Friday, October 16, 2009

Our First Date

My bloggy BFF, Mary, at Giving Up On Perfect has a great carnival going on right now asking about our first dates. Please go over and check out her plaid Homecoming outfit. You know you had one just like it.

I am so excited to go allkindsof 1998 flash back with you if you can stand it.

Please mentally tune to "Gettin Jiggy With It" or "Backstreet's Back ALRIGHT" for the appropriate time frame playlist.

As you might know, Jason and I met at Space Camp as counselors. I worked the night shift {Jackie?? You were a friend of mine...}and Jason worked days, usually. The night of our first date, I didn't get home until 11:00 PM and he came and picked me up then. What kind of altered time universe were we living in then? Crazy!

The only place that was open at that time of night was the IHOP so we went there. We slipped into a booth and just talked for hours. I have no idea what we ate or who was around us. We were so absorbed in the conversation that the clock just ticked away without us knowing. We talked about our families, our childhood, our faith, our dreams and anything else. There weren't many breaks in the conversation and we laughed a lot. I immediately knew that I liked this guy.

Four hours later {yes- 3 am}, we looked around and realized we were most likely the only sober folks in the IHOP and decided to call it a night. Especially since he had to arrive at work in 3 hours. I think he claims that I kissed him at the end of the night, but we really know that couldn't be true. Especially since it's my blog {*ahem} and a sweet Southern girl like me would never do anything like that.

It's neither here nor there since we went out again the next 2 nights and anytime we could after that during the summer. Oh, and we got married.

I don't have any pictures from our first date, but here is a funny one from that summer.

First date-ish
Let me point out several things for you:
1. My hair is was naturally red. Having children turned it weirdish brown- blonde that has to be highlighted so it looks like it's a color on purpose vs. a horrible color gone wrong. Anyone know what I mean?
2. This night was one of my roommate's birthday parties. She was turning 22. On one of the windows in the background we shoe polished, "Damn, your old". Classy, huh?
3. I'll have you know I don't shoe polish mild curse words any more and I also don't think 22 is old. But Jason was 23 in this picture and I was 19, so HE was OLD.

So tell me about your first date! Either with your current guy or gal one that turned out not-so-IHOP worthy.
Have a great weekend and I hope there's a date in your schedule! Maybe at Waffle House, if you're lucky.

18 comments:

Lyn said...

My first date with Stephen... the short version.

Both of us had recently broke up with people. We were friends and decided to get a bite to eat, catch a movie and then play in the pep band for a Case University hockey game. Oh, and it was Valentine's Day 2004.

I drove from Akron to his place near Cleveland and got out of my car and went to the front door. I went in his apartment and we got ready to go see a movie.

It was typical Cleveland weather and there was a lot of ice on his front steps. Apparently, only the Golden Dragon delivery driver and myself ever use the front door. I proceeded to fall and ended up with a torn ACL injury.

We didn't go to the movie and instead he drove my car around (with me in it) to find crutches for me since I didn't want to go to the hospital. The first thing he ever bought me was crutches. We ended up watching a couple of Wallace and Gromit videos, hitting the Arby's drive thru (after losing my car keys and running late for dinner) on the way to the hockey game.

We iced my knee back at his apartment after the game and I slept on the couch. He was a perfect gentleman and we still argue about whether he kissed me on Valentine's Day - it didn't start out to be a date, but ended up one.

Lindsey said...

that picture is priceless! and the first thing i noticed was the curse word on the window?! and then the second thing was your hair:). wish there was a date in my weekend schedule. unfortunately, grocery shopping doesn't count. although it's a treat because i get to do it ALONE!

Susannah said...

Adorable!! Can't believe you guys have been together that long! That's so great! :)

We went to our 12th grade Homecoming Dance and we didn't like each other, in fact he got so mad at me when the date was over that he got out of the car and walked home! Guess it worked out though!!!

Tami said...

adorable!!! YOu are soooo cute! And 1998...really?? are you sure that isn't a typo and should say 1988?? This was the second blow this week to my 'you're older than your think you are' mental fantasy! You were having first dates when I was well into raising child #4 (and knee deep in a 'what have I gotten myself into' business venture)!

