three years ago...

Three years ago tomorrow, I met my hubby for the first time.  We'd been talking on the phone, emailing and IM'ing each other for several months, but this was our first face to face.  He lived in Wichita Falls and I was in Dallas which was about two hours apart.  Early on we knew that this might get serious so we decided to hold off meeting right away and just really get to know each other without all the other stuff that comes with dating.  We were completely blunt with each other about everything, what did we have to lose?  We hadn't met yet.  We didn't sugar coat anything, in fact, I was probably daring him to run.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I would run scared the minute anything got too serious.  I was probably already formulating excuses in my head the night before our date, but then he called and we talked for awhile and I got excited again.  The next morning it started again.  We were supposed to meet for lunch at the Red Robin by my house.  He called once he got on the road and was so excited, that it got me excited too.  I was so scared that when we met in person things might change.  I started getting ready about two hours before I was supposed to meet him.  Had a good hair day, no zits, my nails looked nice.  All set.  I planned on beating him to the restaurant so I could have the advantage.  Wrong, he beat me. 

I walked in and he was sitting by the hostess stand and I knew him right away.  I was nervous but managed through it someone and next thing I know we are seated.  It was so strange because although we didn't miss a beat with the conversation, but he wouldn't look directly at me.  I decided about half way through lunch that something was up and I was just hoping I could hold out until the check.  Then, luckily, he finally mentioned he had a "lazy" eye.  (Since then I can tell you that it is hardly noticeable).  Once I realized why he wouldn't look at me I decided that maybe the date wasn't going so bad.  He was cute, we could talk for hours and we had chemistry.

After lunch we decided to go to walk around Grapevine Outlet Mall.  We shopped, stopped in Starbucks to find a place to sit and talk and I finally realized it was dumb to hang out in a mall when I lived 5 minutes away.  So, against all the first date advice you get, I asked if he just wanted to go back to my house.  We talked until about 7pm and we knew that he had a long drive ahead of him so I figured we were about to wrap up and then he asked if I wanted to go to dinner.  So, we went to Outback.  Once the food was gone we were still talking and it was getting late, so I finally told him we could just go back to my house but "nothing was going to happen". 

The next day was Superbowl Sunday and he had plans, so he was supposed to hit the road early and still stayed until about 2pm.  I don't think we even kissed that first date.

He came back the next weekend, then I went to his house the next, and then we kept doing the same and didn't miss a weekend until he went to Germany TDY in May.  Trips back and forth continued until we got married about 5 months later.

Here is a pic of one of our first dates (my first trip to Wichita Falls)

This is for you D-  No matter how crazy our lives get, remember this pic and how happy we were/are to find each other.