I'm In Miami, Bitch!

Ok... Where do I start??
There is no way I can even begin to tell the story of this past weekend, so I'll just stick to the highlights.

Laura and I got along just fine in our hotel room. I actually didn't get to see Todd all that much till after the game. Friday night we went out, Saturday I was so hungover I had to sleep most of the day. Then Saturday we went out again, but I didn't drink. Then SUNDAY!!! Laura and I got up and got dressed. I put on Todd's jersey and put my hair in 2 low pigtails. Todd actually stopped by our room before the team left. I gave him a thank you card that said, "Thank you from the bottom of my butt..." on the outside, and "...Cuz it's a lot bigger than my heart" on the inside. Lol. Then I wrote a message inside telling him how much I appreciate everything he's done for me, and how much it means to me, and what a great friend he is. I told him that he's one of the most genuine, kind-hearted, caring people I know and that he deserves all the awesomeness that comes his way. He laughed at the funny message and thanked me for the card. So I know he liked it. Then I had him sign my jersey! Now it's worth milllllllions!! MUAHAHHAAA! jk..
After Todd left, we went to the tailgate party where we met up with Brendan, Andrew and Nico, Reese's boyfriend. Nico is from South Africa, and he has red hair and a cool accent. Lol. Anyway, so the tailgate was awesome, and there was TONS of food! From there we took buses to the stadium, with a police escort! It was so cool! They shut down the whole freeway for us! Once we got to the stadium, we walked around, bought programs and looked at the merchandise. It was literally like a fairgrounds out there. They had carnival rides, and games, and exhibits...it was nuts! When we got inside the stadium, Laura separated from the rest of us, since she was sitting with Todd's parents. Me and the 3 guys had seats by ourselves in a different section.
So the game was awesome, Todd had a very dramatic play! It was considered a turning point in the game! The halftime show was pretty cool I guess. I mean, I like The Who but I'm not a crazed fan or anything. Oh, and it was a little weird hearing the name "Peyton" over the loudspeaker so many times! Lol. After the game, we were all exhausted, and we piled back on our buses to head back to the hotel.
Andrew and I sat together, and inevitably ended up talking about Laura. Apparently Todd tried to break up with her a week ago, and she went apeshit. I guess she almost didn't even go to Miami! Andrew thinks Laura is completely nuts and that Todd needs to hurry up and dump her, because the longer he waits, the crazier she gets. So apparently, all the body language I've been reading from Todd has been spot on. It's not just all in my head!! Lol. And apparently, I'm not the only one who feels like Laura isn't right for Todd.

When we finally got back to the hotel, I rushed up to the room and jumped in the shower. Laura wasn't back yet, but she'd arrived by the time I got out. I dried my hair, and stuck it up rollers, and had started on my makeup by the time she got out of the shower. Then we rushed to finish getting ready. Me with my sparkly black shoes, and purple strapless dress, and she in a black drapey dress.
Then we headed to the ballroom.
The party was insane! There were 2 live bands (FAMOUS bands), an open bar, food, and tons of celebrities there! Reese and I chummed up, because Laura proceeded to get shamefully drunk. Both of us were kind of giving her sideways glances. Todd was off mingling with the other players, so none of us really saw him for the first hour. Then we all regrouped out by the bar, quite by accident. By this time, Laura was fucked 3 times towards the weekend. She had gone completely batty!! First, she walked up to me and slurred, "If Todd ever looks over here, or even notices me, will you take a picture of us?"
I gave her a startled, wide-eyed look and then grabbed Todd's arm.
"TODD! Picture!" I said as he whipped around. I quickly snapped their photo.
Then 10 minutes later, Laura walked over to me again and said, "Ohmygoshh...Todd's so over me. Hey, if we don't know each other next week, I just want you to know that I'm glad we kind of bonded and...and I know you'll always be friends with Todd since you guys are like...BFFs but I just want you to know that I'm glad we met and keep Todd humble, and..." She went on like this for a while.
I glanced at Todd nervously, hoping he wasn't hearing any of this, since he was standing like a foot away! Reese gave me a look like she'd already gotten the spiel. Then we both dragged Laura off to the bathroom. She continued to go on like this, apparently to each of Todd's friends. Reese tried talking some sense into her.
"Girl you need to get yourself together!! Do you see me and Nico?? Just ignore him! Act like it doesn't bother you!"
"It doesssnt matter... He'ssssgonna break up with mmeeeanyways." She slurred.
Reese and I exchanged meaningful looks.
"What are you talking about!" I said, "Snap out of it! We're at a Superbowl party, come on, let's go." And we left the restroom.
Laura wondered off somewhere after that, so Reese and I went to find the guys. We spent the rest of the night, chasing down people and taking photos, and drinking. And overall, we had an amazing time! When the party came to a close, we all decided we wanted Denny's. Lol. So all 7 of us headed downstairs to get a cab.

