A PA Girl at 23!

My 23rd birthday I was feeling alittle blue for some reason. Then I went over to Selena's and all of a sudden Vish and Alan showed up in the living room wearing tiaras and with cupcakes for me and the day instantly improved. It got even better when Crissy, Mel, and Wesley showed up.

There are some things that you get so well engrained into you and they come out in the funniest times. I am a VERY sound sleeper. I can sleep through pretty much anything. Well one night I woke up to Melanie in my room in the middle of the night yelling about fire and pulling open my curtains to show me the flames in one of the houses that shared our backyard. There were propane tanks exploding, emergecy vehicles racing down the road and I had been sleeping through it all. Well I went into safety drill mode after years of practicing for fires on the ship. I starting pulling on clothes and shoes and yelling to the girls to grab their purses and valuables. The wind had been out of control that day and the houses were close so we were very scared. We went into the back yard with the rest of the neighbors and watched as the firemen tried to contain the fire, but it was a complete loss. It did not pass to any other houses luckily though. Mel climbed back into bed with me and we watched the flames as they finally burned the rest of the way down.

I went to England again that year for Christmas and had so much fun, but got sick while I was there. Then when I flew home, Ryan came to visit and stay with me for New Years. He had had a rough fall because as I figured, his gf broke up with him the day I moved away, then he had lost me to PA and he didn't want to be living in TX amoung other things. That New Years Eve was freakishly warm and I enjoyed bringing him to meet alot of my PA friends and then we sat out on my porch the rest of the night in our t-shirts talking about life and love. I was so sad when he left because I missed my friend dearly. He decided to move to California shortly after that trip.

Melanie had gotten engaged shortly after I moved in and set her wedding date. One day that winter we got snowed in. I had my own room and April and Mel shared a room. I went over and climbed into bed with Mel. April was close with us, but wasn't as much of the touchy feely person that Mel and I were so we were alittle surpised when April came over and climbed into the bed too. We were talking and finally April goes, "When are you guys going to notice the diamond on my finger?" We freaked out because we didn't know April was so close to engagement! We spent the day playing in the snow and then Erik came over and we made them play games with us the rest of the evening. April and Erik set their wedding date which was the same weekend as Mel's. Which meant that I was going to be losing both of my roommates the same weekend. I didn't know what I was going to do about my living situation and so the Strites offered to let me move into their house until I figured out what I was going to do.

Shortly after moving in with the Strites, Bri had decided that she wanted me to meet her husband's cute and single best friend. The boys played on a church softball team and so I went with her and Michelle to the game to meet this boy. Well someone else had other plans. Michelle's husband's best friend was also cute and single and had seen pics of me and been hearing stories and he had heard I was going to the game and he made sure to come up to me right after the game and let me know who he was. We all went out for pizza afterwards and I started getting to know these guys a bit. Nate was outgoing and super funny where as the other boy was shy and quiet. I found out that they both had asked for my number and Bri asked me which I wanted her to give it to. I picked Nate, but I was headed down to TX for Rachel's wedding for a week and I forgot my phone in my ride's car so I didn't have my phone the whole week. Meanwhile Nate was home telling my friends that he loved the sparkle in my eyes and my friends were hooked.

