What Makes a Man Risk all for Love?

Ok, so we all know I am such a sucker for a great love story, and while browsing MSN yesterday I stumbled across this one. I absolutely love everything about this story. Just the complete leap of faith this man is taking!

What Makes a Man Risk All for Love?

Glamour's dating columnist "Jake" says goodbye to this column — so he can follow his heart. Why? Let him explain.

After two years I'm hanging up my hat as Jake, and next month someone new will become your pull-no-punches reporter on the male mind. Why? Because, for me, Jake should be a typical single man looking for love. And I'm not really that guy anymore. I've found the love of my life, and hopefully by the time you read this, I will be halfway across the globe with her.

For those of you who haven't been following our saga, I met the woman I call Claudia last year, and we shared a connection I'd never experienced before. It went beyond attraction; we simply "got" each other. Yes, I'd been in love before, but I'd never had this. Then, four months in, she got an un-turn-downable job offer to do a project that would send her around the world. My world hasn't been the same since.

We very rationally broke up, deciding that our still-new relationship would likely not survive a year and a half apart. (OK, full disclosure: I would have tried to make it work if she'd even hinted that she wanted to; she didn't.) Instead, we dusted off some vague clichés and agreed we'd "live our lives" and "see what happened." I haven't forgotten something she told me at our last dinner together. Looking sadly at me, she said, "I thought I had a good feel for the different types of guys out there. I didn't know you were on the menu." We decided not to make that night a sleepover so the morning would be easier. I didn't know how much I'd regret giving up my last chance to hold her in my arms.

After she left I figured that eventually, although it would probably take a long time, I'd move on. Instead, my love grew, leaving no room to really consider another woman. Which is why over the past few months, my columns have been devoid of stories about meeting prospects and dating. All spring and summer, it was just me and my never-ending Claudia thoughts.

That all changed last week. I woke up to a sunny morning and one thought: I truly love this woman. More than that, I realized that whether in school, sports or my career, anything I'd ever wanted I'd had to pursue. Yet I'd never gone after a woman. No matter how amazing a girlfriend was, as soon as there were petty differences or bad timing, I accepted that "it wasn't meant to be" (another dusty cliché). When Claudia left, I went cold turkey — no texts, no Skype, no Facebook. Well, not anymore. I sent her a tentative e-mail that day and got back an enthusiastic reply. That was followed by a phone call that felt as comfortable as if we'd spoken the day before. Why, I wondered, had it taken me so long to reach out? The next step seems obvious — I need face-to-face time with her.

The mind-set shift has left me a little rocked — until this I didn't even believe The One could exist outside a Matrix movie — but I have to find out how Claudia feels. Will she be happy to see me? I hope. Surprised? I'm sure, since I've only hinted that I want to visit. Will she even be alone? Yikes.

Regardless of what happens, I have to just go for it. Writing this column and reading letters you've sent helped me realize that. There was the e-mail from Amoura in Georgia, telling me she'd never have found happiness with her man if she hadn't stopped being "so planned." Melanie in Wisconsin wrote, "When you find your true love … things change." But no one got to me more than Sabrina in Philly, who said, "Losing someone you love feels like half of you is missing."

I listened to all of you, and to my own feelings, which is why I'm boarding a plane with enough socks, underwear and T-shirts for a month, plus a bundle of nerves big enough for forever. Wish me luck.

Emotional TV

I did about 3 solid hours of crying while watching tv this evening. It was pretty amazing. First I started off with a two hour Grey's Anatomy rerun of "Some Kind of Miracle" which is the episode that gets me more than any other tv show I've ever seen. I followed this up with the Jim and Pam wedding on The Office, which was just too sweet and awkward for words. I love television, or music, or books that make you feel something more. Not sure how to explain it. It is now time for me to go to bed. The rain and wind outside are a perfect sleep combination. I will leave you with the clip from Grey's that gets me every single time. Enjoy

Tires and Puke

So here is my Wednesday:

*Woke up at 7:25 and had to be at school by 8!
*Turning into the neighborhood I had to swerve to miss a horrible driver and hit a HUGE pothole.
*Flat back right tire!
*New Tire costs $250 to replace.
*My kids took stuff from my desk and had to give a super long speech about taking things that do not belong to you.
*on the way back from specials, a little girl threw up all in the hall and got it all over the bottom of my pants.
*Cried from stress related issues.

Here's hoping that Thursday is better than Wednesday

Love Story

I am a huge Office fan, as most of my friends know. This Thursday is the wedding of Jim and Pam. It seems so silly to get so incredibly attached to two fictional characters, but if you watch the show you understand how amazing their love story is. Here is the promo... I honestly teared up watching it.

A Beautiful Saturday

Yesterday ended up being lovely. The fair was a blast with 5 wonderful friends :) We ate a lot, people watched, looked at the expo and almost watched a police/gang fight. I will say one thing though. Well done to the Tulsa Police Department this year. I honestly feel like this was the safest the fair has been in a long time. Anyway, here are some pictures from our fair day.

Corn Dogs, Funnel Cakes, Ice Cream, Oh My!

Today is the day I have waited for for the last 2 months! We are going to the fair. We are going to do a lot of people watching and bad for you fair food eating. Jenny, Allen, Ethan and I went last year and it was so much fun! I can't wait for today with them, and Phil and Devon! A wonderful day with the most amazing friends. A girl couldn't ask for more. Here are some pictures as a teaser!