of salad. All I can say is WOW! We had a spinach and dried cranberry salad and a traditional dinner salad with chicken. At that age I would have chosen spaghetti or pizza anytime over salad.

Next time I might just hold off on the grocery list and let them help out more. For the first time in weeks we didn't have bacon and hashbrowns for breakfast or PB&J for lunch. Its very exciting to see what kids choose with a little bit of freedom.

new food

Today I went grocery shopping for my kids for this weekend. I've noticed the older girls are becoming more aware of their health. Last weekend I took a bunch of them hiking and I'm hoping I can do the same this weekend. We've been bringing along fresh fruit and trail mix. Most of this is their idea too which I love to see.

So as I was shopping I picked up extra yogurt and frozen fruit so we can make smoothies. This is very exciting for me. Though I'm a fan of the PB&J, did you know that it contains about 400 calories of almost all sugar?! Some of our kids are all but allergic to sugar. They have extreme behavioral changes when they eat that kind of sugar.

The fresh fruit is really going over well right now. What I'm looking for now are more ideas for dinner and lunch. I always go for the easy stuff to fix. I don't have much of a choice most of the time. Does anyone have any ideas for things that are easy to take on outings? Maybe something we can make the night before and pack for lunches. Its hard to come up with new ideas all the time.

I'm enjoying having the kids get so excited about their health. A few of them got a little sad when the found out I wouldn't be there to take them running last Sunday morning. These were the ones who complained when they heard we would be hiking on Saturday. Sometimes just engaging them in these activities and showing them how to make these choices on their own can do them so much good. And I can't even express how rewarding it is for me.

House...

Though I work with children who have behavioral problems, I got my BS in Microbiology. While I was going to school I loved the show House. Its surprisingly medicaly accurate. They focus more on the illness than the drama of the characters. I took an immunology class that I loved, and the professor would give us cases for different diseases and we would have to figure out what parts of the immune system were working. She'd give us take home exams that would coincide with House marathons on television. It was so convenient how that show would get my mind going just enough so I could get everything right on the exams.
These days I can hardly watch it. I'm not sure why. Sometimes its because its too much. When I worked at the hospital it was my favorite thing to spend time with the patients with the worst injuries or illnesses. One kid had aplastic bronchitis (which is a little crazy) and I adored him. Mostly, I miss that and would love to have it again.
I guess my point is that ER and Grey's went south with all the drama. House remains true to its nature. You gotta love it!

The past

Lately nothing seems to go right for me. I don't have the job I'd like to have. I had two tickets at the end of last year and only got out of one thanks to a cop who couldn't fill out the form correctly. The very strange man I once dated seems to be at my gym by 3 p.m. sharp even though he lives across town, much closer to another gym he could go to, and he stands in front of my treadmill staring at the television or talking to someone everytime I see him. The man I have recently been seeing doesn't seem to know how to talk and we keep going through these periods of awkward silence I can't seem to get used too. And it seems that lately my friends, who are usually my closest advisors, can't help me feel better despite their best efforts. There's no one to blame. Not everything is bad.
Here is what I've realized about this situation. With every bad incident there are also lots of good ones. We can't hold on to the past. Even if the past is just last week.
I've noticed that some of our kids at work are aging out of our program. Some of them are in long term foster families and some are in adoptive families but they understand that they're on their own once they reach 18. All of this is stressfull. We don't like to lose the good life we once had. For some people its moving on after high school, and for some its readjusting to life after marriage and kids. Sometimes its just being able to adjust to having a stable life in one place without moving every time something goes wrong.
In all of these situations we need to learn to let go of the past. That means letting go of how we expected our lives to be and accepting what we actually have. I have great memories of how my life was five years ago. There's no way my life could have stayed that way. Though my job is frustrating because I hate working weekends, I love helping these kids. To help them in the best way I can I need to let go of my past in order to help them let go of their past. Then we can all find a spectacular future.