{crossing that (big scary) bridge}

Crossing that bridge...so to speak...and literally.

This, my friends, is the Skyway Bridge.

Quite honestly, it scares the cracker doodles out of me.

I had heard about it. Heard how it was one of few suspension bridges. Heard how it's beautiful at night. So one night, while on the phone with Sheri, I left the house to get some Taco Bell for dinner. This was shortly after moving, Emma wasn't even home from staying with her dad to finish out the school year yet. So I'm on the phone with Sheri & decide that I don't feel like going home just yet...maybe I'll head down to the Skyway Bridge & snap some photos while I cross it, since it was sunset by that time. I hop on I-275, travel the few miles it takes before the bridge, pass the 'last exit before toll' sign, pay the $1 toll....and then I see it. OK. A lot bigger than I thought. A whole hella lot higher than I thought. Truth be known, I have a slight panic attack. Tell Sheri I have to go & will call her later. There's no turning back at that point, so I cross it. Shaking the entire time. Crying by the time I reach the bottom. I immediately know that I WILL not be turning around & crossing again to go home. I call Steve, no answer. I call James, get his voice mail & leave a message that he probably couldn't even understand through my sobs, but basically asking him how I get home with going over it again. Just not an option. I made it home, found my way on my own. Drove about an hour & half longer than if I had just turned around, but I got home without the bridge. I swore that I would never cross it again.

Fast forward to about a month later. James has asked me to go to Ft Myers with him to check out apartments for his move. He comes & picks me up, we get on I-275, head south & then it hits me. That damm bridge. I told him, the bridge. He said, Yes, I know, I didn't think about it til I got to your house & I didn't want to tell you now, but it's the only way to go, I promise you'll be fine. So I brave it out, put on my big girl face & act brave. (not that it really mattered, he did after all still have the voice mail of me in tears over said bridge) He proceeds to tell me how safe it is....and goes nearly 85mph over it. I realize this speed, call him out on it & he replies with, "I know you don't want to be up here, I'm trying to get down ASAP." OK. Great. Nice thought, but don't freakin speed over it, not the way to work it! Of course, it was fine. I was less freaked out on the way home from it.

Fast forward to now. To last night. To tears on the phone over the choice we needed to make. He mentions the bridge, reminding me that I would have to cross it to see him. I told him I know & that's OK. He says "You'd do that? Really? Wow." Ultimatly, I choose not to go last night, we agreed that today would be better. (OK. I didn't totally agree, but I knew deep down it was best & with a little common sense pep talk from my bestest friend in the entire world, I agreed to wait)

So this morning. I crossed that bridge. All by myself. No fears. No regrets. I even took photos on the way. And I spent the day in Ft. Myers with one of my favorite people. I drove over the bridge....and I crossed it. Follow me? Two big steps in one day. And both turned out good. Won't get into details of our time together today, but I will say... hearing him say, Hey sunshine... feels better than anything else I can think of.