Boyfriend Black-Out

DISCLAIMER: Please excuse any unexpected interruptions in this blog as we are currently experiencing rolling boyfriend black-outs at Lainey's Life Lessons.

So, where to begin... First, some happy news.  Lainey, our very single leading lady, has gotten herself a bit of a love life recently.  Yeah, no one was more surprised than I was (except possibly him).  Second, I have committed that most cardinal of sins for ladies in a new relationship,  I went off the radar for friends and family, becoming totally wrapped up in him and my own new found happiness.  It was a boyfriend black-out.

Week One: I was doing so well.  I was seeing him a few times a week, keeping up with my BFFs in person and via phone, having dinner at Mom's house a few nights a week.  I was still prepared and productive at work.  Heck, I was still blogging every other day.  I could multi-task, I had this covered.  I was overly confident in my ability to juggle and keep all the balls in the air.

No. This is not us!

Week Two: I thought I was still doing well.  I was seeing him every other day or so and texting him when I wasn't with him.  Shut up!  Yes, we are that kind of cutesy.  Good morning texts, how's your day going texts, did you see that save texts.  (Fun Fact: He's a devoted hockey fan with season tickets and I now own three team t-shirts.  I can also name 85% of the players on his favorite team by their jersey number alone, 90% if he's quizzing me while adding fun facts about the players.  He cares about it, so I care about it.  Yeah, I'm that kind of girlfriend.)

I was still calling my BFFs regularly, though in person time was dropping fast.  I was missing a few dinners at Mom's house, but no one seemed to mind.  I may have showed up a little tired at work or been less than prepared for a meeting or two.  But, did anyone honestly think was I going to miss out on time with him at the game in order to read an article on modern educational theory?  Nope, me neither.  My blogging was becoming patchy with longer than average down time between posts, but it's not like I was writing Shakespeare here at Lainey's Life Lessons, so I don't think my faithful followers and occassional readers missed my writing that much.  Please correct me if I am wrong because I love hearing people tell me I'm a good writer and that they love my posts.  In short, I was slipping, but not so much that I was upsetting anybody.

Week Three:  I dropped the first ball, but I didn't mean to do it.  I swear!  I was seeing him every day over the weekend and multiple weekdays.  I'm not apologizing for that.  I love being around him, whether we're going places together or just hanging out watching movies on my couch.  He makes me smile, makes me laugh, and always makes me a priority.  In short, he's pretty awesome.  Did I mention he follows my blog?

Work was challenging me, as I was in the middle of standardized testing H-E-double hockey sticks.  Giving ten year olds such power over a teacher is a little nuts in my opinion.  With the ever rising testing goals of No Child Left Behind, all it takes is one or two kids coming to school in a bad mood or not getting a restful night's sleep on test day and their lack of performance can affect how well I am perceived to have done my job.  No wonder I had insomnia!  I hurt my ankle again briefly, so that was no fun.  Also, my mom shared with me that she was worried about Squirt, the world's most adorable nephew, because he was missing me and having tantrums when I didn't show up for dinner.  And in the midst of all this, I forgot to call a friend when I said I would, two friends if I'm honest.  One was more understanding about it than the other.  This was only the beginning.

Later that week, I started double booking because I couldn't concentrate enough to wrap my head around my own schedule.  I told a friend that I would see a movie with her that we were both dying to see because my honey didn't want to deal with the opening weekend crowds.  Apparently, he likes me more than I thought since he took me to see it the day after it premiered.  I completely forgot I'd had tentative plans to see the movie.  He asked me to go to dinner to meet one of his friends and I agreed, forgetting that a dear friend of mine was getting an award that night and I had a ticket to the banquet.  Thankfully, I caught that mistake before I missed the awards banquet.

What will week four bring?  I'll let you know when I find out.  Maybe I'll leave for work without my purse and lock myself out of the house.  Maybe I'll let somebody down in a small way, maybe in a large way.  Maybe I won't have to worry about it because he'll decide he doesn't want to date someone with memory and concentration issues.  I just don't know.  But, I'll tell you this.  I wouldn't trade one second of these last few weeks for anything in the world.