I Cross My Heart....

Well, George Strait did not sing 'I Cross My Heart' for Mom ( I think he only is allowed to sing it for his wife)....but he did sing close to 23 other of his best songs included a 3 song encore which included a great Johnny Cash tune. The evening, which was an early 35th Anniversary gift for Mom and Dad turned out to be a lot of fun. Thanks to Josh, we got treated with the VIP royalty! Mike and Joe had a great time to say the least (they loved the access to the VIP lounge); Mom and Dad enjoyed just singing and people watching, and I of course was amused by seeing Josh run around all night. I can't determine what my favorite part of the evening was. It's a toss up between Joe and Mike meeting Josh for the first time, hearing Mom declare that her "next" concert she was wearing a mini jean skirt and cowgirl boots or could it have been Joe riding the bull, Mike drooling over Julianne Hough, or might even have been the boys trying to sing along to every single word of George's song? I don't know. I do know that I was the one that had to ride in the middle of frick and frat all the way back to Burlington. Now that was a treat for sure! All in all......I would not trade one moment. It was perfect....and as George would sing..."It just doesn't get any better than this"





JAR



Our view from the VIP Box

The boys getting "in good" with the BF

Need I say more?

Joe in his Cowboy state of mind

My "Cowboy". Ahh shucks!

The two that started it all 35 years ago....

The family....minus Lynn, Michael and Kers...we missed you!

Chicken gizzards?

So it was my first trip to Goldsboro this weekend to visit Josh's parents. And of course while I was there I had to try out the famous Wilber's BBQ. My brother Joe said he always eats there when he travels through to Morehead City with his buddy Jackson...and it's been noted as one of the best on the "eastern" part of the state. Indeed it was. I enjoyed every bit of mine including the banana pudding. However it did take me a second to remember that it was "eastern BBQ" and the slaw was white not red. Smile. The best part of the meal was watching Josh's Dad eat chicken gizzard's!! Have you ever heard of such a thing? Well, I suppose there is a first for everything. And I know what you are thinking....I did not try it. There are some things in life I just rather not know about! So if you are ever in Goldsboro...be sure to stop by Wilber's and as for some of that yummy BBQ and if you are up for it....ask for the chicken gizzard's too!

http://www.wilbersbarbecue.com/

Thanks for a great visit Pam and Bill!

JAR

What a Guy!

It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun-Longfellow

Ta Da! So there he is.....Mystery Man himself. Josh. Yes....I asked his permission before I threw him into my world of fame. I made sure he was OK with the limelight, autographs, talk shows and the endless gossip that was bound to come his way. After all....he has been a mystery for so long! He said he was OK with it....so be gentle with him.

So one can assume that if I was brave enough to put Josh on the blog that things must be going well. Assume correctly. Folks, life just does not get much better than this! For all of the bad relationships, the relationships that were good but just were not the right fit, for the late nights crying wondering if I would ever find that right Mr. Someone for me......my time has arrived. I am very much enjoying my time in this relationship and I am enjoying every minute I get to spend with Josh. There is no doubt that he has been sent to me (or is being paid very handsomely by my father to get me off his hands!).

I am not an easy person to get along with....I am the first to admit that. I would like to think that I have some positive attributes....but in the end I believe the negatives far outweigh the positives. However, Josh never makes me feel that way. He always makes me feel good about myself and I am actually sitting on a pedestal for the first time in my life. I have to admit...I like it up here! He is a patient man and he understands that I am not and at times....space is what I need the most. He doesn't even need to be asked....he just quietly steps away. But he also has a knack of stepping in when I need it the most. What a guy!

Josh comes from a wonderful family, a loving family and is surrounded by a great group of friends. So it was very easy to explain to him how important my family was to me. He has embraced that we are close and little nutty and that we truly enjoy being with each other. He has also taken on the task of embracing the "other" family member as well.....little guy Winston. So much so that he now brings him Dingos and toys. Winston sits with him on the couch now, not me. Clearly, the dog 's affection can be bought! Ha! Overall...he tolerates the shedding, my obsession for him and the need to factor his presence in all of our travels.

I think at my age I know a good thing when I see it....and I have a good thing! How we got here is a great story and where we are going will be even a better one. I look forward to telling those for years to come. In the mean time I will continue to learn more about Josh and hope that he will learn more about me. I also hope that I don't do anything to mess it up! Yikes!

JR