In case you missed part I, you can catch up on it here.
After we met at the Elon game and hit it off, David sent me a message on Facebook. {Seriously, where would we be without it?} So I checked with Megan to make sure I wasn’t going on a date with an axe murderer or anything… she cleared me. Our first date was to a Carolina basketball game sometime between Christmas 2008 and New Years 2009. How cool would it be if I had like… saved the ticket/knew the date of the game/who they played… and all that stuff. Yeah, I’m just not sentimental like that.
Oooh, but I do remember all of our conversations had been via FB or email until Christmas day and he sent me a text that basically said “Merry Christmas, hope you’re having fun!” or something to that extent. First text on Christmas day, that’s pretty cute. {I had forgotten that until just now!}
Back to the first date… before we went to the game, we obviously had to grab a bite to eat. So we met up at the Target parking lot because it was right off the Interstate. {Since it was Christmas break, I was coming from Winston.} At the time, David was driving a 1996 Camry. Oh wait, he’s still driving that thing. So this 1996 Camry had seen better days and when you cut the car off and then try to start it again quickly, it doesn’t crank. First date… car won’t start… classic.
It did eventually start.
From there we grabbed a bite at Chili’s before heading to the Smith Center for the game. At dinner, I don’t remember many specifics of what we talked about but I remember that conversation just flowed so naturally. This normal, easy interaction between the two of us was huge for me. I remember talking about our families and he mentioned that he’s a water skier.
So then we headed to the basketball game. {You know, that one I can’t remember much about?} But to me, this was the perfect first date. I love sports and going to watch a game live is one of my favorite things. Since I grew up playing basketball, I would always jump at the chance to go to a game with my dad. So an ACC game when I’m home for break with a guy who seemed pretty cool the first time I met him? Yeah… maybe a little weird but it turned out to be impeccable.
Since I don’t remember the score, who they played or anything like that… I guess it’s a good thing that I remember we had fun, right?
I’m so not a “love at first sight” kinda girl. I didn’t know the second that I met him that we would spend forever together. But I did know pretty quickly that we hit it off and I enjoyed hanging out with him. So that’s what we did for a few weeks. We hung out.
It might not be the most exciting first date ever but it’s where we started. Sometimes I think girls get too caught up in fireworks and how hott he is… and all the wrong things. The person you choose to be with forever needs to be someone you enjoy being around. Someone who loves you for who you are. Someone who has similar values and is heading in the same direction you are. Your friends need to like him. Your family needs to love him. And you need to know these things before you’re really invested or you’ll end up with a broken heart. And when you’re too focused on what car he drives, how much money he makes, how sexy he is and other surface level matters, you run the risk of missing the possibility of a true connection.
And that’s the end of my dating advice.
I wouldn’t change a single thing about how we started. It’s a huge part of what makes us who we are.
Stay tuned for part III next week!
