We’ve got people in town this weekend.  Our first “Northern” visitors to come down here to Texas.  It’s a break from the cold for them as they’re from Ohio.  Let’s just say their names are Susie and James.  My wife recently recounted a story about one of her first interactions with James:

So I’ll leave you with a hearty “Have a Great Weekend!” John and I have some friends coming into town from Ohio—John used to work with Susie at KETV and her husband, James, is an attorney.  They recently moved to Ohio for his new job. One time, I was walking in downtown Omaha from my parking spot on the street to my office where I was clerking when I happened to see James walking with a bunch of his work friends. You see, James worked at one of the best law firms in Omaha and he was all proper in his business suit and whatnot. Well, I decided that it’d be a good idea to hug him…keep in mind I’d only met him one time prior to this. I don’t know what got into me but we saw each other on the street and I said hello; he put his hand out to shake mine and I just went for it—the hug. There we were, hugging on the street—he with his hand still extended (now pushing into my stomach) and me hugging him. It looked ridiculous. He had a kind of “umm” going on and I was smiling like crazy—hugging away. His lawyer friends had to be thinking “What the…?” I informed him that I was late for work and had to go (so even after this awkward exchange, we didn’t really talk…making it even more clear to his coworkers that James and I weren’t some old friends that made the hug totally appropriate. Nope. It just proved that it was a super duper strange exchange). I walked away and it was one of those moments of, “What the hell did I do that for?” To this day, I am embarrassed just thinking about it. First of all, I had met him once. Why the hug? Secondly, he was with all his work buddies—probably not an appropriate hugging situation anyway. Finally, when I saw his hand extended, why did I insist on wrapping my arms around him?

Anyway, James decided I wasn’t too lame and they are coming to see us this weekend. We’re pretty stoked to show them our city. Hopefully they don’t mind me waddling around like “a mix between an ape and a penguin” (as my cousin put it).

Speaking of awkward hugs…if any of you have yet to get your lovey something for Valentine’s Day, let me be of service. Here’s a GREAT, UNIQUE idea: