BEST. GAME. EVER.

As soon as I left work Saturday night, I headed over to Ben's house to meet up with Bethany, Summer and Tara. Ben wasn't home, we were meeting him, Michael, and Mark at our destination. So we hung out, watched half a movie, and got all our stuff together. Around 5:30, Summer's mom came to pick us up.

The airport was insane, since it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and for some reason, this had never occurred to us! But we still got there in plenty of time. Unfortunately, I can't tell you guys exactly where we went, because Todd is legitimately famous now, and you guys could figure out his identity if you really tried. And I'm not sure exactly how he'd feel about that. Plus, none of my friends know about this blog, and I'd like to keep it that way! So I'll just say, we arrived at our destination before noon, all of us completely exhausted. Ben and Michael picked us up. We could all tell they were totally hungover. Lol.

We stayed in an apartment that Ben's father's company owns. They use it for clients, and business trips and stuff like that. But it was really nice! Two bedrooms, two baths, and right in the heart of the city! So we all got settled in and laid down for a nap.

When we got up, our whole group headed out to grab some grub. And that's when the drinking began! That whole day/night was such a blur! Lol. But it was insanely fun. We met up with Todd around 7 at his hotel bar. He couldn't go out with us that night, because the team has a curfew. Todd's parents were there too, and I spent some time chatting with his mom. She's like the nicest, coolest lady! In high school, she was that super cool mom, who would let Todd show up unannounced at their house with like 6 friends, and she would whip up something delicious for everyone, and practically wait on us hand and foot! She's a really sweet lady. And very fashionable too! Hehe. So anyways, some of the other football players were in the bar too, and we got a couple pictures with some reallllllllly well known guys! Let's just say, they're hot, and have celebrity girlfriends... Hehe.

After we left the hotel, we headed back out on the town for more craziness! We even ended up at a strip club, which was totally not my idea, but whatever. There was like 10 of us! Me and the girls, Ben, Mark and Michael, and a few other guys that they were friends with, who I'd never met, but they were really cool.

Well, of course, it wouldn't have been a night out without a little drama. Summer and Ben got in a fight, Ben stormed out of the strip club. I followed him all the way back to the apartment. I was easily the most sober person in the group, and Ben was pretty drunk. He was going on and on about how he's breaking up with Summer, and driving back to his parents house, 2 hours away, and leaving us all, right then and there! And I'm like, "WHAT!? You can NOT leave, Ben! You're driving us girls back, remember?? Stop being impulsive!"
But there was no reasoning with him. I took his keys when he wasn't looking, and went back to my room. He headed out to the parking garage to "leave", but obviously he didn't get very far. Not long after, Tara and Bethany showed up. They were in a frenzy, running around packing up all their shit.

"What are you doing?" I asked Bethany.

"Packing Summer's stuff! We're going to a hotel."

I rolled my eyes. "WHY."

"Because, Summer is my best friend, and if she wants to leave, then I'm going with her!" She said all dramatic and drunkenly.

UGH. And since when are they best friends?! I wanted to ask.

"Whatever." I said, "That's dumb. And I'm not going anywhere. You guys are just making it worse by freaking out and frantically packing all your shit. They're both wasted. Once they calm down and sober up, they'll work it out. Just chill."

But of course, they didn't listen to me. People were running in and out of the apartment constantly, Ben and Summer wouldn't talk to each other. Then once they did start talking, they were outside for hours.
Drama drama drama...
I ended up passing out on top of the covers in all my clothes. When I woke up the next morning, MARK was in the bed with me! Lol. I kinda freaked out a little at first, but apparently, everyone had passed out in random places. And of course, Summer and Ben had worked everything out, and all was well in the morning.

Other than the drama, Sunday had been ridiculous, and crazy, and just...TOO much fun! I mean something was bound to happen! Because nobody has that much fun in one day. Lol.
I was the first one up, followed shortly thereafter by Tara. She and I showered and got ready to head out. We had to go meet Todd and get our tickets and sideline passes before 2:30, because he needed to get to the stadium early. Then of course, Tara and I spent like an hour trying to get everyone out of bed, and another hour waiting for Bethany and Summer to get ready.

First we met up with Todd at his hotel. Everyone was looking pretty grim, and apparently I was the only person who wasn't hungover. Lol. He gave us our tickets and our passes and told us to be at the stadium by 6, cuz that was when they'd be on the field practicing. Our passes were only good for before and after the game. And there's nobody on the field after the game, cuz the players all hit the locker rooms. So we knew we had a lot of stuff to get done in the meantime. I was really glad I'd already showered and put makeup on! After we got our tickets, we went and ate, hit the mall to get some team shirts, and then the drug store so I could get some posterboard to make a sign for Todd.