I got to TX and stayed with Jess and her family the first few days, but Lane was in town and had a car and he had been calling and e-mailing me lots that year so we spent all our time together that week. He took me to my dress fitting and I came out in my dress and there was a sash on the dress. The seamstress was down at my hem pinning the dress as Lane watched and I went to ask her about what to do with the sash, but in my clutziness, I accidentally wacked her in the head with it. I probably would have been able to keep the giggles in, but Lane busted out laughing and I lost control of the laughter. The seamstress didn't have nearly the sense of humor about it as we did (for the record, she was not hurt in the process). TX is HOT in the summer. HOT HOT HOT. After the fitting, Lane and I had to get something to eat. Normally i am not high maintance and easy going, but when I get hot it's a whole other story. I said I wanted to eat at Sonic, but we got there and Lane had a black car and so I said I didn't want to eat there. I proceeded to do this about 3 more locations before I decided where I wanted to eat. Lane thought this sudden burst of indecisive high maintance was HILARIOUS and teased me about it for years later. I had so much fun seeing my old friends around the wedding especially my friend Jeremy who had turned into a grown man in the year I had been gone. I have anxiety when all attention is focused on me so I was SO nervous right before walking down the aisle, but Rachel had arranged it that the groomsmen walked down the aisle with us instead of meeting them at the alter and Lane was my groomsmen and gave me a pep talk right before I walked in that I knew almost everyone there. It was actually my favorite wedding I have been in because I knew everyone and Jeremy and I danced the reception away. The next day was July 4th. Early that morning Katie, Lane and I sat in the anchorage and I cried because I missed Rachel already. I was nervous about going home because I had a crazy 3 weeks when I got home getting ready to go to South Africa and also, my sister had asked me to be in the birthing room when she had her first son. Lane and I drove the last of the guests to Dallas after that, then drove around Van where I showed him everywhere I had memories. We were headed back to the base to pack up our stuff and then we were going to head into Tyler to meet up with Jessica and Jared and watch the fireworks. We got to the base and Lane answered his phone and started screaming. His brother-in-law who was like a brother to him had just drowned. I stood there in shock as Lane ran around throwing his stuff in his car and asking me how that could have happened. I just kept telling him that I didn't know, but that Lane was going to be ok. Lane left for AR and I sank down to the ground. A guy I had lived on the ship with drove by on his bike and asked if I were ok and I told him what happened and that I needed to call Rachel's parents, but didn't have a phone. He took me to his dorm and found their number for me and had to dial the phone for me because I was shaking too bad to dial. Ellie came to be with me as I packed and then drove me to watch the fireworks at Fatherheart and Jeremy just sat there holding my hand as I cried the whole evening. I borrowed her phone to call Lane throughout the evening because I was scared for him driving the whole way home by himself in his emotional state.

I flew home the next day. While I was gone Nate had called to ask me out. I was nervous to go because of all the craziness, but I knew it was either go out on a date or stay home and cry all evening. Rachel called me as I was getting ready for the date and she was crying and I started bawling again, but finally got myself composed. The date was actually also with Micah and Michelle & Bri and Ryan. Micah told the CHEESIEST jokes all evening and Nate complained to me that it was hard going on a date with his best friend because he stole all the jokes and I thought, "I wouldn't claim those jokes if I were you." : ) (I know think Micah is hilarious BTW) Nate and I started hanging out everyday after that, I met his family and he soon asked me to be his girlfriend. About a week later Vish took me along with him to look at an apartment that I thought he wanted to buy, but after the tour, he turned to me and asked if I liked it. I said yes and he said, "I think you should put an offer in for it." I did that day and got pre-approved for financing. I was also still supposed to leave soon for South Africa and Jill was over due to have Reid. I was so panicked that she wasn't going to go into labor soon enough. At 5 AM the day before I was supposed to leave, I got the call that she was in labor. I went and spent the day and evening with her and Micah in the hospital and Reid didn't seem to want to enter the world. Finally in the wee hours of the morning he came out, I kissed him, and headed back home in enough time to finish packing, kiss Nate goodbye and head to the airport. I slept the entire way to South Africa. The scariest thing about watching Jill in labor was that she didn't talk. I was so relieved when Reid was finally born and she started talking right away. I also was freaking out as the doctors flopped Reid around. He was such a cutie though!

Nate and I spent that fall at his softball games, ripping down wall paper, getting my house ready for my move and spending time with Micah & Michelle. I LOVED getting to know the Bumbaughs! I moved in a few days before my birthday and I had to go to work at my part time job that evening. Selena stayed and unpacked a ton of my stuff for me. The next evening I was hanging out with Nate wearing my pajamas and he said to me, "Maybe you should get dressed in real clothes." I thought it was kinda weird, but I went up and changed. Then the doorbell rang and it was Michelle and Bri. I thought it was nice that they had stopped by and then the doorbell rang again and it was Selena and Crissy. How nice that my friends all wanted to stop by to see me... at the same time... This happened a few more times before I realized what was happening, once again they had all planned a surprise party for me and I was TOTALLY oblivious! They had even written to Melanie who was living in Haiti to send me a note of happy housewarming.