October and November new things

Week one: Wedding in Sioux City

I went to a wedding in Sioux City, Iowa as a guest of the wedding party. My boyfriend, yes, boyfriend, keep reading and you'll be updated--scary, was the best man in a wedding for one of his college buddies. This was actually a way bigger deal in my head that it probably needed to be. First, I was all Ahhh! I have to meet all these new people. Then it was Ahhhh! John won't be sitting with me ever. Then I realized Ahhhh! That means I'll be sitting with his parents! His parents are very nice. But still. Parents. Then the ultimate came: it was a Catholic wedding. Nothing against that, but I'm not Catholic and I knew there would be all kinds of things I didn't know. Enter dear and wonderful and way-too-excited-about-helping-in-my-personal-life client. I wasn't nervous about the wedding until my client, we'll call him Steve, said that he wanted to get me prepped to impress my future in-laws. I said I'd rather impress John's parents and not embarrass myself or offend anyone. As I'm training him in weights and he's sweaty and in between burpees, Steve is teaching me the hail Mary's and how to cross myself. Steve told me all parts of the Catholic wedding including when I would hold hands and when I could knee if I chose and, yes, I already knew, no going up for communion. When we got to the actual wedding, I did sit with John's parents (I was so thankful they were there so I didn't have to sit alone), but his mom was very sweet and told me I did not have to kneel unless I wanted and I really felt like I was following along just fine, la dee dee, la dee da, then came the part to hold hands. I was so overjoyed that I already knew that part that I grabbed John's mom's hand like we were going to skip-to-my-lou across a field of daisies. So I still embarrassed myself. Not that embarrassing myself is new, but still. Other newsies this week, I went to Prince's, John's college bar, and saw the house he lived in in college and his campus and met his college friends. Quite nice. Oh, annnddd I ran through a Renaissance fair. Like literally, 9am on a Sunday morning in Sioux City, Iowa I'm running along the river and run right through a fair of people dressed in Renaissance garb and roasting turkey legs and having sword fights.

Week two: The South

I travelled to Nashville, Tennessee and Raleigh, North Carolina. First time I have been to either place. I ate a ton, listened to great live music, and hung with three of my most favorite girls in the world. The most interesting story I have of the trip was that one night in Nashville, my friend Kim and I were listening to some guys play country music in a bar off the beaten path from main street (Note: Nashville is awesome for during the day bar scene--live music starting at 10am, however, it's terrifying at night. Ok, I'm being over dramatic. It's too loud and too crowded at night for my taste) that was not so crowded. The guys playing were great and we were having a great time watching a woman who had to be on some kind of drugs dance (no one else in the bar was dancing). She was wearing rags and a tail and was draping herself over the speakers and dancing willowy about the bar. She looked, moved, dressed, and acted just like Sarah Jessica Parker's character in Hocus Pocus (best Halloween movie of all time, beeteedub). No one paid her too much attention rather than to wonder what she was on. Until she came to Kim's and my table. And pulled us up to dance with her. It was probably because we were the only other young girls in the bar. She had us spin and twirl in front of the singers and then sit on the floor in the middle of the bar and close our eyes. She told us that it was ridiculous that men were not hitting on us in this bar and that we needed to send vibes to the goddess. We were quite OK with not getting hit on in this bar. Then she lead us over to kneel in front of a blue, life-sized Jack Daniel's statue and pray to the gods for men to grow balls. That was a first.

Week three: I cross a line

I did a scary thing. I, die hard Husker, went to a Missouri football game. John's family all went to Mizzou and they are huge fans. His parents have season tickets and Nebraska had a bye week so I figured why no go? My family and Husker friends were worried I'd be attacked and maimed, but I I wore a Mizzou shirt over my Husker bra and undies to cover my true alliance--survival mode. In the word of my aunt--at least the important parts were untainted by the enemy. I had a ton of fun at the game and the entire weekend. However, "there is no place like Nebraska." There never will be.

Week four: I put on big girl panties

Big week for Erin!!! I put an offer on a house that was accepted! I'm a real grownup. So it seems I guess, to me anyway. Thousands of dollars in debt and a permanent home make me feel like a grownup.

Week five: I run a long way and get an urn
I placed third in a 21 mile trail run. My first trail run and the farthest race I've ever ran. My reward? A bitching trophy--oooor maybe it's an urn.


November newsies:

Week one: I can now kick your butt
I got trained in teaching boxing. I officially kind of feel like a badass.

Week two: Another line is crossed

Welp. This was the week I posted on this blog a picture of myself with a dude. That really freaks me out. Here I am claiming a guy. This is almost as big to me as taking a significant other along to, like, Christmas with my mom's family. It's been over a month and it still all freaks me out some. And Christmas with my mom's family is not happening.

Week three: Oh, the tailgate

John went to Lincoln with me to tailgate for the Nebraska vs. Michigan State game. He finally met my dear and wonderful and way-too-excited-about-helping-in-my-personal-life client "Steve." Steve's tailgate is the king of tailgates. John beer bonged .1 second away from the tailgate's world record and Steve had the talk with John that every dad should have with his daughter's boyfriend that I don't know that my dad will ever have with one of mine.


Week four: As always, there is no place like Nebraska

My cousin in-law's dad is in Alexander Payne's new movie Nebraska and so a lot of my family went to the movie's premiere in Omaha. The movie is quite funny and is written about a town very close to where I grew up. They filmed in Norfolk and one of the members of the crew stayed out at my dad's lake so that was pretty cool. Also new, I bought my mom a beer for the first time after the movie. We went to the Blatt in downtown Omaha to watch the last quarter of the Husker game. The skers were playing so bad my mom, who was a preschool teacher mind you, punched me and dropped an F bomb. Good times with family.

Week four: Thanksgiving week

I ran in sub zero temperatures with my greatest running buddy of all time. I had icicles on my eyelashes. I also looked like this cat: