As most of you know from our facebook update Sheri and I spent AN ENTIRE WEEK together in mid-August. I know also that most of you will be surprised to learn that this is the first time in all of our years together that we spent this many consecutive days together. It's amazing that we're both still standing.
We had plans in place for almost every day of the week that we (and by we I mean I) was looking forward to. I've been harping her for years that I wanted to go Deep Sea Fishing and she made the mistake of saying once "Maybe when you stay in August." The instant I received that text I started to look for charter boats and schedules and where we would sail out of. She wanted that idea to fall by the wayside as her idea of fun is not sitting on a boat, on the ocean, at the asscrack of dawn.
To me, there was nothing better.
She tried to back out of it a few times, she complained and stomped her feet like a four year old who isn't getting her way. I told her to suck it up, we NEVER do anything I want to do and this falls in line with our conversation that we had back in July about how she needs to put in a mother-effin effort.
Let me rewind a bit.
She took her mother and her youngest daughter down to her brother's Monday afternoon. I came up Monday night straight from work and settled myself in for a long week's stay. We didn't do much. Why? Because Mother Nature and God teamed up (the jokesters that they are) and gave us both our periods at the same time. I actually have no recollection of what we did Monday night.
Oh! We went to Hooter's for dinner. With her teenage daughter.
Parenting win.
Nothing like beer and boobies with a 17 year old. Hannah kept grumbling and Sheri kept saying "This was your idea! You suggested this!"
And she'd wave her hands and exclaim "As a joke! You weren't actually supposed to take me here!" She's a feminist and all and for women's rights and thought Hooters is one of the most demeaning places a woman could work. I, however, kept thinking with my rack I'd make a killing!
We settled in Monday night and snuggled up next to her in bed. I knew I probably wouldn't have ended up staying there because you all know Sheri is a snorer.
She did not disappoint.
I tried, guys. I gave it an honest effort. I rolled over and saw 3:02 glaring at me and knew that I needed some sleep so I dramatically flung the covers off of me and collected my 12879823498 pillows and fan and stalked down to her youngest daughter's room. I hunkered down and was in drool-town within a matter of minutes.
Tuesday we did some running around. We had to go to my apartment Tuesday morning to give my feline her heart medicine (I left her at the apartment since my mother was supposed to take her for the week but my parents were having construction done in the house and couldn't) and to also pack some more stuff.
Annddd...couldn't tell you what we did the rest of Tuesday. Nope. Not a clue what we did. So fast forward to Tuesday night and again I tried to fall asleep next to Sheri but the snoring was so bad and I was so uncomfortable (her bed is like sleeping on a cement slab) that I didn't even try to fight it. I just got up and crawled back into her daughter's bed.
Wednesday was...FISHING DAY! Being so exhausted from not sleeping well for two days 4:30 am came around awfully fast. I was sleeping on my back, dead to the world, when I felt a hand on my belly softly shake me. I heard a voice whisper "Baby" and when I cracked open my eyes her face was inches from mine. It scared the ever living shit out of me to be woken like that and I started flailing around. Since I was woken in such an alarming matter, I was wide awake immediately. I was running up and down the hallway talking about how much fun we'd have on the boat and catching all the fish.
5:30 on the dot we were on the road. We were the only souls, it was still dark out and the sky was just started to fade from black to crimson red. I kept glancing to the East to marvel at the sunrise (which probably wasn't smart since I was driving).
After stopping for breakfast we pulled into the Marina a little before 7 and boarded the boat.
We (and I mean I) were seriously excited. Sheri's totally faking it. That big faker.
We got under way and I felt completely at peace out on the open ocean.
I was one of the first people to catch a fish
I did not keep him, I threw him back. I cannot say for all of those people behind me though. Fish killers.
I ended up catching 5 fish throughout the day. Sheri caught none. She kept complaining how bored she was and totally killing my buzz but I did not let her ruin my day.
The best part of the trip (for her) was on the way back into port we saw a shark and a whale.
(Don't mind me. Just sayin hi)
It was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. I would have never thought that off the Jersey Coast there would be a whale.
The rest of Wednesday was quiet as we were both wiped out. When we got home we hunkered down and spent the rest of the day in bed. It was probably a combination of being exhausted and being out in the hot sun all morning but Wednesday night I finally got to fall asleep next to Sheri. It wasn't a good night's sleep, but at least I got to sleep next to her.
