The First Date. . . .

Ok- So this post is a little...LONG! There. You have been warned.


After I finally got off the phone with John, the realization that I had not only given him my email address, I had given him my phone number AND set a date to meet with him. This was not something I ever did. I was instantly concerned with where my judgment or lack thereof. I mean seriously, I had a great conversation with John, but from past history with this particular dating site- there was cause for concern. I decided that it could have been worse- I didn’t tell him where I lived.



The Phone Call:


Monday evening, I get a call from a number I do not recognize. The thought crossed my mind to just let it go to voicemail- but curiosity got the better of me and as I answered.


Date night rolled around on Tuesday. I hurried home from the gym, and run upstairs to shower and get ready. My mom was standing in the kitchen getting stuff ready to can. I raced around upstairs looking for my favorite shirt- and couldn’t find it. Dang! The fear of this date turning out horrible had started to set in. Why did I say I would go? I am tired, I just killed my legs at 24hour Fitness, and now I am going out with someone I have never officially met! I ran back downstairs to the laundry room, my shirt had to be there when mom stops me and says. “so what are your plans tonight?” I am sure she was thinking that I was going to go hang out with my Martial Arts crew…or maybe she was hoping I would offer to help her can the tons of produce that was laying in boxes all over the kitchen. I nonchalantly said. “Oh, I have a date tonight I am trying to get ready for, and I can’t find anything to wear…maybe I shouldn’t go!” With a surprised look on her face she says: “A date! With Who???” me-“ Oh with John. “ With even more surprise in her voice she says “Who’s John?!?!?!” “A guy from online.” I think fear struck her- She has never been thrilled with the whole ‘online’ thing. “How long have you known him? “ Not knowing how to answer this question…I mean, if I said, I started talking to him on Sunday and am meeting him on Tuesday, I think she would want to have my head checked. “We’ve talked for awhile. I’ve gotta go get ready. I am meeting him at Barnes and Noble. “ Leaving her standing in the kitchen with that surprised look on her face …PRICELESS! I love shocking my mom :) It may be mean of me, but man it is fun!


I arrived at Barnes &Noble a little bit later than I had expected. Still on time- but I was hoping to get there early, that way when he walked in I could get a sneak peak  It worked the opposite. As I parked the car, John called. “where are you? “ I told him I would be in the store in a minute, and that I was wearing an orange flowery shirt, and jeans. He says.. “oh, I see you  “ I looked around everywhere, I didn’t see anyone that was talking on the phone or alone. I looked up to the second floor- no one was standing by the railing ...where was he? I started walking toward the middle aisle section, when I cream colored cowboy hat peered up over the shelves. This could be him… I walked past and turned around, and there he was standing in all of his glory in a cowboy hat, dark blue shirt with a small Hawaiian flower where a pocket would be, Wrangler Jeans, and boots that were shinier than the sun. He had a mustache and goatee. I was stunned. Growing up, I used to dream that when I got older, I would date a cowboy. We would meet, he would sweep me off of my feet, and we would move to a place with lots of land, and horses. Here he was, sweeping me off of my feet!


We sat at the little coffee shop and talked for quite some time. I don’t remember all of what we talked about, I was mostly amazed that here was this funny guy, who was actually interested in the things that I had to say, and had driven from Willard UT to meet me. When our rear ends were starting to get sore, we decided to take a walk around the little man made park in the shopping center. As we were headed out, I realized that this could become a very uncomfortable situation very quickly. The jeans I was wearing..well I hadn’t worn them in a while, and they were sliding off of me! With blushed cheeks, I asked if I could stop in Old Navy really quickly, to fix a slight problem. As we entered the store, the mannequins in the middle of the isle became a target of much laughter from me, and lots of weird looks and stares from other people. John had struck up a conversation with these “people” and was telling them they were quite rude for not responding to him. He told the mannequins if he ever saw them again, he would smack them upside the head for being so rude! FUNNY. (to this day I don’t recall him every setting foot inside an Old Navy again.) He picked out a belt for me, and we eventually left the store. Somehow the conversation turned to how much I disliked being carried. He told me that no matter what I did, at some point in the night, he would pick me up. He did. He ran around the whole park with me in his arms. I loved that he did that  Being that we were having so much fun…we decided to go do a little more window shopping, but first we stopped for a Banana split- I have never shared a better banana split with anyone, even if most of it ended up on both of our faces.


Somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00 we were still enjoying ourselves, but running out of things to do. John asked “what else is there to do around here.” My answer of course was “I dunno, we have kind of seen everything in this area.” He then says. “Let’s go say hi to your parents.” What?!!?! You want to meet my parents??? Sure, Why not! I couldn’t believe it, but hey, I REALLY liked him. So, I drove him to my house, pulled in the driveway, and said..” They probably aren’t expecting me to bring you to the house… this could be interesting.” He was up to the challenge. We walked in the front door, and of course my mom was on the phone in the kitchen, still canning, in her purple Mumu. As not to interrupt her too much, we quietly walked in to that lovely kitchen and stood in the doorway, waiting for her to turn around.” As she is talking to my sister, this is what we hear. “well, they must be having a good time, because it is after 9:00 and I still haven’t seen or heard from her.” “ She says she has been talking to him for about 3 months.” (where she got that from I still don’t know) “Oh wait, I think someone is standing behind me, I better go! “ The look on her face as she turned around and said “well hello.” Was PRICELESS!! Twice in one day I surprised my dear sweet mother! Dad and Mom sat in the living room with us for a few minutes and talked, then left us to go finish what they were doing. We hung out on the couch for a while, and then it was time to take John back to his big green truck and head home. We left and as I parked next to the truck that is now called “the Hulk” I thought to myself. “he’s a keeper.” We talked for another 30 minutes before we finally ended the night. It was Amazing! Whether we kissed that night, and who was the one to kiss the other one first is still up for grabs…what I do know is when I returned home again, mom looked at dad and said “I think this one is a keeper.”

How We Met...

It is amazing to think that John and I have been married for four months! This time last year, I was tentatively planning a wedding for “sometime in the future” not knowing when that “sometime” would ever happen. Now, as I reflect back on how it all started, it warms my heart and brings a bright smile to my face.


I had made the Decision to join a dating site specifically for LDS singles. I figured it would be easier, than trying to sift through tons of “potential dates” that do not share my religious beliefs. I also felt a little safer… whether I was or not that has yet to be decided. So I set up my profile and waited for a month or so before I realized, that putting your profile on the internet doesn’t mean that great men are going to gather around your inbox, or whisper sweet nothings into cyberspace. Logging in every day, and seeing the same people I felt I had nothing in common with and/or didn’t interest me, was a bit disheartening. I made the decision to quit waiting and start looking. I also made the decision to get a life!

I abandoned the dating world and was given the best gift I could have received at the time- Sister Missionaries. I was asked one day if I could go on an exchange with the Sister Missionaries assigned to our stake. I had no plans- why not? An hour with them could be kinda fun right? It was more than that! I ended up driving Sister Wang to scheduled appointments and knocking on doors of those that had been referred or had shown some interest in learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My spirit was uplifted. My testimony was strengthened in just a few short hours! I was hooked. That wasn’t the only time I took those lovely ladies anywhere- over the next several months, I became the designated driver for Sister Wang, Sister Kalolo, and Sister Stroud. I was even blessed to drive them when they were transferred to other areas, helping them move their things, and going on exchanges when they were not in my Stake, but close to my area. I loved each one of them so dearly! They helped strengthen my testimony and my faith- and they set me on the path that I felt I needed to be. They helped grow and cultivate the desire to go on a full-time mission.

I talked with my bishop, and of course, he was ecstatic to hear I wanted to go. I was in my late 20’s and I belief the cutoff for Sister Missionaries is 30…until you go on a couples mission at least… So I went to every Missionary fireside, prayed, read scriptures and started tackling all of my medical issues that were happening at the time so that I could be ready. I also decided that since I was going to go on a mission, I couldn’t waste time thinking about boys or hanging profiles like shingles on dating sites.

I logged on to my site that had caused me grief in the past, and got as far as “Account Settings” before a guy with a funny screen name and a picture with him in earmuffs on said “hello.” It took me a second to respond, I didn’t know what to do. I checked out his profile- Divorced with 2 great kids, loved the outdoors, lived 50 some odd miles away from me… What was the harm in saying “hi” back? So I did. We ended up talking for a few hours, and at the end of the conversation, I had given him my email address and my cell phone number. I had NEVER given those things out online without talking to the person for at least 3 months online. What was I doing? Great. I had also scheduled a date to meet him at Barnes & Noble the following Tuesday.

I will never forget that Sunday- It changed my world. No, I didn’t get to go on a full-time mission, but the eternal mission I am now on, I wouldn’t change for anything. !!!!

Next Post: The FIRST DATE!

                                                           To –Be-Continued….