4 Years of Marrige – How We Met
Thursday is my 4th wedding anniversary. Even though it feels like I’ve been married longer than that I can vividly remember our first date.
1 week after our 1st date at the Knightdale Christmas Parade with my whole family!
Over the course of about 8 years our paths crossed numerous times until one day a mutual friend introduced us after church. A few weeks later we chatted after church and he asked what I was doing for lunch. (Attempt to ask me out 1) A few friends were heading to Neomonde, a yummy Mediterranean restaurant, so we decided to join them. He asked if he could ride with me, I happily agreed. On the way there we talked about music and he mentioned he was going to a show later that week. (Attempt 2) *Insert awkward silence as he never invited me to join him but was hoping I’d go with him. (Maybe we was trying to use his Jedi mind tricks on me?)
After that first lunch “date” neither of us were sure what to make of each other. We aren’t very good on giving out or picking up signals. A week or two passed, Thanksgiving was drawing near and our mutual friend planned a group Thanksgiving dinner (a few days before actual Thanksgiving). We both planned to attend the dinner party. At the party he mentioned that he had to work the day before and after Thanksgiving and that he wouldn’t be able to go home to visit his family. I also had to work around Thanksgiving and was unable to travel with my family. So I thought I would invite him to hang out with me for Thanksgiving. The next day I stalked him at his job, he was a barista at Borders, and eventually worked up the nerve to talk to him. He said he was going to make a quick trip to SC for Thanksgiving day. I was a little bummed and wasn’t sure what to do next. So I left.
Later that evening I began to kick myself for not giving him my number. So I gave him my phone number via Myspace. (remember myspace) He called me the night before Thanksgiving on his way to SC, we talked a bit and made plans to “hang out” the day after Thanksgiving for dinner.
The day after Thanksgiving I meet him at his friend’s apartment where is is temporarily living. (He was in between leases at the time, but I like to tell people he was homeless!) We walked down to Jade Garden to eat dinner. We were the ONLY people in the restaurant. Our waiter sat at the table next to us, rolled silverware and constantly refilled our glasses. As if going on a first date isn’t awkward enough. The conversation was all the typical first date stuff… What do you do? Where did you go to school? Where did you grow up? etc. Then the check came. Joe wasn’t certain it was a date so he asked, “what do you want to do about the check?” I assumed that meant I was to pay for my own dinner. So I said, “oh I’ll pay for myself.” It was awkward.
After dinner we walked back to his friend’s apartment. (his friend was out of town) we talked a bit and decided to watch a movie. We finally settled on The Big Lebowski. He sat on the couch and I sat down right beside him. At this point he figured out it was a date. We watched the movie and he eventually held my hand. I think he would have kissed me afterward if I hadn’t mentioned that I had NEVER kissed anyone before. Apparently, that adds a lot of pressure to the situation.
Pretty much everyday since our 1st day we’ve been together.
New Years Eve. 2006-2007
