Here in Austin

We made it to Austin today around 1:00. We had lunch at the Macaroni Grill and it was quite yummy. It was very filling and I could use a nap, but if I lay down, I won't get up for a while.
The hotel is nice, though the room is a little small. We are heading to the UT campus shortly to register. After that, I am not sure what our plans are. Maybe take in the sites or something.

As we were driving in today I had a brief moment of melancholy. The last time I was here was a little over a year ago. I was breaking up with Marty. We drove in on the highway where you have to exit to get to his parents house. But the memory that really pervaded my thoughts was from several months before then. September 2004. I was thinking about the night that he had told me he loved me for the first time. I remember after we left the restaurant we just drove around Austin. We weren't going any place in particular, we just drove and held hands and I remember grinning and that feeling of euphoria that swept over me. Although I do believe that I am over Marty now, I am thinking if what I really missed when I no longer had him was just that feeling. Yes, he was special and I loved him. I enjoyed his company and he was a great friend. But was it him that I missed or simply the idea of what I thought we had? Perhaps it was just simply the relationship I missed. The feelings. Holding hands. Kisses. Just having someone there to talk with and share and just be. Those are the things I would like to have again, but I know that it's not going to be with him.

We had an interesting discussion about relationships on the way down here. The other sponsor is married to a man that is pretty much quite her opposite. They don't have a great deal in common, but they have been married a long time and have had a really great relationship. She said that they have never had any kind of major fight the entire time that they were married. They do have some things in common, but for the most part, they are very different. I stated that a person needs to make sure their mate shares their morals and values. You don't necessarily have to have everything in common, but that is something that is quite important. I think that was one of the problems in my marriage. We started out with some great common interests and chemistry, but the initial passion faded and what was left just didn't work. I still think that Richard is a decent guy; he just wasn't right for me as a husband. I think the same is probably true of Marty. Though I think we were more compatible and our values and morals were more similar, he still wasn't the right match. (Yes, it's easier to say that now in hindsight)
I hope to find the right person some day... or perhaps he will find me. But for now, I am content (mostly) to wait.