Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Getting out of the Friend Zone

High school was over, forever, and we had a long summer ahead of us. It was time to do whatever we wanted, and to take advantage of what might never be the same.

I was looking forward to packing up and moving. I was anxious to start college. But, before leaving I was going to spend every last minute with my friends. And I did.

In my town, there was nothing for us to do, no excitement to be found. We didn’t even have a movie theater and the hottest spot in town was the park. If we wanted excitement, we had to make it.

Since I had my car that summer, we spent most of our time driving around, and that is actually what we called it, “driving around”. Driving around, we had control, we had freedom. We could go anywhere. And anywhere we went.

Nik and I spent a lot of time together that summer. That was the summer for us. That’s when we began to move from friends to more than that. It was a very slow process, but as the summer went on, more and more we hoped it wouldn’t end.



But it did end, and although it was difficult to leave him, I did it anyway and I headed off to college 1000 miles away. It was a new beginning for me in college, and yet also a new beginning for me with Nik.

We began a sort of unspoken relationship while I was in college. We talked online everyday, even several times a day. We got closer than we ever had been while we were living in the same city. We were able to tell each other anything and everything.

What happened over time was that we were finally able to transition out of just being friends. We had both felt how difficult that was while I was home, but somehow being 1000 miles apart just made it so much easier.

There is a popular song out now, “Hey there Delilah” by the Plain White T’s that reminds me of that part in my life. It makes me remember and appreciate what we were going through at that time in our lives. It’s a great song and it really speaks to me.

Looking back, I know those years away at college were important for us. It was a time for us to grow up on our own, and grow together without the two interfering. I don’t know if we would have ended up together if I hadn’t gone away together. We might have never gotten out of the friend zone.

“Hey there Delilah” reminded me how important that time in my life was. Sure, it was painful. I hated being away from Nik. I’m sure if I heard that song at the time, I would be crying over the lyrics. But, now I can look back and remember those times with fond memories.

Do you have any songs that speak to you? Are there any songs out there that remind you of your relationship? I’d like to hear from you, so come on, don’t be shy!



PLAIN WHITE T'S LYRICS

"Hey There Delilah"

Hey there Delilah
What's it like in New York City?
I'm a thousand miles away
But girl tonight you look so pretty
Yes you do
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true

Hey there Delilah
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right there if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice it's my disguise
I'm by your side

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me
Hey there Delilah
I know times are getting hard
But just believe me girl
Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar
We'll have it good
We'll have the life we knew we would
My word is good

Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me

A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
and we'll just laugh along because we know
That none of them have felt this way
Delilah I can promise you
That by the time we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame

Hey there Delilah
You be good and don't you miss me
Two more years and you'll be done with school
And I'll be making history like I do
You'll know it's all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there Delilah here's to you
This ones for you

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

High School


Am I the only one that didn’t like high school? I mean, it’s not like I was miserable or anything. It wasn’t bad, but I am glad that that part of my life is behind me.

I went to a high school with about 2,000 students. There was actually traffic in the halls, trying to get from class to class. I guess for an outgoing person, it was probably a great experience. There is always someone new around the corner, always the possibility of a new activity, a new class, a new friend to be made.

For me, it was living with the discomfort of the unknown. I graduated with 300 people and at a guess I’ll say that 200 of them were complete strangers. When I got my diploma I wasn’t feeling that I was leaving anything or anyone behind. I only wanted to move on and get out of that school. Maybe that was just because I’ve always felt a push from the inside to move forward. I didn’t cry at graduation like the other kids, and I didn’t regret anything either. I was ready and eager to kiss goodbye those classmates and move out of the state and into college.

I must admit though, my senior year was pretty great. I was involved in all of the activities that I enjoyed most. Since I had already gotten into college, the pressure was off, and I was able to let loose a bit more. We didn’t have a lot of required classes for senior year, so I took what interested me most. I had a poetry class that I loved and every morning I had volleyball for my gym requirement.

Nik and a handful of my other friends were in that class. We actually took it before school started. Zero period, they called it. I still don’t know why we were crazy enough to get up so early and start school before everyone else, but we did. It was more like social hour than actual gym class though.

We would talk about the weekend, either how great it was or how great it will be. We would make plans for after school or talk about the latest gossip, and all of this while hitting the volleyball back and forth.

I can’t say I am a good volleyball player, but I know those classes were valuable to me. They gave me a good start to every day. Shouldn’t we all have a little time with our friends before we have to face the world? Those were the days when it was easy, in fact it was expected, to see your friends every day. Those were the days when you didn’t want to miss school unless it was to hang out with your friends outside of school. That was the good part of high school. That is what I miss.

What do you miss about high school? What do you remember most?

Monday, September 17, 2007

Ok, let's start from the beginning

I met my husband, Nik, while we were in high school. We went to the same school, but I was in a grade above him. My best friend, Danah, was in his grade, so ultimately that is how I met him. There was a big group of us back then and we were all good friends. We would hangout in between classes, in some cases during classes, and after school.

I was the first of my friends to get a car. I was very anxious to drive to and from school (even though I only lived a few blocks away), and I was more than happy to give all of my friends a ride. I got into a routine where I'd leave the house about an hour before I had to be at school, just so I could make my rounds and pick up 4 or 5 of my friends. Of course my best friend was on my list and so was Nik.



I wasn't at all embarrassed that the car I was driving was ten years old and ugly as anything.

It was always fun to be able to socialize a little before the day really started. And considering my friends lived very far from school, I'm sure they enjoyed the ride as well.

I must say though, parking was the most annoying part of every morning. Nik just had to give me a hard time about my parallel parking. He couldn't possibly be nice and keep his mouth shut, nope! Even when I'd make the slightest pause, the smallest mistake, or good forbid I had to start over, Nik would tease me to no end! I soon learned that his teasing would never stop, but somehow I'd get use to it.

It was one of those days during that year, that I started to notice Nik as more than just a friend. He hopped into my car one day, smelling amazing from the cologne he had just put on, and I looked into the rear view mirror, seeing him like I'd never seen him before. He was different somehow and I knew that from then on our releationship would be different, even if he didn't know it.

And he wouldn't know it, not for another year or so. I said nothing to him, nor to anyone else. That's not how I did things. I continued our friendship and patiently waited for the day when he would like me.

Years later I would find out that he liked me all along.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Let me introduce myself . . .

Hello.

My name is Megan and I recently got married. Two years of planning was gone in the snap of a finger! I have hundreds of pictures to document the entire process from the engagement party, to possible dresses and decor, to the bridal shower and the actual wedding day.

On my website, http://www.creative-photo-projects.com/ I talk about ways to put pictures to good use. A hobby of mine has always been photo projects and I finally decided to enter into the world of pictures on the web. What better way to get started than a picture blog?

So here goes, from my dogs, to my family, to anything else I have taken a picture of - here is my photo blog. Enjoy!


Here are a few pictures from one of the best days of my life: