Here comes the sun; mother nature has finally taken a turn toward the bright and shining ball of fire in the sky. I now feel like I can soak up some Vitamin D and look any shade other than translucent. We’ll see how that goes before I venture on a much-needed vacation in a few weeks. However, this past week has been mighty interesting. I came to the realization that adulthood and being in a comfortable relationship has made me more confident in the sense that I care even less about what people think of me.

For the longest time, I was insecure about everything: the way I looked, the way I sounded, the way I performed at any task … I was self-conscious about singing in church because I was afraid someone would judge me for my voice, which is a sad thought considering the way I teach my students to be proud of and use the voices God gave them.

When I had a nose ring and galaxy hair, I couldn’t even count on one hand the numerous stares from the judgment police – people who had no right to judge me based on my appearance (which was pretty cool, in my opinion) without knowing my story.

As a young adult with a nonstop schedule in undergrad, I turned to online dating to meet people. Now, I’ve touched on this topic before; however, I feel as if it is quite necessary for me to delve deeper into my experiences because it seems certain individuals have an opinion about me that needs some clarification. Otherwise, I might turn to socking a certain someone square in the face, which will feel good in the moment, but this will feel better.

All you avid readers already know that I spent a few years trolling the disappointing options Tinder had to offer. You see, the worst of the worst seemed to showcase their A plus personalities with gold star worthy pick-up lines and worthwhile offers I’m not sure any classy woman would pass up. I had such a fantastic time attempting small talk with men more interested in pizza, beer, and physical activities not suitable for this PG outlet.

However, the most recent judgement stems from someone who I won’t even throw shots at because it isn’t worth it. Also, even I can’t do my own shade throwing abilities justice with this situation. Here’s the thing: when I was actively using Tinder, I typically limited my swiping to the time periods when I was stuck at school because there seemed to be more of an array of character types. At times, I would open the app when in my hometown because curiosity generally piqued my interest.

And this is where a certain someone seems to think he parallels Mr. Know-it-All. Let me just say this: if you happened to know me in high school and we matched on Tinder in our collegiate years, odds are, I wanted to see if you thought I was attractive because in high school you wouldn’t even give me the time of day. I wanted to be seen, and that’s it. It never would have gone anywhere because if you can’t hold a level of consistency in your life and your stories change every 0.3 seconds, then how could I expect consistency in the dating realm? How could I expect nice dinners and fun conversation if mundane tasks go right over your head and conversation skills border on irritating with the monotonous tone of your mumbling?

No, kind sir, you are nowhere near the level of Mr. Know-It-All, because he is levels above and beyond anyone I’ve ever met. He’s smart, witty, caring, courteous, and so much more that is much more my business then anyone else’s. And, by the way, while this tidbit may be a little contradictory and my claws may have surfaced, it’s not my place to judge anyone; therefore, I expect the same in return. If you don’t know me on a personal level, you can’t make bold statements about my character. While my fast and furious fingers did throw some shade, I won’t hold it against this person. Just know, that I’m always ready to spar, and I’ll win; so, keep that in mind next time you make a comment under your breath that may or may not have been pointed in my direction.

Well, now that I worked through some of the pent-up anger from just last night, let me further inflate the ego of Mr. Know-It-All by relaying the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. You see, I was not feeling quite like myself the other day; it was one of those feelings that leaves you discombobulated and queasy without a pinpointed origin. The worst part about that day was a late-night shift at work. I was not feeling up to the occasion, but I meandered my way through the automated doors and began what would be the best four-hour shift.

About an hour into the night, a startling voice hit my eardrums from the open space behind me, and I saw Mr. Know-It-All clad in his dress-down work attire looking mighty fine with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands. I. Was. Speechless. It was such a thoughtful thing to do for me, and I knew it was a little out of his way. It truly made my night, so much so that my coworkers crowded around me after he left to get the low-down on my dating life. I had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the night, and into the next day thinking about the fact that he remembered that sunflowers are my favorite flower.

A coworker made sure to keep the surprise under wraps even though she thought she recognized the mystery man from my most recent photos. She made sure to relay just how ridiculous he looked trying to track me down and surprise me during my shift … walking back and forth with a purpose just trying to catch my petite frame moving through the racks. One of my bosses even made sure to tell me that we looked cute together, and I cannot agree more.

But, if you thought that these tidbits were the most interesting part of my week, you’d be wrong. While the flowers made my day, yesterday made my week because it was the first time I felt truly comfortable just being my goofy self with another person. It was a normal day out on the town just doing some shopping. I needed to buy shoes for a wedding, and I came out of the excursion with way more than I needed.

The funniest and probable most fashion-statement worthy item on the roster of receipts belongs to a company I’d never thought I’d see resurface in my closet. A few weeks ago, Mr. Know-It-All told me that the shoes he was wearing were Crocs, and while at first I couldn’t believe he was wearing them, I had to admit that they looked quite comfortable and fashionable for the particular style he purchased. And then I proceeded to say something along the lines of, “I’d never wear them again …”

Well, ladies and gents, I’ve turned back time and purchased what I have now coined my “walking crocs.” They look like pink, platform ice cream sandwiches, and they are the cutest thing’s I’ve ever seen. I blame the YouTube blackhole I fell into that first introduced me to Balenciaga’s platform Crocs from October of 2017. As soon as I saw a milder pair with a stripped back price range, I new I needed them in my collection of fashionable orthopedic shoes – because as you know, I’m actually a 75-year-old woman.

I went from, “you’ll never catch me in them again” to “I’m wearing them everywhere” in the span of time from checkout line to car ride home. Mr. Know-It-All carried my bags and patiently waited as I debated the purchases I made, which is all I can ask for in a shopping duo. He even let me play Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown” to prove a point. And, while he isn’t convinced that I still know every lyric after not hearing it in close to 10 years, I appreciate his ability to look at my weirdness and find it attractive. I cannot wait for more mindless shopping and endless car rides on the adventures we take in this thing we call life.

And, while all of these experiences made the week worthwhile, hearing that my sister called home yesterday made it even better. That’s right, she was finally able to call home, and you better believe that our Yorkie sat right next to the speaker phone the entire time to hear her voice. To anyone who has asked about her, she’s kicking butt. My older brother (also in the military and made it through bootcamp) asked how she’s doing at bootcamp, and my sister’s reply was “It’s easy.”

I knew from the moment she set out on the quest to serve our country that she would be amazing at it. She’s intelligent and funny and driven to the point that her Colonel asked her to be another type of leader, and even though she was not allowed to be in two leadership positions, being recognized like that at 3-weeks in is something to be proud of. I cannot wait for the next phone call and to see how she continues to beat every odd that society places against people they don’t think can succeed. She’s fulfilling everything I knew she could and more, and it makes me happy to know that she’s doing well.

And that, my avid readers, is all I can muster in this long list of adventures. I didn’t even get to a few stories, but don’t worry, they’ll surface in the next week. As always, coffee has kept me going, and now hopefully, the sun can reenergize my spirit and prepare for the next few weeks of exciting adventures. Until next time …