From Russia With Love

It's party time in Colorado Springs... Julie, my friend and co-worker, just got engaged. I've never been to an engagement party before, coming from Russia, where diamond rings aren't given out before weddings.

The party is right after work, which means I don't have an hour or three to get myself groomed and polished. I head to the fiance's house after a long day of staring into a computer screen. I'm wearing a questionable Chinese top (what was I thinking wearing it to work?or wearing it, period?). The house is packed and the majority of people is in the kitchen; the usual. This is where I head because I'm hungry. I hurry to greet a few friends,  force a smile at some acquaintances, and divert my full attention to a platter of nachos. Have I mentioned, I'm hungry? I dodge many a body as I struggle my way through to the mount of cheesy goo. I'm almost there when a tall lanky guy appears right above the platter and is already eying my food. I grab a paper plate, briskly move the platter toward me and help myself to a generous portion. The tall one doesn't seem to notice I'm not friendly.

Despite this he smiles and even asks me how I know the newly-engaged couple. I guess now that I took a bite, I'm becoming a little more human.

His name is Greg, he lives in that house with 4 other guys. We haven't even chatted for 5 minutes when he invites me to go to Denver to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with him and his friend Mark.

I like his straight-forwardness... and I covet his fab Joseph Abbaud  glasses. I have no other plans for Cinco de Mayo, I love Denver, so I hear myself say "yeah, sure, why not". Greg wonders off to inform his friend they have a new party attender. I see them chat and wonder if I'll have fun at all.

He Said...

Hmm...  Though both of them HAD to have been there, SOMEHOW they do not always see eye to eye on how it happened...
Eric's Story

I met Shica when she was dressed as a childhood fantasy, Betty Rubble. Dang,but she tricked me.She was not at all  interested in the party we were attending, so I thought that she looked like my Auntie Shica.

I started calling her that.  (For some reason, she did not like me calling her that)  I kept seeing her at different events, and she kept looking like she was not interested in being there, so I kept making fun of her.  This caused her to hate The Wonderful EB. 



 But, her friend kept waving her flaming, burning desire by constantly mentioning my name over and over again - keeping me at the forefront of her mind.  After constantly seeing her at different events, I was finally worn down, so I decided to ask her out at a party hosted at the Covered Bridge Condos.

She Said...

Shica's Story
I met this LOUD, annoying dude at an event hosted by some mutual friends.  He would just make fun of any and everyone that he possibly could, he was relentless.  He started to call me Old Auntie.  Oh, he grated my nerves and my roommate at the time thought that he was THE funniest thing that the world ever created. When that circle of friends would host an event, she would pontificate on whether he would be there and I would cross my fingers that he would decline the invite.  She always won.


One day, the ladies of my book club decided to venture out to a social gathering together, that was hosted by the same circle of folks who happened to work with the loud dude.  Shock, shock, surprise... he was
there.  When we were all leaving the party, he asked for my phone number, he had this coupon book that he was using for his lead in to ask me out on a date.  That was a fresh breath of air in the world of
that can be the Pretentiousness of A-town and I preferred someone who was being direct in his efforts to take me out, while showing that he fully intended to pay for it (though admitting that he wasn't balling out of control in the process).  I gave him my number, we went out on a few dates.  But, he never really said much of anything.


After reading books like He's Just Not That Into You, I figured that he just liked the company of my roommate. So I proceeded to hold him at arm's length.  If he wasn't going to flat out tell me that he was interested, I didn't know what to tell him..

.
When I did see and speak with him, I came to find that he was an awesome Bible Student, completely devoted to serving God.  Not just in lip service, but I was able to see a sermon lived out in his life on
a regular basis - he taught the youth at his church, mentored the kids from his community, passionately assisted them in making steps to better their lives, made sure to be involved in the lives of his friends.

The loud annoying dude was becoming more real to me now.

This was not a quick sweep you off your feet, this was a long, steady, and gradual test of tried and true.  I am elated that that loud dude has evolved in my heart and mind into someone who I consider to be my very best friend, partner in crime, road dog, and all around the one that I know will be in my corner for life.  So, all of that's to say - don't go with your first impression of anyone, you just might be wrong!
http://www.weddingwire.com/eshixb

Raven Fyresoul meets Queen Adia

We have a story that spans across a decade. Some of you may remember Yahoo Chat before it was overrun by porn bots. I remember my first time on Yahoo Chat like it was yesterday. I had just finished my routine after school viewing of Sailor Moon on Cartoon Network's Toonami and I wanted to go look for backgrounds that I could print out and put on my binder. 

We had just gotten a computer that year. It was a Gateway and it was huge! So I get on and Netscape suggested I visit Yahoo! So I went and was so excited to talk to other Sailor Moon fans in the Arts and Entertainment section. 

It was there that I was introduced to RPG in the user made rooms. After a few weeks of observing, I decided to make a character. Oh, how I remember her well. I was such a Sailor Moon freak and that was also the year Star Wars Episode I came out. So please do not make fun of my character. My screen name? Neo_Queen_Adia_of_Narybu. Yes, I went there. I went to Geocities (remember them?) and created a web page for my kingdom and I start recruiting. 

Soon I had handmaidens, an advisor, a personal guard, and other palace workers and we were all just enjoying the play. I had created my kingdom in the middle of a war. Kingdom Candlebain and the Lionhart family were at war due to the death of the crowned prince in Candlebain. Queen Adia established herself as a pacifist nation and began treating soldiers on both sides. Oh Candlebain did not like that and they hired a very trained mercenary to get rid of her.
Enter Raven_Fyresoul.