We were having trouble finding a cab that would fit 7 people, and were thinking we may have to take 2, when a limo pulled up. I mean, we were on a street corner, it wasn't like this limo was trying to pick us up. But Nico and Todd ran up to the window and asked the driver,
"Hey! How much to drive us all to Denny's?"
"Well how much are you wanting to spend?" The driver asked.
"Just tell us how much." Nico said.
"Uh...20 bucks?"
"SOLD! COME ON GUYS!"

So we all piled into the limo to head to Denny's. Lol. How fucking random is that? Straight out of a scene from The Hangover. Lol. There was even an open bottle of champagne in the limo, which we drank. Lol.
When we got there, Laura went straight to the bathroom, and Reese followed. They were in there for quite a long time. All the guys kept looking at me and saying, "There's only one person at this table who can go in there..."
"I am not going in there! I know what's going on in there, and I'm sorry but I'm not going in there." I said.
When they finally came back, Laura looked red-faced. Reese sat down across from me and rolled her eyes. We took videos of our random, funny, drunken conversations at the table, and Todd bought us all breakfast. Lol. It was a wonderful nightcap.
Then we took separate cabs home, since me, Todd and Laura were going back to the hotel, and the rest of them were going to Reese and Nico's place. In the cab, Todd put his arms around both of us to keep us warm. It was freezing outside!
Then Todd came up to our room, instead of going to his. That felt a little awkward, but hey...we were all drunk so whatever. Todd got on the side of the bed that was on the inside, next to the lamp, which is in between the 2 beds, i.e. closest to me, and Laura threw a mini-fit about that.
"What are you doing?? You know I sleep on this side of the bed!"
"Uh...no you don't."
"Ok....."
I pretended not to hear them and rolled over.
Next thing I knew, it was morning.

When I got back to Houston, I was exhausted, and now I'm coming down with something, since I haven't really slept in 4 days, and I spent all that time drinking and partying. Lol.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about Todd and Laura. I mean, I feel so bad for Todd, because clearly he doesn't want to be in that relationship anymore, but she makes it so difficult for him to get out! And I really wanted to talk to him about it, just as a friend, cuz you know, she could have really embarrassed him at that party Sunday night with her crazy talk and boozing. Ugh. But I just didn't wanna say something to Todd and have him think I was being catty, or that I had an ulterior motive. Because even though I do like him, I really just want him to be happy. And I can tell he's not happy with Laura. So last night I sent Andrew a Facebook message.
"Hey, so have you talked to Todd yet? About the whole Laura had a case of the crazies on Sunday night thing??"
I figured, since they're close, and Andrew feels the same way I do, that they had probably talked about it. This morning, he wrote me back. They broke up.

They broke up.

Todd is single!! Let's just hope it's for good this time.

The Perfect Dress

Man you guys, let me tell you how much I was hoping that maintenance guy would show up at midnight and add some excitement to my life! I just loooooooooove the drama!!
((chuckle))

Anyways, I didn't get a chance to go to my leasing office yesterday, since I was meeting with a new photography client. But I definitely will today! I'm not gonna bother with the police. As rude as they were, I can definitely withstand a little bullying. As for the maintenance guy though?? What it boils down to is, he knew I was there, since my deadbolt was locked, and I'm sure he knew I was sleeping, and he was definitely TRYING to wake me up, which is completely uncalled for. He should left me alone after I didn't answer the door the first time. And that's what I'm going to YELL to my apartment managers. Ugh.

