A Union of Two.(a story about my dinner with the brother I'd never met)

Okay, well, here it goes.... this may be a different kind of blog for me... we'll have to wait and see.
How did it all begin?? I logged onto my myspace account one day and opened up a message i had received...as I opened it and began reading.. I froze. I was just staring at the screen... I didn't know what to think. My brother(half-brother, technically, but still my brother) -one that I had never seen before in my life-found me.... ON MYSPACE! (What a story, right?) But, anyway... he was searching through his ex gf's little brother's friends and there I was... a girl with the right name, in the area he thought was the right place I lived, and around the right age...he said that he knew when he saw the picture that it was me but was kinda skeptical about contacting me. (Amy said he actually had her read the message over and over to make sure it contained nothing that could upset me or anything). I remember getting the message that said something to the effect of.. to make this shorter..."You wouldn't be the Emily Walker from Nauvoo, AL that has a father named Ronald, would you?" Of course I was FLOORED! I didn't know what to say.
See, the background info that I guess you should know is that his mom and my dad split a long time ago. I really don't understand the whole situation but I do know that both of them haven't really had a whole lot to say about the other. We both knew that each other exists, but had know clue any details of the others lives. I don't know why either of our families kept the other such a somewhat "secret" I suppose. Speaking for my family only, I think my mom and dad thought if Dusty(the brother that found me) or David(my other, older, brother) wanted to have anything to do with them, they would come forward and do so... and since Dusty didn't, I guess there was some sort of resentment there, maybe? I don't know, either way I guess, both his mom and my dad decided to just not talk about the other and their new families. It is a very sad, sad situation if you ask me and I guess maybe I should have taken some initiative, since I am an adult, to contact him... honestly, though, I would have never known how to find him. Little did I know, the answer was right before my eyes--- MYSPACE.
So, anyway, this is going to be a much longer blog than imagined, but I guess it is all very important and should be 'documented' so that I can look back on it later.
Before me and Kenneth left to come to Atlanta for his training, I got a comment to a previous blog, which at the time I hadn't checked but Kenneth had... Anyway, Kenneth came to pick me up and had logged on to check out my blogs the night before. Sunday was my dad's birthday and we were all eating lunch and having cake before we left. Kenneth didn't want to mention that he had found a comment from Amy(Dusty's wife) on my blog, so he waited until after we were on our way so that I wouldn't be finding out about this all right in front of my family. As we got on our way, Kenneth decided to inform me that I should check my blog when we get here because I had received a message from Amy, who was 'secretly' offering for her and Dusty to take me and Kenneth out while we were here because, apparently, they leave near where we would be staying.
Of course, when I got to the hotel, that was one of the first things I did... opened up the laptop and signed on. As I opened the comment and began reading, for the third time in my whole life EVER, (1- Kenneth's marriage purposal, 2-message from Dusty, 3-this comment) I was speechless. I had the opportunity to now not only communicate with my brother, but actually sit down in a dinner --with Amy and Kenneth there(of course) and talk-- FACE-TO-FACE! Wow, this was not happening. I spoke with Kenneth, and of course, he was just like, Emily you should go.. they are offering so apparently they would like to meet you too.
I sent her a message back and it was all underway.. we would meet at 6:00 at a local restaurant (well, about 25 mins away from us, but still fairly close)...long story short, I changed my mind and wanted Mexican food... we got that underway.. bad weather forced us to change the plans once again.. So that we wouldn't have to drive in Atlanta traffic, going to a place we had never gone before, at 6pm in the bad weather, we met at a more low-key town, (Fayetteville possibly), at La Hacienda (which was AMAZING, might I add...but I haven't gotten that far yet).
We started out at 5:30, which WOULD have been PLENTY of time ... I printed out some directions from mapquest to get there and Kenneth usually makes fun because he thinks the TomTom is wonderful and who needs directions when you have that, right? Well, wrong.. that would only be correct if the restaurant is on a road that is actually in the TomTom. So, for all of you who will travel to Fayetteville, GA and decide you want to find La Hacienda... Fayette Pl is not in the TomTom, so you should print out directions before you go... but also, the directions you print will have road names and apparently there are individuals along the path from Stockbridge to Fayetteville that have decided they no longer need important road signs to be posted... not even Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway(that should be a huge sign with neon flashing lights, right??) LOL. Wrong! So, longer story made short: We used my mapquest directions (which Kenneth was glad I printed afterall) and, with none of the big roadsigns that we needed posted, we LUCKED our way to the restaurant, somehow... but the time on the directions we printed was wrong and I had to text them and tell them that I AM still coming but that we were gonna be late because Kenneth looked down and forgot to get gas and we would never have enough to make it. We ended up showing up about.... 25ish mins late. How embarrasing! This is a very important stepstone in my life and I show up LATE.. almost a half hour late! (Sidenote: I am not one to like being late, being lost, or admitting that I am clueless about a situation--like directions-- and I had to do all three in the same night.)
But, we got there eventually, and they met us with a standing handshake which both Kenneth and I appreciated very much. They were both as I had imagined they would be. Amy reminded me so much of so many of my friends, which was wonderful because, I think, we clicked right away even though we are from two very different areas and backgrounds. It was good to know that we were having such a good conversation. She was very upbeat and bubbly, which to me, is a very good thing in a person. She was very pretty and, in fact, Amy you do resemble Kelly Ripa a little (lol). She was very funny and has a great personality. We could probably go on for hours on end and not have a boring moment.
Now to Dusty... we are definately related.. at some things, you would think we were TWINS! It was really weird noting all the similarities between us, but luckily we hit it off, and that was the only thing weird about it. It was just amazing how two people who had never met each other could be so much alike! He was just as I imagined he would be, though.. a little more quiet, clean-cut, laidback, great personality.. I can see why Amy and him are so great for each other... I just wish we would have known each other sooner. The only downfall? An AUBURN fan.. but surprisingly, both him and Kenneth(huge Bama fan) hit it off also because they had actually gone to the same school.
The whole meal was delightfully laidback and very normal... not awkward at all. The dinner went so well that we went to an ice cream place afterward (possibly the Marble Slab? You can correct me if I am wrong), even though we were all stuffed.. it was great, just GREAT! We discussed school, jobs, just basic areas of our lives.. and then Amy could no longer help herself and turned the conversation from basics to the fact that we are brother and sister and we met on MYSPACE! We both discussed our versions of the story and that neither of us really knew anything about the other. The conversation was so easy, to my surprise. I had talked with Jenny about it before we left and told her that I didn't really know what to say when we met, and that I was scared that it would be very weird-- I didn't even know if he claimed my dad as his dad, I mean, I assumed he did because he did have the same last name as me, but I didn't know how he felt about it all. I didn't even know if I should call him my brother or a friend I had never meant or what?!?
Luckily, it all came together and I had no reason to even wonder about that stuff. It was great! We even got some pictures out of it, thanks to Amy... and her sneaky little self. You can take a look to the sidebar... and see if you, too, think we look alike.
Anyway, this is getting way too long but now I can remember it years from now... it was amazing, Amy and DW, and I just wanted to thank you guys for arranging this meeting and I can't wait to do it again. I learned so much about you guys, but there is still so much more to learn. I love meeting new people, but this is far beyond my expectations and this is one relationship I plan to keep going strong.. Oh yeah, Amy, Kenneth says he love s the hat, you know which one :) At least there is one of you guys that has a little sense in that relationship-- And from us to you guys--->>> ROLL TIDE! :)