Day #62 - Part Two

Okay... so I guess I have to continue this... People are actually reading! Where were we? Awe yes... the holidays...

Let me start by saying, there is a lot of garbage I'm not including... Things about my relationship with Kevin, that although might add to the story, make me kinda wanna gag... And this is supposed to be about Me and Michael. So I'm sticking with that!

So, it's Christmas. Kevin and I are totally falling apart - as in he's not even around. He did stop by (with his daughter) to exchange presents with me, but didn't stay for long... He was off to celebrate the day with his family, which apparently did NOT include me.

I was feeling real sorry for myself... alone on Christmas (although it wasn't the first time)... So I put in a call to one of my besties! Michael! He was with his family in St Ignace. His grandmother lived there and they had visited on Christmas for pretty much as long as he could remember. I sat and chatted with him for quite some time, listening to the chatter in the background, imagining being there surrounded by people that were joyful, kind, full of fun... and it made me feel so much better... I suddenly wasn't lonely... I almost felt like I was there.

And then he said, "Wow Stephanie, if I had known you were going to be alone... I would've invited you to come up here with me..." I blew him off, told him that I wouldn't have gone to his family Christmas celebration, reminded him that Kevin would've lost his mind, said I was fine. In my heart, I knew exactly where I wanted to be... with Michael... Even if we were just really great friends, and nothing more ever... I knew at that moment just how special he really was. I had, at the very least, found someone that I could depend on, someone that truly cared about me.

The next few days came and went... I was working. Kevin and I were totally over. I will tell you - working with him was not fun! And New Years Eve was on the horizon.

Michael was going to Detroit for New Years. After high school, he attended Wayne State University for a couple of years... and he was going back down to see his friends and find some fun to start the year. And, he invited me!!! I was ecstatic! So excited to spend some time with him, in his element, and meet all these people he had talked to me about, to see the places he had described.

So like a little school girl... I ran to the mall with a friend... and tried to find something cute to wear. I went into so many stores, just looking for a sweater, or a shirt, something that would be appropriate.. and I started to realize this was a WAY bigger deal to me than what I initially thought. This silly shirt had to be "just right!" because this night had to be "JUST RIGHT!" Eventually, I settled on a little black sweater...

I include all that about the shopping, only because, when I showed him what I had bought -- He said to me, "Um yea, we don't really dress up or wear things like that down there... We'll probably end up at a hole in the wall bar or something..." Only Michael!!! I did take the sweater, but didn't even end up wearing it!

And now it's time for our scheduled commercial break! Stay tuned for Part Three...

Day # 61 - Part One

I've been given an assignment by my bff... Write my story. Well... write "our" story... The story of Michael and Stephanie falling in love. The beginning thru to the wedding.

I'm gonna attempt it, only because it's required writing. If you knew my bestie, you'd totally understand... sometimes there's just no saying no to her! ;-) Plus, it helps that she said something about it being good for "us" and that it could help me feel closer to him and blah blah blah. DISCLAIMER -- Nothing is wrong with "us"! We're doing great. He's working a whole lot right now because of harvest... We're just not spending a ton of time together. I promise! Stop it! We're good.

The beginning...
Wow, um, where do I start?
I've gotta start a little before the beginning to lay the ground work/back ground I think...
K, rip it off like a band aid, right??

In June of 2004, I moved out of my then-husband's house and into an apartment. I had been married just shy of two years... and had decided that it just wasn't working out. (there's a whole lot more to that story - maybe another time) At the time, I was working at Biewer Lumber, as was Michael.

Not long after I had gotten settled into my own place, I started dating a guy I worked with, Kevin. UGH! I can't believe I even was interested in this guy! He too was going through a divorce, although he had been married quite a bit longer than I had. He was on the receiving end of his divorce though and it had come as a complete surprise to him. Needless to say, we were obviously both very broken, which most definitely caused us to lean on one another.

Michael and I were decent friends at work... but hadn't ever hung out outside of work or anything. Him and Kevin didn't have a great relationship at all though... That's not true... That's giving them too much credit actually... They HATED each other! HATED!!! They were both supervisors and very rarely saw eye-to-eye at work. They would both tell you that the other one was arrogant. hahaha! Remembering conversations I had with them, separately, totally makes me laugh now!!

At one point, I had kinda made it my mission to make them get along! I mean, Kevin was my boyfriend... and I had spent enough time getting to know Michael that I just KNEW he was fun! They had to be friends because I wanted to hang out with Michael! I would tell Kevin that they could be friends if he'd just try, that Michael was a great guy, that they actually had so much in common -- on and on. Kevin actually replied once "Yea, we have a lot in common! He wants my job and my girlfriend!!! He practically wants to be me!" (Michael and I laugh about that to this day!)

To say my relationship with Kevin was dysfunctional is putting it really lightly. We were a mess! And quite often, when things would go terribly awry, Michael would be the first person I would call. He'd be there to chat with me... or pick me up after a really rough night... Never with any blatant ulterior motives... Just being a friend, and a GREAT one at that!

And then the holiday season arrived -- (stay tuned for the next installment/part two)