C's thoughts on what love is
Twenty years ago today, I had my first date with my husband. Twenty years! Wow that went fast! For our first date, we saw the movie "The Hunt for Red October" and then talked until 1am at the little park near my grandmother's house. I didn't want him to go home but was astonished at how late it was! (We both had early church the next day and Spring Break on that Monday). While I don't have pictures from that first date, I do have these, from my 20th birthday, just six weeks later. It surprises me how young we look! 
Things I remember from this time:
We had our first date and then I left to spend a week at Seaside with my family for Spring Break. I missed him terribly with an ache that confused and surprised me. I remember asking my brother if that was weird, to feel that way, to feel so deeply and intensely after just one date. He told me "no." and I remember how that made everything different--how I felt I needed to rethink things. I lived with my Grandmother at the time, and I remember hearing the phone ring as I let myself in (she was also out of town) and answering the phone and hearing Joel say "Oh! You're home!" as if he'd been feeling the same feelings all week. We made plans for another date. And another, and another, and another.
How exciting everything was! We couldn't bear to be in the same room with each other without touching--knees, shoulders, holding hands, sitting by each other--not necessarily touching in intimate ways, more like to remind ourselves that this was real. I felt so lucky! (I still feel that way). We spent as much time together as possible. I got a "D" in Organic Chemistry because he was far more interesting to me than how carbon combined with other molecules. I felt like we had to make the most of things because Joel submitted his mission papers about the same time we started dating, and that meant we only had a couple of months to spend together before he left for two years. When he left, we didn't make any firm or lofty promises or committments; we just knew we wanted to be together and hoped we'd still feel that way when he came home.
We did. Six months after his return, about 2 years and nine months from that first date, we were married.
And the rest is history. My history. The best kind of history.
4 comments:
Awwwwww!!! You guys are just too cute! (Then and now!)
I have a big, goofy grin from reading this. ^_^
I have a big goofy grin too! That is very mushy-sweet! And you both do look so young, yet you haven't changed much. You both still have the same faces, you still look so young!
You write so well, you should do more of it.
I remember going with you and Joel to a gymnastics meet at OSU. We all knew then you were a goner!
I love you and my big (tall) wonderful son-in-law as well.
Congratulations on your anniversary. I can't remember the exact date of our first date, I only remember it was in October. Anyway, thank you for sharing this. I had forgotten that you met before he went on his mission.
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