Intimdation factor.....

I feel the need to preface this one so that it doesn't come off like a total bitch session. 

I had a good weekend.  It was fun and a change from the norm, which is always welcome.  I got to see a couple little towns I didn't know much about and see some things I had never really been acquainted with.  I also got to see into my honey's personal life a little bit more.  For that point alone, I had a nice time.

Now on to the rest of the story.

I went to my first bowling tournament this past weekend.  A relatively small one, bowling with my honey and his family and their friends.  I had many reservations about the situation when it was first brought up to me.  You see, my honey has never had to deal with someone who wasn't ready to just pick up and go blindly without having to have some details.  I need trip details.  I need to know where I'm going and what I'm doing, otherwise I feel like a fool when people ask me questions.  I don't like being embarrassed.  At all.  Almost to a an irrational degree.  We had a couple of tiffs about the details and about the last minute things that came up that he didn't pull me aside and talk to me about.  They were all either resolved or simply dropped because it was too late to really discuss them anyway.  The reservations ranged from spending the night with his whole family in one hotel room to simply bowling the games themselves. 

The room issue wasn't as bad as I expected.  We (the family) slept all in one hotel room, I balked at this at first because, never in my life-even as a child-did I ever share a hotel room with parents.  The few vacations we took when I was young, my parents always got 2 rooms.  For those times it was only ever my parents, my sister and me.  In this particular situation, there were 6 people in one suite.  Once there it wasn't so bad, it was only for one night after all.  The evening of the first day passed without any panic attacks or weirdness on my part.  That particular day in the bowling alley wasn't terrible either, I didn't have to bowl. 

I got to sit back and watch them do what they do.  They do it very well.  I got to see some comraderie and people who truly enjoyed the game, in spite of all the times I heard, "why do I keep playing this damn game??".  My folks did alright the first day, not great but by no means terrible.  It was nice to see how my honey's people got along and to see what their passions are.  It was also nice to see my honey in his element.  Everyone has a certain talents, his apparently are bowling and making animals love him.  Mine....well mine are not in the same categories. 

The second day left a lot to be desired.  I had to bowl that day, and I did.  Badly.  Well, ok let's be fair for a second, for my own talents I did fine.  In comparison to those around me?  I was an embarrassing mess.  To their credit everyone thought I did a good job, considering I've only been playing the sport sober for the past year.  In my own little head though it was a hot mess that I truly don't care to ever repeat.  Besides the simple intimidation factor, I felt horribly embarrassed (and a tad bit humiliated) bowling alongside people who had or have at one time made money playing this game.  There were some discourtesies that hurt me a bit during and after the games were over, but they are forgivable.  I do know this, I am very capable and willing to be a sideline wife/girlfriend/whatever while he plays and does his best.  I know that this is not something that I can ever match him at, and really I don't want to try.  I love him, I do not love the game.   

Another lesson learned and another bump in the road.  The "good" news?  I get to do it again next weekend.....yay.....