Meeting the man of my dreams - Part 2

After chatting for long hours for a few weeks, we finally got up enough courage for a phone call. We were contemplating meeting for our first date. I called John on the 4th of July. I remember calling him once before but he was not at home, so I left a message with his roommate. It's funny how nervous I was just thinking about hearing his voice for the first time. My roommate, Stacy and I took my kids to the lake for a relaxing day. I was nervous the entire day just thinking about meeting this guy.

We talked on the phone briefly to plan our date. He lived a few hours away but he agreed to drive to my town to meet. We decided to meet on July 6, a Saturday. He was familar with the Ramada Inn because he had been there before for baseball card shows. So that's where we decided to meet. I remember it took me such a long time to get ready for this date. I changed clothes about ten times. I was having a bad hair day. I'm never satisfied with my appearance. What if he saw me and changed his mind?

I finally agreed on a casual outfit and headed out to the Ramada Inn. The drive there was only a few miles but it seemed to take forever. I was still very very nervous, but also excited about seeing this guy for the first time.

I pulled into the parking lot and saw John in his truck immediately. I parked my car and got into his truck. I remember as I walked over to his truck, hearing him whisper, "nice". That was a good sign.

We decided to have a late lunch at one of my favorite places, Milano's Italian Restaurant. It was mid afternoon and the place was fairly empty. We were both very nervous about this day and didn't eat much. I was very glad to get the initial meeting over with. He was as nice as I had thought. Things were working out fine.

After lunch we talked about seeing a movie, but had several hours until it began so we went to my house for a while. My roommate and I shared a house and it was out of the city limits so I'm sure as John was following me there he was wondering, "where is this chick taking me"?

We wanted to see the movie, The Bourne Identity, but unfortunately it was sold out. We settled for Minority Report. I like Tom Cruise, so it sounded good. We found ourselves looking over at each other during the movie to exchange glances. How sweet!

After the movie, we went back to my house. Since John lives so far away and it was getting late, I suggested he stay the night (on the couch of course). I remember sleeping in my room and thinking how awesome it was for John to be sleeping just a few rooms down the hall from me. We had a great first date. I'm so glad I gave him a chance. I'm sure I'm leaving out some details, but it's hard to recall everything from 9 years ago.

After this initial date weekend, we began seeing each other every weekend. I longed for the time we could spend together. Since he lived a good distance away, we planned time together on the weekends. I was currently going to college and was laid off from my job during the summer, so I had enough time to spend time with my new guy. This was one of the best summer's in my life. We dated a while, moved in together a few months later, and became a couple.The rest is history.

John actually kept some of our "first" emails to each other. I wish I could have kept them too, but at the time, I had a MSN hotmail account and deleted it. So, all of my saved emails were deleted. :( Around this time of year, he usually forwards a few to me so I can relive the experience. That is such a thoughtful gesture! I love it. Its interesting to read the emails and see how nervous, insecure, and cute we were. Love that guy! I wish I had more pictures from our early years, but here are a few even though they are more recent. I think we are a good looking couple! Thanks, John for 9 years of love, laughter and fun. I'm looking forward to many more years with you.