Shark Heaven, Right beside People Heaven

So, last night was the Super Bowl, if you didn't know by the thousands of tweets and Facebook statuses.

This is what Michael asked me a few days ago.
"Will you be my Super Bowl date? You know, I heard they are kind of a big deal... and meaningful." (I think he added the meaningful part because I told him he needs to be more romantic so now he twists everything into 'being romantic')
I guess inviting your girlfriend to take part in the holiest and most sacred event of all manhood is a big deal.

His dads brother, Roger, and his wife,Nicki , and their two boys Cole and Reid were both coming as well.
Let me just say these are the cutest boys in the WORLD. I might be the only one that has these thoughts, but I love when I meet little kids, and I probably don't even know them very well yet, but I just know they are going to grow up and be smart and beautiful and amazing and will do something great, and be wonderful people because of the way I see their parents are raising them. This is what I felt when I met Cole and Reid for the first time last summer.

Cole is autistic. Maybe I just feel more drawn to hime because Autism therapy is what I really want to pursue. But he is great.

When I got to Michael's house I went in and sat at their breakfast bar thing and was talking to his mom and their aunt. Cole walked in a looked at me for a second, kind of studying me. Then his mom asked him if he remembered me from when we shot fireworks over the summer. He said he remembered and then she told him my name and asked him to repeat it so that he would remember. Then he just walked up like he'd met me a thousand times and started talking away.
Right now I guess he is really into the movie Sharks Tale. His mom said because one of the sharks in it dies,he is kind of fascinated with death for the moment.
He had these two little lego sharks that were like the ones off the movie. One of them's name was Frankie. He told me about Shakrs tale, and how Frankie got run over by a boat and then he talked about Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and then he turned to his mom and said something like,
"Mom, since Frankie died, he went to Heaven right?" and she said yes of course. But then he said "But not people Heaven though, shark heaven, which is right beside people heaven."
I just really liked it. I also really felt priveledged that he would talk to me.
Mrs. Nicki turned to her husband after Cole walked out to go play and said" Roger! Did you see him? He just walked right up and started talking to Elyse! I guess she's a keeper!"
Later we were talking about our pets or something and I asked her what their dog's name was, and she said Thunder. I thought that was an original name, and she told me that Cole named him because he said that he is really scared of thunder, so if he named him Thunder he wouldn't be scared anymore.

I am now more pumped than ever to start studying this and working with amazing people. I can't even describe it. Michael told me that his aunt said when it gets warmer that he can come play basketball with Reid and I can come hang out with her and Cole for a day. I can't wait.

One of my teachers at school suggested some books that I read by this woman who has Autism and how she describes her workings with animals in conjunction with her conditon. I'm ordering the books now.

It was just a good night.