I'll check out that thread! Thank you for your encouragement! It really helps!
About looking great, she's lost a tremendous amount of weight (close to 70lbs over the last 1.5 years!!), so she looks fantastic! I have lost quite a bit of weight myself over the last year also, close to 30lbs, and she's let some comments slip every once in a while, so I know she notices it. It's like she doesn't want to say it too much but sometimes it just slips out as a reply to something I have said. But I catch it and know that she noticed.
My W had invited me to her art show, the one she had to prepare for yesterday. This afternoon she texts me "It starts @ 6, when will you be here?" and I reply so and so late and ask if I need to bring anything and she replies "Perfect! Nope, I already have everything! :-)". I arranged for a babysitter a couple of days ago and did not tell her. When I arrived I walked in and she noticed me, smiled and walked over and gave me a hug, right in front of everybody. I had set my expectations super low and did not anticipate a hug or anything remotely close to a display of affection, especially in front of all her friends, so that was a nice surprise! She asked where the boys were and I joked that I just put a movie on and they'll be fine until I get back. SHe laughed and thanked me for geting a babysitter. Don't really know why, they are always with me on Fridays, so it's my responsability. I told her that I thought she (and I) would enjoy the evening better without having to police the boys the whole time. She agreed.
Most of the time I was there, I just talked to everybody and was having a good time. I did not talk to my W barely at all, just everybody else. Our mutual friends seemed to enjoy seeing me again and hearing from me, so that was nice. When it became time to leave, I told her that I was leaving and she walked me to the door and outside and we talked for a bit in private. She asked me if I liked it and I said that I thought her art is wonderful, that I enjoyed myself and that it was nice show/party. During the show she introduced me to a couple our age with small children that she met not too long ago and she asked me what I thought of them and wouldn't it be great to hang out with them. I told her that I couldn't agree more, they are a great couple we would get along with great!
Then she reached out for a hug, so we hugged and usually she will give me a kiss afterwards, but she didn't. In the past, I have sometimes initiated and given her a kiss in those cases, but I had set my expectations low and did not think she would kiss me anyways in front of all her fiends, so I didn't either. I am thinking maybe she wanted to see if I would try to kiss her. Anyways, I am giving that WAAYYY too much thought.
Just wanted to post that I am proud of how I did today! No clinging to my W for her attention, I showed all of her friends that I am a great, interesting guy that knows how to enjoy himself. And all of this right in front of her. I looked my best, wore the shirt she got for me a while ago that she said looked good on me, shaved, put some aftershave on that she got me, did not pursue and give her a kiss... One of her complaints about me was that I did not show any interest in her art shop, in that sense it was a perfect 180. So in summary, if you can't tell, I feel really good about how I handled the situation tonight.