Thursday was more of the same lazing around. No. We did yardwork. Yes, that's what you do on vacation. Yardwork. But we did have dinner with her niece and her husband Thursday night and had such a good time. AND it was another night I got to sleep next to her!
Friday was our annual BBQ with her friends that went off without a hitch. Well, minus her one friend that decided it was more important to go on a last minute date for a booty call than come to our BBQ which she knew of for months. And then when that booty call fell through decided we were good enough to spend time with and she came late. Or not at all, depending on how you look at it. OOHH! BOOM!
Yes, I just acknowledged my own joke.
Then night I was looking forward to the most was Saturday night. Over a month ago Sheri and I were talking about the run down of the week and when she said the BBQ was going to be Friday night I suggested that we have it Saturday so we can have it earlier. She quickly said "Nooo, no. We have plans Saturday already."
I said "Oh...ok. What are we doing?"
"Nope, can't tell you. It's a surprise." I could hear her smile through the phone.
I tried getting it out of her but I realized that I should just be grateful that she was trying. This was her way of showing an effort.
And did she succeed.
She broke it to me midweek that the surprise was a dinner cruise around Manhatten. Dinner cruises manage to combine all of my favorite things under the sun. Boats, Water, NY City, and food.
If we didn't have our periods....that woman would have been rewarded handsomely. Maybe I should write out a few IOUs.
I could not have been more happy, more excited, more in love with this woman that night. When we walked down the dock I wrapped my arm through hers so I didn't float away from sheer joy. Even more to our excitement we had a table right next to the window of the boat.
Dinner was amazing, the atmosphere was outstanding, the music was thumping. I don't think we had that much fun in a very, VERY, long time. At one point the Electric Slide came on and this girl has no shame so I got right up and started to boogy down. Every time I looked over at Sheri she had one of the biggest smiles on her face and I could honestly say she looked genuinely and honestly happy. And sadly, I don't see her like that that often. Like she was without a care and she was enjoying just being there.
We were able to go on the top deck and watch the skyline drift by as the sun set. It was so extraordinarily romantic that I would close my eyes to truly memorize the feeling of the cool summer air whipping past us and the scent of the night.
I can't even describe how.much.fun we had. After dessert Whitney Houston "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". I tried to pull her on the dance floor but she refused to budge so I said "Fine. I want to dance, and I want to dance with you. So I will dance right here." Much to the chagrin of our table neighbors, I danced and sang to the entire song. Sheri just laughed. This deep, full bodied, totally free laugh.
I wish I could hear that more often.
I am totally sidetracked right now because I just remembered that I said we have some big news to share. Well, September 3rd was the one year anniversary of her sister's death. During our vacation her brother-in-law decided to have a BBQ on the 3rd to honor Doreen and commemorate her memory. And in his invitation he made it a point to invite me. He said "And of course, Jen is invited." We were so taken aback and in awe. When we were at dinner with Sheri's niece, his and Doreen's daughter, we were talking about how grateful we were that he invited me. She was so happy to hear her father extended the olive branch that this weekend I received a text from her. She said I told Dad how happy it made you and Aunt Sher that he invited you to the bbq. Then I said 'You know they're together, right?' and he said 'Yeah, I don't care. I've always liked Jen"
We were texting back and forth how amazing it was that not only did he know, that he was accepting. She texted me You're one of the family, and we're happy to have you. I said to her Em, that's all I ever wanted. I then asked her if he knew, if it meant her mother knew. And she just said She knew.
Monday when we arrived at the house I went up to Warren and he wrapped me in such a sincere hug and said "Thank you SO much for coming." I thanked him for even inviting me and he looked at me with genuine kindness in his eyes and said "Of course, I always liked you." While I was sitting there Monday with Sheri and her girls talking to her family who all knew about me and our relationship, I just felt so at ease. It's such a huge step forward for us and I hope that Sheri can finally see how much easier it is to live our lives in the open. No, her mother still does not know, nor will she ever. Every one of her family has said to absolutely NEVER let her in on this secret because she will make our lives an utter, living hell.
But yeah, I thought it was amazing that all that time Sheri went back on forth whether or not to tell Doreen she actually already knew.
It only makes me excited for what's to come and what this means for our future because if this is foreshadowing, I think it will be amazing.
For more pictures of our vacation and our relationship, you can always check us out at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jen-and-Sheri-on-After-Ellen
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