january 28,2008: that's right... it all started in vegas.
so... you might be wondering... with devin a life-long east coaster, and ashlee firmly planted amidst the palm trees of los angeles.... how in the world did you two meet?? well - grab some coffee (or coy-fee, as dev might say) and find out! ;o)
i had jetted off to vegas to meet up with a very dear friend from dallas, and i was definitely ready to get out of LA for a couple of days . . .
devin had traveled to vegas for work - - or what i like to call, a "geek convention." little did he know what a geek he would find!! so, as the fates would have it, on january 28, 2008. . . we both found ourselves at the bar - - or actually, iBar. it even sounds geeky, right?
devin sees me - across the bar - all alone - in my "i like boys" t shirt, and gallantly decides to send over a little drinkie-poo. well, now i wouldn't want to be rude (and my gosh, that grey goose was already poured...), so i accept it, give the obligatory 'head nod' and promptly return to my seat next to my friend . . . my male friend. of course, one cannot tell from across the bar that this is, in fact, one of my dearest (and platonic) male friends . . . and i imagine that devin had visions of getting a drink or a fist in his face at that point . . .
so, being a proper southern girl (thanks mom!), i decided after a few minutes that it was only right that i go over and thank this young man in person. and how else was i going to see how hot, er handsome, he actually was - those bars are dark in vegas, kids! i bounce over and introduce myself - and the giggling and hair flipping began! now, devin will tell you that much of this was done while i was sitting on his lap - but i believe he is embellishing just a bit . . . and those surveillance cameras have been wiped clean by this point... so my word against his - yay!
we each had dinner plans, so we decided to meet for drinks later that evening. we reconnected, and went for cocktails at some place that was very high up and offered amazing views of vegas. i am pretty sure there was some additional giggling and hair flipping (mostly by devin - i was playing it cool), and after very likely one too many cocktails we called it an evening.
with vague, unconfirmed plans to meet again the next evening - i went about the day with no particular goals. my friend was working on a project, so i was left to relax and wander . . . gambling has no appeal to me and i actually find casinos marginally depressing. i had a lovely day to myself, and managed to check the ol' phone for messages every once in a while... you know, just in case. after i while i decided, you know, we had fun - it is what it is... i mean - this IS vegas and the guy lives in NEW YORK. even if we DID like each other - how would THAT ever work out?
late afternoon, i walk into the lobby of the hotel . . . and that guy (you know, devin) quite literally almost walks right into me. RUH ROH. here goes the butterflies and giggling all over again (mine). we confirmed our plans for the evening and i went to my room to hussy up.
devin and i met at some non-descript hotel bar ( i literally couldn't tell you a thing about it besides, "there were barstools and grey goose" ). the next thing we know - five hours have gone by. we were both leaving vegas the next day for our respective coasts, so we said our goodnights with a sort of "i'm not sure what just happened or what this is" tone.
within a couple of days of getting back into our routines, the phone calls started. every day. for hours. i'm not even sure what we talked about - - but clearly we covered just about everything. thank god for free long distance calls - had this been the early 90's, this courtship would not have been afforded.
we met january 28 - by march, a visit one direction or the other was inevitable. i had not been to new york in years, so i made the leap. i went for a long weekend, with nyc friends and an emergency fund at the ready in case i needed to high tail it out of there... i mean, a lot of things look good from thousands of miles away (right, devin??). it turns out my emergency escape plan was not needed, and i left nyc thinking "he is aDORable - but boy, does he live a LONG way away."
back in la, the calls / texts / emails / cards continued and by may - it was sort of 'what are we doing?'. i mean, we were both having a great time getting to know each other, but the logistics were definitely beginning to play a larger part in the story. i found myself planning a week-long trip to nyc for may.
so heeeere comes may . . . mind you, we have only known each other four months at this point - and have only seen each other TWICE in person when i touch down at ol' jfk. aGAIN - with the butterflies, giggling, and hair flipping (both of us). i surprise devin with box seats to the yankees (last season in the old stadium - where lou gerhig, dimaggio, babe ruth played!!). devin surprises me with a (literally) 12 hour marathon party where i am greeted and secretly judged by his in-town family and about 100 (ONE HUNDRED) of his closest friends.
towards the end of the trip (and possibly after a couple or seven beers), devin asked, "why don't you just move here?" and i am thinking, "i've seen you in person three times... i don't really know anyone... i have no job... where is the beach... that would be one expensive move... i would have to be crazy... "
back to la... and before i know it (and before i've talked myself out of it), i have quit my job and started packing up my wordly belongings for what may be one of the most exciting or tragic chapters of my life. within 30 days, i am in new york...
you can pretty much guess how things went from there. :O) sure, this is a bit more "my side" of the story, but devin is asleep and has thereby forfeited his editorial input. ans as you might have guessed (and is, i believe law when anything occurs in or around vegas) some details, dates, times, names, number of cocktails and the like - may have been altered or omitted to protect the innocent.
