Meeting the Family

First off, I never advertise or push you to visit anything but I was recently involved in a great effort that I'm really proud of.
It's called Thought you Knew and it's a pin-up charity calendar featuring girls on their bikes
Here's the link Thought You Knew
The calendars are currently only for sale in Chicago but we are hoping to get the website up for selling. Almost all of the profit (spare a couple hundred bucks to cover the last bit of printing) will be going to the Chicago Women's Health Center which is a great resource for local ladies.
The pics are awesome, the ladies are hot, and it's for a good cause Check it out if you feel so inclined. I was a model for it (Miss November, woot!) and I also have spent some time promoting it.

But I can't blame the calendar for my absence from blogging stuffs.
As I mentioned before, I'm currently in the honeymoon phase of what has become an amazing new relationship. Weeknights at my house, weekends at his, and food and booze out.
It's been a whirlwind of good times and a feeling of connectedness that has me really enjoying life.

Most people say that you know a relationship is getting serious when you meet the folks. And getting along with them is a hurdle and a test.
But really, meeting the friends and getting along with them is so much more important.

Unless you are 13 years old, you probably don't see your parents too often. They usually live in another city or another state and you may call them from time to time but visits are few and far between.

On the other hand, your friends are your new family, especially when you are single. You rely on them good times, good conversations, and favors.

I've never been one to have a huge group of friends.
I usually will have a small group of close friends that know me but do not know each other. I may have some more casual acquaintances who may know each other or be friends but I've never been one to have a solid group like they do in the movies and TV.

So when it comes time to introduce my new love interest to my friends, it might take a few weeks or even a few months. I'll have to schedule "play dates" with each of them on separate occasions and not only will they have to confirm they can make it but so will the boy and so will I and sometimes it seems harder to see my friends than it is to see a god damned shooting star.

And because my friends are all separate from knowing each other, if one person likes my dude and another doesn't, I'll just make sure to only bring him along with one friend and not the other (although if my friends don't like my dude, that is a whole other issue right there.)


But when my dude told me I was going to meet his friends, I got nervous.
His friends are all couples.
Half of them are already married and own condos.
He is the youngest and the last one to "snag a girl."
These people hang out in a huge group (10ish people) and they all have known each other a long time and are close.
Then he told me we were meeting them for a nice dinner at a fancy italian restaurant.
This was scarier than meeting the folks.

First, I'd have to look nice. Something I do not do well.
Second, I had to impress a good 4-6 people at once. I had to be entertaining, warm, but not too arrogant or loud.
Third, if one person didn't like me, I was screwed.

I threw on my best work shirt, tried not to drink too much wine or eat too much bread, and attempted to meet "the family."

Luckily, I believe I succeeded.
I made them laugh with my spot on Slap Chop impression.
I managed to not spill wine on my beige shirt.
Although I did manage to eat everything on my plate unlike the other girls at the table (because I am a pig), but I don't think they noticed too much.

Since that night, I've met the rest of the group and I believe I have not pissed anyone off nor made anyone wish death upon me.
success!

Now, this weekend, comes the best part.
Meeting the ACTUAL parents.

Hopefully I'm back to blogging on Monday and not living in a pit of my own failure.