Anyways, other than that little incident, my weekend was pretty good! Saturday during the day, I went to Taryn's apartment and raided her closet for dresses. She had a couple cute ones, but none of them were like...The One. But she told me to bring them anyways. Then we went out to lunch, which was nice. She's one of my only single friends these days, so we can relate to each other.
While we were hanging out Todd called!
"Hello?"
"Hey Peyton, I have some good news!" He said.
"Really? What???" I asked, my heart pounding.
"I was able to get you a comped room at our hotel."
"WOW! Seriously???"
I couldn't believe my luck! I'd been wondering how I was gonna manage to get around if I stayed with my mom's cousin. She lives about 30 minutes from the stadium, which is a pretty expensive cab ride.
"Yea! They were only giving the extra rooms out to the players who were married, but one of my teammates is good friends with guy who's in charge of booking the rooms, and he managed to pull some strings."
"Omg thanks, Todd! That's so awesome!"
"No problem! You and Laura will be sharing a room."

Uh oh! I thought, The bomb drops... But I didn't let on how weird that might be, I just thanked him profusely. I don't even care about that! I mean, I like Laura, she's a nice girl, and I have nothing against her personally. I just don't think she's right for Todd! But we get along, and it's going to be fun regardless.

So Saturday night, I worked at the Washington bar. Taryn and I were actually scheduled at the same time, so we carpooled! :)
Go green! Working there was really awesome though. It was a nice change of scenery. The prices and computer system are different, but I picked up on everything right away. It was fast paced, so I wasn't bored, and the night went by quickly, and we made great money!! Just what I need for Miami!!

Sunday morning, I woke up earlier than I'd planned, but I had a lot of stuff to do so I just decided to roll with it. First stop? The mall. As much as I was dreading walking around The Galleria, I just had to find the perfect dress! As I was getting ready to go, Laura called.

"Hey Peyton!! Are you excited?! We're roomies!"
"I know! I am excited! It's gonna be so much fun!"

We chatted about the weekend, our flights, and what to wear. I told her I was about to head to the mall to find something. She expressed that she had no clue what she was going to bring. So I offered to bring along some extra dresses, just in case she wanted to borrow something.
The mall was actually not that bad. I perused through Macy's pretty quickly, found some cute stuff, but nothing that really stood out. Then I headed to French Connection, where I found the perfect dress! Not only is it purple, my favorite color, but it was marked down, and 50% off!! And it fit perfectly! I'll post pictures when I get home.
I also got the perfect accessories to go with it. Black sequined pumps with a matching black sequined clutch. Now, all I need is jewelry, and I'll have the perfect ensemble for the post-game players party on Sunday. I'm so excited!!!

After the mall, I headed over to my aunt's house in Spring. My grandparents were in town, along with my Aunt Josie and her kids. So it was kind of like a mini-family reunion. We had dinner, played catch-up and watched the Grammy's. Then I finally went home, exhausted, and well...you know the rest of the story.
My lash extensions appointment got canceled yesterday cuz apparently a bunch of girls dropped out of the program. I was pretty disappointed but...oh well. She said she'd keep me in her appointment book for next time.
Well, it's back to work! Busy busy busy!!

