I {heart} Target

The college dorm items for Back to School 2009 are on the shelves at Target!!! Sooooo wishing I was going to college in a few weeks so I could deck out my dorm room with these fab finds...

Xtra-long Twin Bedding by DwellStudio in Bloom - So pretty.Brushed Nickel Banker Desk Lamp - Crucial if you want to study after your roommate has already gone to bed (plus it looks like you stole it from the library!)Pink Dish Chair - you can never have too much funky seating in a dorm room.

Dots Bath Towels - Must be stylish when returning from the communal floor bathroom.

Pop-Up Hamper - Doing your own laundry for the first time won't be nearly as fun without this.
What item will always remind you of your freshmen dorm room? (For me, it was actually a set of blue interlocking crates that my roommie and I assembled together... a couple fingers were nearly severed, but our friendship was sealed in the process.)

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The Librarian Tries to Party

Unexpectedly, NavyGuy and I spent Friday night at a house party. Those of you who know us in "real life" know that we're much more likely to be found in a movie theater (or in my case, a livingroom watching HGTV) on a Friday night. But we were invited to this party hosted by another guy in NavyGuy's squadron, and we decided to go. The host's wife is actually the Target employee who led my store orientation - I don't see her much at work now that I'm down in Starbucks, but she's very awesome, and we got a chance to chat a lot Friday night.

Anyway, so the party. Again, for those of you who know me in real life, and frankly, those who've only "met" me in blogland... it's no surprise that I'm a dork. Big 'ole nerd. I did not have a traditional college experience; I was on a first name basis with the librarians, got up by eight or nine most mornings, and never once played beer pong. Not once. Until this past Friday.

Turns out, I would be a heck of a lot better at drinking games, if I'd attempted to play them before I was 27 years old (old dog, no new tricks). NavyGuy and I sucked it up at beer pong - it was downright embarassing. Along with not having any skill or experience at drinking games, I also can't play cards. We played some game called "A**hole," and I lost right off the bat. The other party guests were totally amused at my sheltered past; the host has already nicknamed me "Librarian" and offered to give me his mom's cell phone number, cuz she's a librarian and apparently she and I would have a lot to talk about :)

The only game I didn't completely fail was speed quarters (I still don't totally understand the rules but it seems to revolve around bouncing quarters into shot glasses and, of course, drinking). Because I was actually able to get the quarters in the glass, I was spared many slugs of beer. Even with all my terrible game playing, we had a really fun night (and only a slight hangover the following morning!).

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The Story of Us (edited)

After reading "The Story of Us" (a tale of how NavyGuy and I became a couple), Miss A, my college roommate who's responsible for bringing us together, added the following addendum to the story...

From Miss A:

Ah, memories. My version of this story will be appearing as an epic poem in my first published book of poetry. Muahahahahahaha!

I would like to clarify a couple of things. There were only so many people I could convince to meet my fun, clever, cute roommate in the LIBRARY. So if I didn't bring them home, the only other possibility was some kind of accidental encounter in the Kohler elevator. So it wasn't messy as much as it required strategery...

I have a vivid memory of you, Mugs, meeting NavyGuy - not because you cared overly much (sorry, Guy!) but because his eyes bugged out a little bit. You were obviously his type from the get-go.

Let's not mince words by referring to that guy I was seeing as a "man." His code name ought to be "Wet Blanket."

I forgot about the liquid courage! Of course! I was wondering how that happened so quickly...

And finally, the liquid courage is my fault, Mommy Mugs. I did debauch her a little more than she said, but still a little less than you originally thought I would. See? No piercings! No lesbians! Oh, but she did move out to the West Coast...hmmm...not my fault! But I'll keep her anyway.

Yes, I spent most of my waking hours some time in the library. Yes, Miss A's first boyfriend in college was a wet blanket. And yes, my mother was terrified of Miss A when they first met... but alas, another story for another day...

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The Story of Us

Last Saturday, NavyGuy and I reached a milestone - our 5 year anniversary. I was in Wisconsin for the actual day, and with our impending wedding costs, we kept it pretty low key this year. However, I thought I'd mark the occasion with a little trip down memory lane... the story of how NavyGuy and I became "us."

The credit (and blame) falls on my college roommie. Miss A and I met as freshmen when we were assigned as roommates. She was outgoing, I was reserved; she was confident, I was anxious; she was ready to conquer the world; I was ready to spend four years hiding in my room. Bless her heart, Miss A realized if getting me out of the room was going to be messy, then she'd bring the world to our room. And that's how NavyGuy and I met; Miss A and he had a class together, and (so the legend goes) she "brought him home" to our room one day.

I can't say I have a vidid memory of meeting NavyGuy (sorry sweetie!). Much of our first months together were spent hanging out with Miss A in the dorm room discussing everything under the sun. I do remember being intimidated by his strong political convictions (boy knows what he believes and has no qualms about sharing), not to mention his 6'4" height and flaming red hair. He lived on the floor above ours and more often than not we found ourselves going to dinner as a group, hanging out, just generally getting to know one another better.

By sophomore year, NavyGuy, Miss A, and I were a tight trio. However, Miss A found herself another man to spend some time with, so NavyGuy and I were left to spend a lot of Saturday nights missing our third musketeer. But life goes on... guys and gals came and went in both our lives. NavyGuy had a serious girlfriend for much of college, and I had a string of boys who "liked" me, but who I found flaws in and therefore dissed (Miss A kindly described me as having high standards). Regardless, throughout college, NavyGuy and I remained close; when his girlfriend couldn't accompany him to his fraternity formal, who stepped up to the plate? Oh yes, kids - here's one of our first shots together.

(Oh if only we'd known then...)

I'd be willing to bet than many around us were wondering why we didn't just cut the baloney and make it official, but it wasn't yet meant to be. Not until February of our senior year did the stars align. NavyGuy was finally single, I had finally realized how I felt, and Miss A had finally gotten sick of the two of us coming to her about the other one. Through some intense negotiations (and drinks at our college bar), Miss A convinced me to approach NavyGuy at a party that evening.

A few minutes of talking, a quick first nervous peck, and it's been smooth sailing ever since ;) (Ha!) NavyGuy and I walked around campus that night talking and pinching ourselves to see if this was really happening. The following morning, NavyGuy called my room and asked me to stop by. I was convinced that he had changed his mind or had second thoughts. Lo and behold - he feared the same of me! Apparently, because I had had a wee bit of, ahem, "liquid courage" the previous night, he was worried that I wouldn't even remember what happened! I quickly reassured him that 1) I did indeed recall the events of the previous evening, and 2) I did still want to try dating. With that settled, our dating relationship commenced, and we've celebrated that day five times since :)

(Who knew five years later we'd be taking engagement photos!?!)

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