Introducing...boyfriend...

So. The super Ms. Independent Heathermbaker now has a boyfriend...and apparently when it comes to the idea of boyfriend, I feel this incessent need to refer to myself in third person... (Don't deconstruct that too much. It's probably simply because the whole idea of it is so foreign to me...since the last time I used that term on a consistent basis I had the suffix 'teen' in my age.) So--I'd like to introduce you to the newest person in my life, who's apt to be make appearances on the blog from time-to-time...Clay...

Clay and I met back in October at the Austin YS Convention. You might remember this brief story...if not...you can read it here. We met as a result of a bulletin board ad Clay had posted in the Convention foyer looking for fellow concert goers to see an Alt-Country act at a local venue. I saw the ad late on a Friday night and called him because I wanted something fun to do and wanted to see live music in Austin. Fifteen minutes later we met on the Congress Bridge over the Colorado River in downtown Austin and spent 2 1/2 hours enjoying good music and great conversation. We clicked right away that first night...and Clay asked me to hang out again a few nights later.

Those two nights were so fantastic that we decided to keep in touch when he returned to his home in Tucson, AZ and I returned to my home here...we stayed connected through email and phone...and over the next two months the frequency of those emails and phone calls increased. In November, Clay asked me if he could come visit in January...so...he booked a ticket, and this weekend, he came.

We were definitely both excited and nervous about seeing each other again...I mean, seriously, what if those two evenings in Austin were a fluke? We didn't really think they were...but it was hard to be sure when we were having hard times remember what the other person looked like. So...on Wednesday I picked Clay up from the airport. At first it was a bit shocking to see him and think, "I remember you. I met you in Texas three months ago," trying to mesh the person in front of me with the person I knew so well over the phone lines.

It only took a few short hours to get used to the idea of being in the same room as each other...and by Thursday, it felt like sharing life together was completely normal. We tooled around my favorite Washington spots (Deception Pass and Pike Place Market). We spent time with lots of my friends (Heidi, Sarah, Miranda, Jenny, Zach, Cordell, Erin, Shaffer Wafer, Jade, Caedmon Rider, Lizzy, my Coworkers). We went grocery shopping (which is as close to visiting my home as we can get right now). We went out on a schmancy date. And it all felt so natural and good. By the time he left on Saturday, it was hard to say goodbye because it so felt like he belonged here.

But he did leave, which was really, really hard. Right now our lives are centered in two places that happen to be 1,700 miles apart. Although I'm not happy about that, but I'm at peace about it...it's the way things are right now. And even in being 1,700 miles apart, sharing life is so good. So...we're relying on God's grace and mercy...and continuing to pursue a relationship...refining the pieces of ourselves we can work on while we're apart...and waiting...it all feels very much like a beginning.

That's my story...and that's Clay--a good man...a youth minister in Tucson who grew up in Texas, spent his college years studying about ministry and theater, and loves pretty much everything I love (except for American Idol). He's sweet, funny, encouraging, and is beginning to challenge and refine me in unexpected ways. I'm very excited to introduce him to you.