Long-time readers of this website are probably familiar with my many joking references to batting my eyelashes at boys or making out with Frodo Baggins. But long-time friends will know that my real-life experience with romance is as lacking as my real-life experience with eating healthful foods, playing golf, talking to snakes, or compromising. I've always fallen into the "those who can't do, teach" camp when it comes to relationships, and that is where I expected to stay for many, many years to come.

Now, truthfully, that would have suited me just fine. I like cats, I often feel like an 83-year-old, and I've thus been training to be a cat lady since I could first screech "kitty!" and "tuna!" and "knit one, purl two!" But as I alluded to awkwardly blurted out in the previous entry, my days of eccentric coupon-clipping and crossword-solving have been put on hold because I have a boyfriend.

I'm still not sure the concept has fully sunk in, but that's only because the past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. But first things first: introductions.

Sean and I have actually known each other for a while, as his family used to attend my church. Then, he and I went to high school together. His dad even taught my keyboarding / Microsoft Office class. We got to know each other a little better through study hall and going out for coffee a few times, but we fell out of contact a lot after I went off to college. (My fault. I'll admit it.)

Then last spring, Sean contacted me via Facebook, which led to talks on AIM, which led to talks on Skype, which led to us hanging out for the two weeks he was in town in August, which led to us obsessively spending every spare second together on Skype when he was in Scotland for the school year, which led to us being quite giddy about spending the summer together. Finally, on July 8, 2009 (seven eight nine!), Sean officially asked me, "So, do you still want to be my girlfriend?" and I said something extremely eloquent like, "Umm yeah duh."

I can't say that we really made much progress on my summer to-do list, but man did we have some good times. We discovered that our families are freakishly linked (our fathers own the same copies of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, we at one point owned the same mailbox, his sister and I share a birthday, we own the same metronome, all of us have freckles under our right eyes ha! not really just seeing if you were still reading). We watched movies and TV shows and played video games. We went to the park. We went to the lake. We went downtown Chicago. We ate, we drank, and we even ate our drinks (chocolate-covered whiskey beans, anyone?). We talked about Tolkien and chess and religion and chess and Twitter and chess and Natalie Portman and chess. (The boy likes his chess.) We played piano and sang and danced and laughed and cried and hugged and kissed (shh!) and pretty much just had a wonderful summer getting reacquainted in a new and fabulous way.

In conclusion, I have a boyfriend now, and he is sweet and thoughtful and considerate and adorably anxious at times and pleasantly handsome all the time and a good, Christian man. Neither of us is perfect, but I feel like we have a mutually beneficial thing going on here that will take both of us to better places. And I'm really excited about that. :)

I speak for all of America and most of the internet when I say that making up band names is wicked fun. There is something intoxicating about the idea of an inside joke or a funny quip being publicized and idolized and immortalized as the name of a successful group of musicians, even though I don't think that dream has ever in the history of history actually become a reality.

That said, I would like to share with you the very short list of suggestions that my brother and I are putting forth, free of charge, for you and your rockin' friends to enjoy, use, mock, or otherwise employ. The first was a brainchild of our family reunion, and the rest were shamelessly stolen from a Jerry Seinfeld DVD. (Hey, you with the smirk. Put away the haterade.) Here goes:

• Funky Melon
• The Involuntary Luge
• Livin' Suede
• Mighty Careful Steppin' (and the Mountain Strings)

Your turn! Hit me up with some band names, people. Also, if you play a musical instrument, let me know. Why bother waiting around for someone else to use our great names when we could just start our own band? I play piano and air guitar.

P.S. I guess Rock Band and Guitar Hero give us the opportunity to use these names now, so I take back the part about sharing them freely. Give me $10.

P.P.S. I have a boyfriend now! More on that story coming up next.

I haven't done a single thing on my summer to-do list yet, despite being invited to fly a kite and despite driving through the (full! no room at the inn! pack your bags and move to Cali, sucker!) parking lot of the library. No French phrases have been learned, and no letters have been written to my amazing, lovely grandmother. As far as someone is concerned, my summer has been a heaping pile of failure.

But oh man, that someone would be so, so wrong. I have witnessed some of the most beautiful sunsets just by looking out my bedroom window. I have sat on the front porch and read Pride and Prejudice with the hummingbirds.

I have come inside to find freshly made brownies being brought to my room. I have welcomed back one of my favorite friends after his year-long stay in Scotland. I find myself the lucky recipient of some of the best gifts of all time.

Tomorrow night, I will carry on the tradition of Friday Night Date Night with my mom, complete with Panera, Gilmore Girls, and way too much ice cream. On Sunday, I will sit on the grass and listen to Pink Martini. On Thursday, I will meet some of my favorite twenty-something bloggers for a fantastic weekend in Chicago. On Monday, I will collapse into my brand new bed and take a nap with my favorite cat.

I don't know about you, but I hope this summer never ends.