When we got back to the apartment, the girls started getting ready. Only Tara and I had showered, so she just started putting on makeup while the other 2 showered, and I got to work on my poster. I was completely ready by 5:00. Bethany wasn't dressed, and her hair was still wet, and Summer was putting on fake eyelashes.

Oh GOD. I thought. We're never gonna get out of here.

"Hey guys, we need to leave in like...30 minutes if we're gonna get there by 6." I said.

"The game's not even till 7:30!" Bethany said.

"I know, but if we wanna use our sideline passes, we need to get there early!"

"Well I have to curl my hair." She said flatly.

"Why? It's humid as hell outside!" I pointed out.

"Yea, but if I don't curl it, I'll look like a wet dog." She persisted.

I sighed, "Well how much longer?" I asked.

"Fifteen minutes." She said.

At 6 o'clock on the dot, we still hadn't left. I was fuming by this point. I rushed everyone out the door, and we finally started heading to the stadium. And of course there was traffic on the way, and throngs of people trying to get in, once we got there. We left the guys at the entrance, since we had different seats, and headed into the stadium. We walked straight out onto the field, and it was BREATHTAKING! I mean seriously, I just stood there and gawked. There were soooooooooooooooo many people! I mean literally, like every seat was taken in the stadium! And everyone was screaming, and the atmosphere in there was so charged! It was very contagious.

We walked along the sideline, in search of Todd, and I spotted him pretty quickly, practicing with some of his teammates in the middle of the field. I brought my nice camera and my telephoto lens, and I just started snapping away! I got tons of awesome photos!
When Todd finally turned in our direction, I held up my sign so he'd see us! He immediately came over and gave me a hug.

"Nice sign!" He said.

"Thanks! This is SOOO awesome, I can't even believe it! And you look so..." I couldn't finish my sentence. There he was in his pro-football uniform, with his pads and his helmet... It was surreal. Little Todd from church. Haha. My, how he's grown!

The girls took a picture of us together, and I took one of all of them with Todd too. And before we knew it, we were all being shooed off the field. I knew we should have gotten there earlier! But I was too excited at the time to let anything bother me. Tara had bought a football with the team logo on it, that she wanted to get signed. Her boyfriend's dad is really sick, and all he talks about it Todd's football team. Apparently he's been a fan since their early years. And she was really disappointed that she didn't even get a chance to give it to Todd. But I promised her we'd get it signed, no matter what!

So we headed up to our seats, which were in the end zone. They weren't the best seats in the world, but we could see everything, and hey! They were free! And this was sold out game! Everyone in our section liked my sign, haha! It had Todd's name on it, so they all started to assume I was his girlfriend. And I just let them. Heehee. We drank plenty of beer, took lots of pictures, and cheered and screamed till we lost our voices! And just FYI, Todd plays in every game! I know a lot of people assume that rookies never play, but he plays! And their team won by a landslide!! And the team they were playing is really good! So not everyone was sure they would win. But I was! :) It was so totally amazing!

We met up with guys outside the stadium and started our trek back to the apartment. All the fans pouring out of the stadium were cheering, and high-fiving; it was like everyone was your best friend! Haha. And I marched down the street holding my sign high.
When we got back to the apartment, I put my camera away, grabbed a few things, and then we headed back out. We went to a piano bar and got a table, and I texted Todd, letting him know where we were.

He ended up texting me, and telling me to come meet him at some exclusive player's party. And of course we were all totally down for that! So we went to meet him, and almost the whole team was there! They had this whole bar reserved for just them. Todd came outside to meet us and let us in. It was actually a pretty low key party, kinda quiet, nothing crazy. And the guys were starting to get a little bored, I could tell. They were craving the loud, crazy raucous of the city bars we'd spend the last night in. So I told them to go ahead and go. I really wanted to spend some time with Todd, and catch up, and we promised we'd meet them in a bit. So they all left, except me and Tara. I could tell she was getting a little sick of the drama too. Tara is a lot like me in that respect. We don't like drama, and we're both really laid back and chill. So she and I hung out with Todd, and his personal NFL trainer, Rick. He's an ex player as well. And he was really funny. Very sarcastic with a dry sense of humor. I had a field day with him! He and I bantered the entire cab ride over to meet the group, and Todd was getting a huge kick out of it. Lol.

So we met up with everybody, but Todd, Rick, and I still kind of kept to ourselves. And once again, I was the most sober out of the group, by the end of the night. Well, not counting Todd. He's so huge, it's practically impossible for him to get drunk. Believe me, I've tried. Lol. So Todd came back to the apartment with us, and we both crashed on the floor. His apartment is outside the city, and it would have been kind of a long cab ride, so I told him just to crash with us, and we'd drive him to his parents' hotel in the morning. He and I would have slept in my bed, but he was worried that his (gold-digging) girlfriend would get mad, because he wouldn't lie to her about it, if she asked. Which, I understand. But it's not like I was going to put the moves on him or anything! He's way too virtuous for that! So we slept on the floor, and Ben and Summer took my bed.

