Little Rock

So, as it turns out, I have the best boyfriend in the world. I had an inkling this was the case, but it's really true. Last Tuesday as we were coming into Little Rock, we got to ride on this phenomenally gorgeous bike path to get through the city. I was riding with 7 or 8 other people, and we were really enjoying being away from cars and along a river. As I was riding I heard someone call out "hey Abby!" I thought it was kind of weird; the person in question was sitting a bit removed from the path under a tree, and I couldn't really see him. I actually considered just pedalling on--maybe I was just hearing things. But then some cyclists behind me said that someone was calling me so I thought I'd better investigate. I sauntered my bike closer, but still I had absolutely no idea who it was. Finally, when I realized it was him, I (um, very dorkily) half fell, half leapt off my bike and ran towards him. In fact, he was filming the whole thing, and you can watch it here (I didn't hear him say Schnookie or I would have known it was him earlier). Not to be cheesy or anything, but it really was probably one of the best moments of my entire life.

And I don't think I have EVER been so surprised. He had called one of the trip leaders to set it all up, and a couple of the other riders were in on it. But everyone was really great at keeping the secret. He rode the rest of the days ride with us, including over the Big Dam Bridge, the longest pedestrian/bicycle designated bridge in the country (world?). That night we had dinner with the group so he could meet everyone, and everyone was going on and on about how great he was (my favorite was Mary's opinion, which was: "Abby, your boyfriend's a stallion!"). All the other girls with boyfriends back home were extremely jealous, and I can't really blame them. I was jealous of myself!

Oliver rented a room for us for the two nights (we had a day off in Little Rock) and we spent the day sightseeing and trying to stay out of the insane heat. We went to the capitol, and the Clinton Library (the city is frighteningly obsessed with Bill Clinton), and to this nifty tae kwon do monument. The one annoying thing about the tkd monument is that the statues are wearing karate uniforms. Seriously??? We also did plenty of lollygagging in air-conditioned restaurants and bookstores, and it was pretty much heaven on Earth. I wish so much he could have stayed longer, but even so the visit is definitely a memory I'll treasure for a very long time.