Real Life Rom/Com Moment That Ultimately Resulted In Nothing

A few months ago, I had a meeting with a talent agency. The meeting was scheduled for 4:00 so I left work early to be there. When I got there they were in the middle of a last minute casting call so we had to reschedule. I was meeting a former roommate of mine in Sandy at 5:45 so I had about an hour to kill.
I decided to stop off at Zupa's on 123rd in Draper, just to kind of sit and wait.
I was sitting there playing on my phone and these two guys walked in. One of them was, well let's just say, jaw dropping! I immediately glance down and notice he's not wearing a ring on that oh so important finger.
Right away the girl/lover of Rom/Com's starts imagining scenarios in which he'd see me sitting there alone playing on my phone, and would come over and talk to me. Or, he and his friend would notice that I was alone and come and say, "Do you mind company?". Or perhaps he'd come and ask for my number. Just so many different possibilities ran through my head as I gazed at him incessantly.
He orders his food and I think, "I'm sure he wouldn't come over, they probably just would assume I'm waiting for someone, plus who just walks up to a stranger anyway? Never-the-less, scenarios played out in my head of him coming over, us striking up conversation and our most certain wedding (were we to actually converse one with another).
He gets his food and he and his friend walk to the other end of the restaurant, which happened to be behind me.
I sat, playing on my phone, thinking, "Maybe when I get up and leave he'll see me and realize I'm there alone and won't want me to leave without at least getting my name." OK seriously, I was thinking all of these things. It was in that moment that I realize I would be an amazing chick-flick writer.
Still I sit. In the corner of my eye I see a little movement and I look up just as HE sits down at my booth. SERIOUSLY! I immediately turn bright red... smile from ear to ear, and say (amid insane laughter going on in my head)with way too much excitement, "HI!" He says, "Is your name Julia?" (the laughter in my head grows as does the deep shade of red on my face) I look at him stunned and say, "Yeah" all the while thinking, "Is this happening? Did THAT guy really just come to my booth? Is this real life?" He says, "My name is (fake name inserted here so as to protect his anonymity since I have so many readers) Jake" A vague recollection comes to mind as I say, "Jake Walters? (last name also fake, but didn't want to use something so over-done like Smith... or Doe)" he smiles and says, "Yeah!"
Then the puzzle comes together. Months prior one of the guys in my group said he wanted to set me up with a co-worker of his, one Jake Walters. He had added me on facebook and I had seen his pictures but he didn't look familiar AT ALL in all the time I stared at him while he was in line I never would have put the puzzle together. I ended up deleting him, just because nothing ever ended up happening.
After he sat down and he told me who he was, he said that when he first walked in he recognized me, but didn't place me until he had sat down and wanted to come introduce himself. I just said, "I'm so glad you did." and we had a brief friendly conversation and he went back to his friend.
I walked out of Zupas astonished that that even just happened, What are the odds? I'm in a place I never am, at a time I never would be there. I just happened to have this meeting that just happened to get over-looked. Clearly this was fate.
Anyway, I never really heard from him again. (This post is titled ... Ultimately resulted in nothing, so you can't be upset that this is how this is ending) I still think of that as one of the craziest things to happen, and a real life Rom/Com moment, in the movie with that scenario it would have just been the beginning of the rest of our lives together, but in real life it was just happenstance.

Christmas Memories

Christmas is entirely different these days than it was when I was a kid. It's sad that I don't go to bed at night with so much excitement that I can't sleep through the night. I'm excited for the days when I have my own little family and my kids are so excited about Christmas they can't sleep. Wondering what Santa is going to bring them.
I was thinking today about what Christmas used to be like.
I remember going to my Grandma and Grandpa Sanders' house on Christmas Eve and getting together with all my cousins. I remember that was the only day I'd be excited to leave Grandma's house because it meant I got to go to bed and wake up and have it be Christmas morning.
I remember, I'm pretty sure every year until my sister got married, sleeping in her room, in her bed on Christmas eve. I remember Nolan talking about how he was going to take a "double shot of nyquil" so he could fall asleep. I remember laying awake in bed wondering when it is no longer "too early". I remember walking into my siblings rooms and saying, "wake up... It's CHRISTMAS". I remember my dad lining all the kids up on the stairs youngest to oldest before he'd let us into the room with all the presents. I remember walking into the living room (or family room depending) and seeing all of "Santa's presents" and the stockings bulging, and only being able to see with whatever light the Christmas tree was giving off.
I remember watching the news Christmas Eve and having my dad talk about how there had been Santa sightings all over the world, and hearing him tell the story of when he saw Santa fly away one year.
I remember Christmas 1997, my dad insisted we open one present first. We opened it and it was a video camera, he wanted it opened first so he could video tape the rest of the morning. I remember him starting the video saying, "It's Christmas morning 1977" and we all laughed at him for some time.
I remember the year Nolan got Girbaud jeans and how excited he was that they weren't "just any jeans".
I remember having the smorgasbord every year. We'd open our presents and have breakfast, then we'd clean the house and around 2 or three both sides of the extended family would come over and we'd spend the day playing games, eating and just being together.
I miss being a kid on Christmas, but it's so fun to hear my siblings talk about how excited their kids get. I'm excited to be at my sister's house Christmas morning when the kids come down to see what Santa brought them. To relive that excitement that I felt as a kid, but watch them live it and make memories of their own. I look forward to the day when it will be my kids that can't sleep.
I'm grateful to have such an amazing family that has made my Christmas memories so wonderful.

Short one

You know how when you're a baby (come on who doesn't remember being a baby) your dad would balance you on his hand, like unto when people balance an umbrella or bat or something to see how long it will stand.
Anyhoo, I remember hearing how my dad used to this with my sister and me. He said whenever he would balance Jennie on his hand she would stand stiff. She'd stand all straight and he could balance her.
Jennie grew up and was a cheerleader in high school and college. I would watch these guys hold her up and she'd stand so solidly on their hands. Obviously something that has been in her since she was a baby.
My dad used to do the same thing with me when I was a baby. I grew up to be a singer.