This February marks ten years since our first date. On Valentine's Day 2008, we ran into each other on campus and even though we already had known each other casually, something clicked. David came and spent the evening at my computer lab while I worked then walked me home and spent some time with me and my pink-and-chocolate-crazed roommates where he handled us all with charm and ease and showed off his awesome skills of being able to fit through the tiny space between his folded arms while holding onto a broomstick. He asked me out for our first official date soon after, and in the best decision I'd possible made up that that point in my life - I said yes.
As part of David's Christmas gift this year I pre-planned 12 dates for us to go on. February's date was a clever copy of our first date, ten year ago. A gift card to Chilis, $$ to go bowling, and a RedBox coupon code as a nod to the time we spent at the Blockbuster (David says that maybe it was Hollywood Video?) browsing movies while we waited to be seated at Chilis, and a couple of notecards for each of us to make a set of conversation starters. I also included an excerpt of where we had written out our first date when we engaged to read (
Posted on March 1, 2009)
February 22, 2008 Logan, Utah
The question of whether David would be able to handle the crazy girls in PineView #3 {specifically me} was answered soon after when David asked me on our first date. I said yes, and was very excited. When I asked for her phone number she sounded excited, when I asked her out and she said yes, she did not sound all that excited, more... surprised that I was asking. At least she said yes. As I was getting ready for the date I couldn't decide what to wear and ended up borrowing a shirt from my roommate Cassie. (This is important for two reasons. 1- The shirt that I wore was brown with white polka dots and plays a role later on in the story [be patient], and 2- I had two shirts that I switched off wearing on the first dates that I went on. I felt comfortable in them and they were cute. I had worn one or the other on every first date I had gone pretty much the whole year. They were labeled as my "first date" shirts and it was unusual that I didn't wear one of them.)
I went into the date not knowing what to expect. I half-thought that it would be another first date that didn't go anywhere. However, the second that he picked me up I could tell that something was different about him. We went to Chili's and then bowling (my mom's number one date idea, points for David). I was completely blown away by how amazing this boy was. He was cute and funny and kind and amazing. Most of all... he understood me. We connected on a level that I had never even dreamed could be reached on a first date. I laughed the whole time, and at the end of the date there was no question of if there would be a second date... only when it would be.
It really was such a fantastic first date, mostly because of how amazing Shantel is. We were able to talk so easily. We waited about 45 minutes to get a table at Chili's, and talked easily the whole time. We chatted during dinner, and then during bowling, we had to wait for another 45 minutes. Which usually, it might be tough to keep thinking of things to talk about on a first date, but we had no trouble. One of Shantel's favorite things to talk about is how she beat me at bowling on our first date. The first game we tied, the second game she won. However, of course she was going to beat me, I was really distracted by how wonderful she was. In fact, the reason she knew there would be a second date is because I was making it pretty clear that I would be asking her out shortly.
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When reading through the brief recap that we wrote back in 2009, I was surprised that some of the things that I remember most about the date are not included at all, and some of the things that we did record - I'd completely forgotten. So, we decided that it would be fun to write down our memories of our first date, ten years later!
David's Perspective:
It was really interesting looking back at what we posted in our wedding series about our first date, because most of the things that I remembered were not even in there. It was fun on our date to talk about those things that we remembered about that date. Here are some of the things (big and small) that I remember about it:
-While we were waiting to be seated at Chili's we walked across the parking lot to the Hollywood Video (movie rental store) and looked through movies and chatted while we waited. While we were talking about favorite movies, Shantel told me that she does not watch PG-13 movies. I remember thinking, that is interesting and this girl seems really good.
-I ordered a steak, which was a big deal for me, because I rarely went out to eat on dates and certainly tried to order something less expensive if I did. Not that Chili's steak was so expensive, but it was $2 or $3 more. I have no idea what Shantel ordered. I do remember how much I enjoyed talking to her. That was my favorite thing. I joked about have a date notecard that I was using to help with the conversation and it made it even more fun.
-When we were bowling I remember specifically giving her a high five one time for a good bowl and then as our hands come down, just holding my hand against hers for an extra 1/4 of a second. Shantel was beautiful and kind and fun and I knew I wanted to go out with her again.
-Shantel reminded me on our 10 year date that during dinner I talked about hiking to the top of Mount Timpanogos over the summer and talked about how we should do it together during the next summer.
Shantel's Perspective:
David mentioned most of the things that we talked about on our date. A few more details from my perspective:
-I specifically remember David joking about how he'd made a notecard for conversation topics/questions to make sure that things kept going smoothly. It is exactly the kind of cheesy and slightly-awkward joke that he tells that still makes me laugh today.
-I usually didn't tell people on a first date that I don't watch PG-13 movies. It was just a hard conversation because too frequently people were offended by it - like they thought that I thought that they were bad people. I didn't, and still don't. It's just a personal choice that has been an incredibly positive thing in my life. When we weren't seated at Chilis right away, we walked over to a video store. (I remember it being a Blockbuster - but whether it was Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, it's SO crazy to me that there isn't a single movie-rental store left. I should probably detail out for posterity that this was a store where you could go roam the isles and select from hundreds of movies mostly DVDs at this point, although I'm sure there was still an isle of VHSs. You'd pick the movie you wanted to rent, pay for it at the front desk, then have to return it 5-7 days later. ) It was fun to browse the movies and point out our favorites and talk about genres that we both liked. But I was definitely nervous because I knew the conversation would have to end up with me saying that I didn't watch PG-13 movies. David's reaction might be one of the things that I loved most about him from the very start, because he didn't get worked up about it. He didn't make it a big deal. He asked a few honest questions and then accepted it and moved on. Over the course of our dating, he ended up adopting the standard, and although I won't say that we've always made stellar media viewing choices, I think that it set a precedent that has blessed our marriage and our family. (I always hoped that I'd just marry someone who could respect my decision even if he still watched movies with his brothers/friends/whatever, but I couldn't have imagined what a blessing David would be to me.)
-I went on a lot of first dates and very few second dates, and even fewer third dates. So even though I had a good time and was fairly confident that David would ask me out again (mostly because he was dropping hints that he'd like to ask me out again), I think I was still surprised when he did ask me out. I still feel a tiny bit surprised that we ended up together. (Then the panic sets in, because what if we hadn't ended up together??? I'm just so so lucky to have him.)
- I do not remember winning the bowling match. But my mom always said that bowling was the best first date, and I remember laughing about how he was already getting points there. And I like bowling.
It's a little crazy to me that we're starting to hit all of these 10 year landmarks. Ten years is a long time! But I also feel like this boy has been a part of my life for all of my life. I guess my heart was just holding space for him and when I finally found him, he fit into that spot so seamlessly it's hard to remember life before him. (Cheesy? I know. But that's what he loves about me, right?)
Happy 10 year mark darlin'! I'm so lucky to have you in my life, then and now.
