Where has the time gone!?

I'm writing this on the back of old receipts. I'm at work.

---This guy got a turkey special and large fries over a week ago. Normally a pretty boring choice if everything Josh made wasn't butter and sugar-coated and amazing! Anyway, I feel like our last customer was a week ago...I need coffee.----

Started this job a few weeks ago and I'm done on Sunday. It was just something to do to make money and have a sense of normalcy between trips to Europe. Life has been everything but normal since the end of July, when Jesse literally became an overnight celebrity in the poker world. It's been exciting, overwhelming and adventuresome. A 3-month stint of crazy. I've just recently accepted just how big all of this is- and that pushing my dance career back 3 months to enjoy it is not the end of the world. I feel like July Me has finally caught up to September Me. Nothing like a slow work day, a cup of coffee and some spare receipt paper to clear your mind. Some peace. We are halfway through the most exciting thing that's happened to either of us so far. Time to take a few deep breaths, put a smile on and remember that this is fun.
---One coffee. One Scone. This guy is a regular.---

The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas is two months of chaos in every poker room in the city. At it's peak, you could easily wait 2 hours to get into a game. Jesse didn't cash in any WSOP tournaments at the beginning but he was doing really well in cash games-- definitely making up for busted tourney runs. Plus, Vegas was too much fun to be upset over any losses. All the poker friends I had made sporadically over 7 months were all together in one city to hang out, party and talk about hands with. The city was electric.

Then came the Main Event. It's the biggest poker tournament in the world. $10,000 buy-in. Around 7,000 players every year since 2004. It's the most chaotic adrenaline rush- and I wasn't even in it!
---Four shots of decaf double espresso?? Seems ironic.---

There are 3 convention rooms filled with chip shuffling and hoodies. Amateurs and pros and degenerates. Players just hoping for their "one time". Meanwhile, I'm playing low stakes $1-3 cash games in the next room over trying to show a profit and take advantage of all the fish in town. Jump cut to Day 5 of the Main and Jesse is STILL in it. He calls me to tell me he's at a "t.v. table" and that I should get over there immediately. Where did this run good come from? I rush over and spend the next 3 days, 12 hours each at the Rio with only half a room left with people in it! Suddenly I can count the number of tables on one hand. Then, he's there. #1 on the tv screens with only 9 players left. He gets a patch. He gets interviewed for a day straight; pictures taken; people asking ME questions; congratulations and lots of to-do lists. I'm a manager almost. No more LA until November. But this is too amazing to pass up.

The newest celebrity

 Watch your boyfriend (and yourself!) on national television once a week. Host an ESPN camera crew at your house. Fly to Barcelona. Go to Atlantic City. Smile on camera and make sure to listen to everyone's advice. Schedule flights. Books rooms. Listen to interviews. Practice poker. Dream about dancing in Cali. "Why are you working and worrying about money?" "Isn't he paying?" Your boyfriend is $400,000 richer than you. Uneven and awkward at times. Still oh so proud. Exhale.

What relief looks like!

---2 scones and a large iced coffee? Sure, that'll be $11.16. Thank you very much. You too, see ya tomorrow. 7am-3pm. The first feeling of routine and normal. Until: "BLT?" "Hey me and my boyfriend saw you on tv last week!" "Oh yeah?" "Yeah, he grew up with Jesse!" "Awesome...uhh...would you like that in a bag?" Maybe not so normal. But hey, this is freakin fun.