We had to get up real early the next morning to start driving. I hugged Todd and thanked him a million times! I still feel like I haven't thanked him enough! I'm definitely gonna do something nice for him, I just haven't figured out what yet. Any ideas, readers?? Tara left ahead of us with Mark, (I have no idea why) and they dropped Todd off on their way out. So it was just me, Bethany and Summer riding with Ben. We slept most of the way. The weather was crap. And by the time we got back, it was late, and I was exhausted.

And since I've been back, I still haven't been able to catch up on my sleep, because my sleep schedule is all fucked up again from staying out every night till 5am for 5 days in a row! Plus, I've been uploading and editing pictures, and I always lose track of time when I'm doing that.

But, despite the drama, I have to say that was one of the best trips EVER! It was so much fun! Next time I go to one of Todd's games though, I'm only taking single people! And probably not 3 girls. I'll probably just take Sophie! Lol. Then I know we won't have any problems.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention! Two things:
1) TB bought a ticket to Houston, despite my warnings. He'll be here next weekend. Is this good or bad? I haven't decided yet. He knows not to expect anything, but...??
2) Cali texted me the very next day after I gave him my number! Annnnd we had our first date last night! But I'm going to have to save that for another post, because this one is already too long!

Have a good weekend everybody!!

New Horizons

Well, our dinner date was definitely still on. Brandon just had a lot of stuff going on during the day. As for his drinking Saturday night, he told me he just had a really great time at the wedding! And...that's it! So I can't really judge, I mean... I've been known to have a good time and get drunk myself.

So anyways, Brandon came over around 8:30, groceries in tow, and he got right down to business! He made pasta with a homemade meat sauce, complete with ground turkey, fresh mushrooms and tomatoes, and spices. It was soooo good! We also had garlic croissants, and for dessert, he brought over Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns, which is now my favorite ice cream of all time!

After we ate, we settled down on the couch, and watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. To be honest, I was surprised he chose that movie, seeing as it's a total chick flick, and it didn't get the greatest ratings. But I love Jennifer Garner, so I still liked it. And it was kind of fitting. I mean, a guy who's afraid of falling in love, realizes he's been wasting his life having fun, and sleeping around... And then one day, he wakes up and realizes what he's truly been missing out on.

After the movie, we went to bed. And we talked.

First, he asked me about my Facebook. He doesn't have a Facebook, and apparently some people have asked him about me, and my status updates. They were pretty depressing at times, I suppose. I assured him that I had never written anything bad about him, and told him he was welcome to look! So I showed it to him. And he read one of my notes. And it was just a note about...being alone. I watched his reaction as he read it, and I could tell he genuinely felt...sad.

"You have alone issues, don't you?" He asked.

"Maybe...but you have commitment issues!" I said.

He sighed.

"Peyton, you're not alone. And no matter what happens between us, I will always be here, if you ever need someone."

He took my hand, and we just laid there, in the dark for a while.

Then we talked about our lives, and what we want. I told him that it's not necessarily a husband I'm searching for, it's companionship. It's not being alone, that I'm afraid of, it's ending up alone. I mean, I see what Sophie and Brent have, and they are like best friends, who do everything together, travel the world... And I want that.

"Aren't you ever afraid of being alone?" I asked him.

"No, but I'm alone all the time."

"No, I mean, don't you want somebody there for you at the end?"

"Well, yea...." He said, "I just...how do you know, when you're ready for that?"

"You just know." I said, and I thought to myself that I know, because as soon as I realized I was tired of this bar industry, and ready to have a real job, and get my own house, that I'm ready to settle down. But that's something Brandon is going to have to figure out on his own.

"Well you'll get that, Peyton. I know you will." He said.

There's just a part of me that really wants that with him. But we have a long way to go. And we're taking it slow. Which is the best thing for right now.

I vented to him a little about my work situation, too. I mean, I feel so stuck!

"You're not stuck." He said.

"Yes, I am! I can't quit, because I don't have enough money saved up right now, and...I have to find another job first! So now I'm looking for not just one job, but two!" I huffed.

"It's all gonna be okay. Just...think positive. Everything will work itself out." He said.

"You sound so sure..." I said.

"Because I am sure." He said.

I rolled over and sighed, and Brandon put his arm around me.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yea. I'm okay." I said.

And we went to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

This morning, I got up and made us cinnamon rolls. We ate quickly, and then we both left, cuz I had to take my mom to physical therapy. I sent him a text message after he left that said, "Thanks for dinner! It was really good!"

And he wrote back, "You're welcome. I really enjoyed our time together last night."

