love at half moon bay

he had been vague when speaking of an evening at beach, with dinner and a walk on the beach. it wasn't going to be a formal place, but we should dress formally.

that would mean a suit for him; something handsome. he would don a black suit with a deep blue shirt, but with no tie. very handsome, indeed.

i would wear a black cocktail dress which extended down not quite to mid-thigh. it featured thin straps extending across my shoulders. the ensemble would not have been complete without black leather boots, extending up over the calf.

the one thing he told me about this date was that there was a town on the coast named half moon bay. it actually sounded romantic, i thought. it would take us about an hour and a half to get there (and another hour and a half to get back).

we met up at about 3:45 outside our dorm hall. he was very dashing and his eyes seemed to explore my outfit. “truly incredible,” he said followed by a wide smile.

the drive to half moon bay winds through some mountains. i had not been aware of so many hills between the san francisco bay and the coast. it was a very beautiful drive, though there were spots where cell phone reception cut out. fortunately, he has sirius satellite installed in his car, so we were able to be entertained by the radio broadcast of the blazers-heat basketball game.

we arrived at half moon bay a little before 5:30 and decided to take a look at the beach before heading to the restaurant. our reservations were at seven o'clock. though it was cold and a little windy, the view shortly before sunset was breathtaking; certainly worth enjoying.

dinner was very nice; it was a seafood and steak house not too far from the beach. the restaurant seemed to fit its town. he had a steak and potatoes and i had white fish with steamed vegetables. it was all very good, and the service was very friendly.

we talked at the restaurant for quite a while; some of the things we haven't discussed before. we'd been dating for just about a month and seemed to have talked about everything. though it was just the second week in march, we're both concerned with what might happen to “us” after spring term and we each head back to our respective oregon and colorado homes for summer break.

he is lining up an internship with a newspaper or television station, while i will work at my family's business. he's dreamed of becoming a journalist for many years, and as a minority owner in the business, i feel i have a vested interest in helping build the company.

we left the restaurant at around 8:30, still unaware of whether we would drive back that evening and or early in the morning.

after grabbing my sweater from his car, we went on to the beach, deciding to take a walk under the dark sky. we must have gone about a mile when he took my hand and we slowly walked to the water. he stood behind me with his arms around my waist. he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear.

“i love you, Kassandra,” he said to me; for the first time.

i had thought he was feeling the same things as i have been, but i was surprised to hear the words. i smiled and looked up at him. “i love you,” i told him, also for the first time.

we ended up staying up most of the night and staying in his car for a couple hours before taking off back to our dorm, as each of us had class at 9 a.m.

this was the most romantic dates i've ever had. emotionally and physically, i feel even closer to him than when we met for that drive to half moon bay.

~ Kassandra

parents' weekend and that guy

well, what a whirlwind month this has been. it seems as if there is so much to tell.

parents' weekend

parents' weekend at school was slated for the weekend of february 25-27, with most events scheduled for saturday the 26th. of course, this coincides with my birthday, which falls on the 27th.

Julie's parents were coming up from oxnard and everyone I know had at least one family member showing up. unfortunately, my mom and dad told me it would not be possible for them to come. i couldn't blame them – if there was any way possible, they would have been there.

in lieu of this, i decided to invite my oldest brother and future sister-in-law, who live in san francisco. at least i could take them around campus and show them about my life here at school. Brian and Carla have been supportive of me and I’ve benefited from being near them as i go through my freshman year in college. we decided they would meet me at my dorm at about 8:30 saturday morning, start with a tour, and then do a video conference with my parents and other siblings back home in portland.

i got up saturday morning and something seemed off. just a little weird. i dismissed it and headed out for my 3.2-mile morning run, which i do four times a week. Julie was up and talking on the phone with her parents when i left.

i made my way around my little course and park to the parking lot where i passed my car. Julie was out near it and urged me to walk with her back inside.

i stopped. froze is more like it. i saw the impossible, and it took my breathe away.

in front of my dorm, milling around and smiling, were my dad, mom, youngest brother Keith and two youngest sisters, Angela and Monika. they had surprised and shocked me. they'd kept this visit a secret, which is not easy to do in my family the size of mine. i would find out later that they had someone on the inside. Julie had not been on the phone with her parents; she had been on the phone with mine!

as our conversations transpired, i was informed that there was never any doubt my parents would show up; just a question as to how many of and which of my siblings would accompany them. they basically pulled a fast one on me!

we went to my room and talked for a while and caught up. it was Keith and Angela's first time to meet Julie so they enjoyed talking to her. Brian and Carla showed up right on time. i had seven visitors for parents' weekend and i was beaming. Brandon, Jessica and Kevin each had conflicts in their schedules and were unable to come. apparently the plan was for my parents, Keith, Angela and Monika was to drive to san francisco after they got of work on friday and stay the night with Brian and Carla, then meet me after my run.

i played tour guide most of the day; showing them where all my classes were, introducing them to people and basically sharing my college life with them. we joined Julie and her parents for dinner which was really nice. i absolutely loved having them there.

my birthday was sunday so we spent most of the day together before they were to leave at around four or five in the afternoon for the drive back to portland. we hung out in the morning then had a nice celebration lunch for my birthday.

i had the best gift for which i could have asked for this birthday, but there was one more surprise. all my family pitched in for a present which shocked and astounded me. it was a 32” lcd flat screen television. that was just about the only thing Julie and i did not have in our dorm room (we've been using a 13-inch emerson hand-me-down!). it's perfect. i love my family immensely. i could not have asked for more that weekend.

that guy

it was just about a month ago when Julie and i decided we would go out to a club to listen to some music. we were talking about it in the lobby of our dorm when a couple guys we had met a couple times previously overheard and asked it they could tag along. why not; the more the merrier. so we all went and had a pretty great time.

the four of us hung out all night then one of the guys and i ended up staying up the rest of the night getting to know each other better. he's really interesting and, unlike some guys, is very good at listening once he asks a question. we began seeing each other right after that.

now, to be honest, i don't have the best track record with relationships. it's just really a matter of not finding someone compatible. the guy and i always seem to be going in different directions. while i'm not necessarily looking for anything long-term, i know that it's just about at that time when that kind of things happens. i don't know what's going to happen in the weeks and months ahead, but i'm enjoying being with him right now. he's very considerate to my schedule and goals, which is extremely important to me.

i've met a couple of guys here and there, and i've mentioned them by name to people and on websites. those potential relationships didn't work out. this time, i decided to give him a nickname. thus, i am referring to him as That Guy.

he even came by and met my parents during their visit during parents' weekend, and i had the chance to meet his father.

but alas … that's another blog!

~ Kassandra