Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I See the Signs


Greetings:
My first blog as Kellie Hernandez. I love my new name...and my new family. Oscar's kids welcomed me warmly and made me feel right at home. But I have to tell you about my arrival at the Texarkana airport. It was quite something.
The Texarkana airport is very small--only one gate! I entered the terminal and went straight to the restroom to freshen up. Unbeknownst to me, Oscar and his family (and everyone else paying attention) saw me enter the restroom. I only hope they didn't see me exit, pulling my suitcase along the floor wheels side up! I gave the TSA agent a chuckle at that slick maneuver. I walked into a spectacle...people standing around...watching...waiting...because...
Oscar had planned a little surprise. Suddenly I saw signs--literally. Signs reading KELLIE...WILL YOU...MARRY ME? I realized his kids were the ones holding the signs. At first I didn't see his daughter-in-law with the camera, taking photos. Then Oscar emerged with a bouquet of roses in my favorite color--purple. He gave me a hug, then dropped on bended knee, and with jewelry box in hand, he proposed (officially). Naturally I said yes. And then I heard the onlookers' reaction of approval. It was something else...but then again...Oscar is something else.
We married the next day in Arkansas. I wore a cream-colored, knee-length Ralph Lauren dress and Oscar wore a suit. As soon as the vows were spoken and the first kiss as husband and wife was complete (sorry, kids...that was probably awkward! hahaha!!!), we changed back into comfy clothes and went to lunch. We had fun and I felt a sense of belonging instantly. Needless to say, my first 24 hours in Texas were a blur.
I'm back in Ohio now, away from my husband for the next week and the separation sucks. But Tom-Tom isn't finished with school yet. As soon as he finishes, we'll be in Texas permanently. Once I get settled there my blog is going to change. I want to chronicle my new life--going from city girl to country girl--and take you all along with me as Tom and I adapt and embrace Texas and our new home. It's bound to be dramatic...and funny...and random...because no matter where I go or what I do...random always seems to find me. Until next time!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Tennessee


I'm back! Time to ramble a bit.
So...I just returned Thursday from spending a week in Tennessee. The last half of my trip I spent visiting my sisters in Savannah. We had a good time--played lots of games--Yahtzee, Scrabble and various card games--and visited and acted goofy. One afternoon while out for a walk, I was nearly attacked by a vicious dog. But thanks to learning kickboxing from my personal trainer, Jonathan, I was able to kick the dog in the face with a roundhouse, left-legged kick and that--coupled with my growling at him--caused him to back off. I usually panic in emergencies but somehow I instinctively knew that panicking would turn me into the dog's dinner. Score one, Kellie!
The first half of my Tennessee trip was spent with Oscar in Nashville. Remember my mentioning that I won an Oscar? Well, obviously I didn't win an Academy Award but rather something much more important and significant. I've been alluding to something going on in my personal life lately and over time I have revealed tidbits of information about Oscar. I will reveal a few more now.
In February I had the privilege of making the acquaintance of Oscar Hernandez in the most unusual of ways. We were randomly selected by the universe to be opponents in Words With Friends. We were evenly matched in the game and we were playing in real time. Before too long I was so enjoying the game that I felt compelled to comment on the excitement of it and to introduce myself in the chatbox. At that moment, unbeknownst to me, Oscar snapped a shot of the screen. He didn't tell me until several weeks later that he had photographed the screen at that moment because he sensed that something significant was happening and he wanted to preserve the moment. He couldn't have been more right. Something significant did happen. We talked on the phone that night for the first time and we haven't missed a day of talking since--except for one. We decided to have no phone contact the day before meeting for the first time (his idea actually--not mine--lol). We have taken many weeks to peel back the layers of each other's lives from childhood on so that when we met for the first time, a foundation was already in place on which to build a new life together.
Oscar is an amazing human being. I've never met a single soul on this earth like him. Never once have I ever heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He is humble, hardworking, compassionate, generous, kind...I could go on and on. (Full disclosure alert: he's also gorgeous!). We love each other very much. I'll stop here and save the rest of this story for another blog post. But first:
An interesting twist to this story...many of you know that I currently have four published novels in the world. (see my website www.kelliebtayer.com). In each of my books, the girl ends up with the man of her dreams (well, not exactly in The Gypsy Thief--but she will eventually) and in each book, the guy is of Latino descent. How ironic that Oscar is from Mexico. Figure the odds! It seems I have written my own fairy tale, brought it to life with me as the main character and Oscar as the hero. Now that takes talent, folks! LOL. Until next time!