:)

After my piano lesson, I went over to Mark's house to meet up with Summer, Ben, and Mike for food and football. Mark makes the most amazing mashed potatoes! And he grilled steaks and asparagus. All in all, a delicious meal, 2 nights in a row! Afterwards, we played pool, and drank wine, and discussed what we're gonna start doing with our Sundays, now that Mark put the boat to rest for the season. We had a cold front come through this week, and next weekend is supposed to be cool as well. So no more boat trips. :(

We have yet to figure out what we're gonna do. Lol.

So, I do have some news on the job front! Mark, from my old job called me today. He asked me if I wanted to come back! And I said, well...yes! But I told him I wasn't sure if Mr. P. and Blinn would go for it. But he said he's gonna talk to them, and he asked me if working with Brandon would be a problem. I told him most likely not, I mean, we're getting along now and trying to be friends. But I also told him I didn't wanna push my luck, and it would probably be best if we didn't work side by side, and he said of course, and that wouldn't be a problem. So now I just have to wait to hear back from him and find out what Blinn and Mr. P. say about it. I have to admit, it would a relief to go back to my old bar. I mean, I really miss everybody, and after going somewhere else, I've realized that they really are good people to work for. Probably the best in the Houston bar industry. So we'll see.

After our conversation, I got to thinking about what it would be like working with Brandon again. And I actually kind of started to freak out. Like...what if it screws everything up?? I mean, things are going so well between us right now, and I don't want us working together to ruin it! And what about the way things were before?? I mean, he used to always ignore me at work, and it drove me crazy. He'd say it was cuz he was at work, and he's serious about work yada yada.... But then when we'd go in the back to count money after work, he'd act...distant, and weird. I just don't want to slip back into our old habits again! And working together, it'll just be so...so much like before! This, now, is different. Our situation is different. My situation is different. ((Sigh))

So I talked to Summer about it while we were eating dinner at Mark's.

"He doesn't even work that much! I mean...you guys should be fine. Just ask to work at a different bar." Summer said.

"True..."

I mean, he does only work like 2 or 3 days a week. So, I might just be freaking out about nothing. But next time Brandon and I hang out, I'm definitely gonna mention it to him. Because this is really important to me. My job, and my relationship with Brandon are important to me. And I don't want either one affecting the other in a negative way. Not again.

But I might just be getting ahead of myself. I haven't even heard from Mark yet. Hopefully he'll get back to me by tomorrow. Sooo...wish me luck!

New Computer!

So I haven't been able to write the past couple days, cuz my computer totally crapped out on me! And then I got really mad, and threw it across the room. Lol. And now it's uh...well let's just say I have officially retired my old Toshiba laptop. And it was wayyyy past time for me to get a new computer.
SOOO, I am now typing on my brand new MacBook Pro!! I absolutely LOVE it! I've been wanting to get a Mac FOREVER!

Anyways, I've been reading all your comments, and I do sort of agree, that I need to be happy on my own for right now, instead of thinking about boys. In the past, I've usually had an in between person to help me get over the last guy. But not this time. And I know I'm not ready to date, but I just really don't like being alone either. And I have no news about Cory. Things have gone sort of stale in that department. Not because I'm not interested, but I mean, he lives in San Antonio, and I just don't see how we're ever gonna be able to get together unless he comes to Houston and we hang out. And he ended up not coming this weekend. So...whatever. I'm just working, and trying to save some money and get back on my feet.
Last Sunday, Summer and I went out wakeboarding on the river with some of her friends, Ben, Mark, and Michael. They used to be regulars at my old bar, and I always knew who they were, but just never really got to know them before now. And we had tons of fun! And we're gonna go out again this Sunday, only this time with more people! Bethany is gonna come, and Melissa too, even though she doesn't really know anybody. It's a shame I'm not interested in any of these guys, cuz they're all cute and fun and have good jobs. But Ben is totally in love with Summer. Lol. Michael is really sweet, and cute in a little boyish kind of way. And Mark is this huge beefy guy, who has ears that stick out. Hehe. But I like them, and they've sort of adopted me into their group this past couple weeks. Me, Bethany, and Summer go out for margaritas and Mexican food with them before work every Friday and they never let us pay. It's totally awesome!
I think I'm starting to get a handle on my Brandon situation. I mean, it's getting easier. I can honestly say that I'm not totally miserable about him anymore. Although I can't say that I'm happy, I'd rather be in between than miserable. I still think about him a lot, randomly. But it's just like sudden sharp pains now, instead of a constant dull ache. And when I do think of him, it's bad, like an abrupt intake of breath, followed by acute pain, and me trying to hold back tears. ((Sigh)) Then I have to will myself to think about something else.
The key is to keep busy, and I've been doing pretty good with that. I live for my Sundays!
Well, it's like 5 in the morning now, so I should really get to bed.