Wednesday and COVID shots and St Patty's Day and Matt coming over for dinner

Wednesday, Teri got her first COVID 19 shot. She said later in the day her arm hurt. Her second shot is April 4th.I go for my first on Friday. Wednesday is also St Patrick's day and Teri is making corned beef in the crock pot.It's amazing how good it comes out cooked like that.

A few days ago, I had a talk with Nastia about Brandon needing to come over. Afterwards as I passed Elena's room, on my way to bed, I told Elena that she and Matt had been dating longer then Nastia and Brandon and Matt needed to come over for dinner too. Well she invites him over for dinner on St.Patrick's day. Before dinner Nastia, Elena and I go bowling. We are in the hunt, trying to move up in the standing. In December we were in last place, in an eight team league. We have managed to move up to sixth. For the last few weeks we have been chasing the fifth place team and I thought this week was going to be the week we move ahead of them.We bowled good enough to beat the other team in the first game. In the second Nastia and aElena bowled better than they did in the first, but I didn'tand we lost the second game by twenty-three pins. So maybe next week.

Nastia and I head home in my car. Elena takes her car and drives home. Matt shows up about seven-thirty with dessert, a box of canollis and a bag of Lindt chocolates. A nice touch by him. I immediately declare him my favorite future son in law.Yes, I'd been drinking a little.Nastia had decided to join me in drinking. She made herself a raspberry vodka and lemonade. When it came time for serving dinner, we serve it in a very relaxed fashion, from the kitchen. I tell Elena to serve herself first and then Matt to go figuring that it might make Matt a little more comfortable. Teri over rules this and he goes first. I saw him standing there with his arms acrossed in a bit of a defensive posture. I wanted him to feel comfortable as soon as possible. I hate this awkward stage in getting to know someone. I remember it well with my fist girlfriend and also with Teri's parents. With Teri's parents I was a little older and still didn't handled it was well as I could have. I kept whispering dirty jokes to Teri. We all sit down to dinner and the conversation is fun and everyone is having a good time. There were a few good laughs and I wish I remembered what they were. At dinner, Nastia has a large glass of raspberry vodka and lemonade. I have my beer. I don't drink as much as I used to so now alot of times I'll buy the beer with the highest alcohol content, less beer, same buzz. So Nastia and I are most likely drunk as we sit down to dinner. The difference is I've been doing this for decades and have learned to

mostly keep the thoughts that shouldn't come out from coming out. Nastia not so much. I don't remember what she said but by the end of dinner I'd taken her drink and asked her to come into the kitchen. I don't think it was outragous what she said, it might have just been too much. After dinner Elena askes me to take out the pictures like I did for Nastia and Brandon. Matt and Elena sit on the living room side of the table, Elena is leaning into him, you know the way new young couples do when it is all new and exciting. They click through the pictures and videos I've taken over the last eleven years. The one after dinner conversation I do remmeber is Matt talked about how he was adopted at, I think 18 months, from a jewish adoption service from Ukraine. He did a DNA test and his backround turned out to have some asian in it. He couldn't remember what else there was in it. He did say he was surprised there is no Russian in it. Inspired, I took out the DNA tests I'd gotten for the girls two years ago and they didn't want to take because they didn't know what would be done with their DNA and I got them both to spit into the tubes. I sealed them up and sent them out. I hope I didn't confuse the tests..... Matt bought over canollis, so we had them for dessert. Around ten or so Matt is walked out to his car by Elena. The night is a total success. I've never seen Elena display such open affection towards someone in all the years I've known her. The mysterious book of Elena has cracked open again this evening and I am very pleased to see that. Later in the evening I'm heading up to bed, I lean into Elena's room and tell her that tonight was a very nice night. I figure she is talking to Matt and he'd hear. On my way to bed, Elena says, "good night" a moment later she says, "and Matt says good night". So he heard and that is a good thing. He's maybe the one for her and she for him and that would be OK. /