Have To Know

Well I got several guesses about who Todd is on my last post. And I didn't make any of these comments public. Mainly because I don't want to give the people who aren't trying to guess any ideas, but I don't want the people who are guessing to think that by not posting their comments, I'm confirming their guess is correct. I'm not going to confirm, or deny anything.
But I am going to the Superbowl!! I'm so excited!!! I wish I could tell you guys more, and tell you who I'm rooting for, but I just can't risk it. All you need to know is, I'm super excited!! I've never been to Miami! I leave next Friday after work, and I'm coming back Tuesday. Todd called me last night, and was like, "Make sure you stay till at least Monday cuz there's gonna be a ridiculous party at the hotel after the game!"
And of course, I will be there! I asked him who else was going, and he said Brendan and Andrew will be there, along with his parents, and his brother, Pete. I love Pete! He's so much fun. And after years of buying him alcohol, he's finally 21 and can party with us! Todd didn't mention if Laura was going though, which I think is weird. Does that mean she's not going?? I'm just going to operate under the assumption that she is going for now, because...I mean why wouldn't she?? The only reason I can think of for her not going is that she's in nursing school, and they have clinicals and she can't miss class. And with the game being on a Sunday night, she would have to head back to Texas right after the game. So who knows?? We'll see I guess.
I really need to get some hot stuff to wear when I'm in Miami. What do people wear there? I don't wanna look ridiculously out of place. I mean, I know it's like a party town, and definitely a bit more glitzy than Houston, but they have the same weather as us, so most of the stuff I have should be fine. But I still wanna get at least one new dress. I'm gonna look today after work. I was supposed to hang out with Taryn, but then Bethany texted me at 1:30am, saying she took the night off so "we can do something!" and I've suddenly lost my urge to go out. Plus, I really need to save $. My Superbowl ticket costs 500 bucks. Not exactly loose change... So aside from a new dress, I don't wanna be frivolous with my money this week. Maybe I'll just make up some excuse about being too tired, or not feeling good or something. ((sigh)) I woke up late this morning, and I look like ass anyways, so it's not like I can meet Taryn for Happy Hour like we'd planned anyway. I would have to go home and shower, etc... And I just don't feel like it.

So for the past few days, I keep replaying this conversation in my head that Melissa and I had a couple weeks ago. We were eating breakfast in a cafe, the morning after Todd's playoff game, and we were talking about Todd, and she said, "Are you in love with him?"
And I just stared at her, and my throat constricted, and I...I didn't know what to say. It was weird, I mean my eyes even started to water, and I have NO IDEA why. But I had to collect my thoughts and myself before I could answer. And I avoided her eyes and gave her some nonchalant answer, like, "How can you know you're in love with someone you've never even kissed?"
But the way she looked at me it was like she already knew the answer to that question, she just wanted me to say it.
Sometimes Melissa is alarmingly perceptive. ((Sigh))

I don't know how to classify my feelings for Todd. They're just so...mixed up. I mean, I've known him practically my entire life. He's always been there. He's my best friend. I remember when he was in first grade, with huge glasses, buck teeth, and the highest singing voice in the children's church choir. And I remember in high school, when he was 5 feet tall, shorter than me! And scrawny, and dorky, and he was like this cute little kid that would follow me around. Not that I was anyone to be admired. I was just as big of a dork back then as he was.
But then he changed. We changed. He started to grow up, got his first girlfriend. And I was really happy for him. And I was engaged at the time, and the 4 of us would hang out together at his parents house, play pool, go swimming. Then I went away to school, became single again, he went away to school, started going out with Laura. I went through asshole after asshole, and every time I would go home for the holidays, and see Todd, and he was like a breath of fresh air. Same morals, same innocent, bright outlook. And I would talk to him about my latest guy, latest party, and ask him about his life. And he would tell me about his girlfriend, and talk about football. We could talk about anything, just like best friends do.
And then before I knew it, he was...he was this man! Tall, handsome, broad shouldered... The kind of man you look at and say to yourself, "As soon as I get over my bad boy phase, I'll find a guy like him. And we'll get married and have a family."
The kind of man that every girl's mother wishes she would marry. The kind of man that every girl's father respects and trusts. The kind of man who is selfless, and kind, and warm. The best kind of man. The best kind of friend.
And when I realized this, it was just so...sudden. I mean all those years I knew him, and I watched him grow into this man, but I just never thought...
Until it occurred to me one day, that he is everything I have always wanted. And yet, he's still all of those things that he was. Dorky, little, naive, scrawny, and admiring. He just grew up.
((Sigh))
Now that he's in the NFL it's almost harder. Because he has so many more things for people to covet. Fame and money... But I don't really care about those so much. I mean it's cool, don't get me wrong. But it's almost like an elephant in the room. The room, being our friendship. Because I feel like...like I don't want him to think I'm like that. I hope he knows. But even asking him for a Superbowl ticket, I feel kind of guilty. And if he and Laura do break up in the off season, what then???
If I pursue him, will he think I'm only doing it because of what he's become??
And what if I don't pursue him? Will I miss out on my chance?
What if he and Laura don't break up at all??

I just...I have to know. I have to know what this is. What I'm feeling. Am I in love with Todd??