First blow was daughter getting engaged...to HER FIRST BEAU! So she will have a great first date/ first kiss story to tell to her kids.

as for my first date story...I started at Mary's "Giving up on perfect" so if you are even mildly interested ;) you can check it out there :)

amykat said...

Long story short:

My husband and I were put on the same foursome at an industry golf tournament (we both worked in the oil/gas industry).
I started drinking at 8am that morning to stave off the hangover from the previous night (how pathetic...and quite embarrassing looking back on it).
Anyway- I flirted with him ALL day long. We ended up going to dinner that night (at Chili's)...and then we went out the next night and the next night.
Even though I was intoxicated a good part of that first day, I still classify that as one of the best days of my life!

amykat said...

Long story short:

My husband and I were put on the same foursome at an industry golf tournament (we both worked in the oil/gas industry).
I started drinking at 8am that morning to stave off the hangover from the previous night (how pathetic...and quite embarrassing looking back on it).
Anyway- I flirted with him ALL day long. We ended up going to dinner that night (at Chili's)...and then we went out the next night and the next night.
Even though I was intoxicated a good part of that first day, I still classify that as one of the best days of my life!

The HoneaBees said...

Ours was a Blind Date to Darryls where we also talked for HOURS and were given dirty looks by the waitress because we wouldn't leave.
I did not allow him to pick me up because I didn't want to ride in the car with him.
And, 2 dates later I told my parents I would marry him. 2 months later we were engaged and 7 months later we were married.
Blind Dates aren't so bad afterall.

Brooke said...

What a great story! I was engaged the year you met, and I thought at 23 I was wise. I look back now and think, "Oh my, I was just a young kid!"

Diana said...

Our first date (also in 1998!), we went out to eat (I'm assuming here - we went out to eat a lot) and to the movies. We saw "City of Angels" with Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage. I would NOT recommend it as a particularly good first date movie. SPOILER ALERT (but you've had 11 years to see it, so I don't feel bad if I spoil it for you): Meg Ryan is killed on her bike by a semi only one day after Nicholas Cage turned human from being an angel so he's forced to spend the rest of human-dom without her. Cheery outlook for your commencing relationship! It's all good in the end, as we got married!

Unknown said...

Great story, Hillary! I can't believe you met at Space Camp. When I was a kid, I used to watch the movie "Space Camp" with my brother all the time. And Diana, speaking of my brother, he ruined the end to "City of Angels" (by accident) to the line of people going into the movie -- his voice was too loud and he told my mom what happened to Meg Ryan at the end. The crowd was not too happy!

I hope we all have at least one date like Hillary's. Mine now won't be at IHOP because the company was just exposed for cruelty to animals in its supply chain: www.humanesociety.org/ihop.

Unknown said...

Wow! I feel OLD!

Our first date was 1998, too. (I was an almost old maid at 30.) Scott & I had known each other through community theater, but I'd been seeing someone else. Mr. Someone Else & I weren't right for each other & I broke it off.

Right away, after play rehearsal, Scott asks me out for the next Saturday, which was Valentine's Day. At first I didn't want to go; I wanted a "vacation" from dating. So we go to Shoney's where he tries to talk me into the date. Told me he'd been offered a contract position at a radio station in Atlanta, and this was our one chance to find out if we could have something, or if he should just move on. I told him that no, I wanted to wait. Sorry. And he shouldn't take the job, because if he got let go in the fickle world of radio, he'd be S.O.L.

BUT...driving home, I decided that I did want to see if there was any thing there. So at about 2 a.m., I called him & asked him if we could still have the date!

He brought me roses, because he though showing up flowerless on Valentine's Day was wrong. All they had left was pink; did I mind? (Nope! Adore pink!) Wanted to take me to the Jazz Factory, but they were booked solid; would I mind Jade Palace? (Nope! Like Chinese food!) And the date movie selection that year was slim; our first date movie was "As Good as It Gets." (OCD- like another day at work for me at the psych office.) But it was sweet in its way, and he stole a kiss.

Obviously he didn't take that job in Atlanta. Yea! for happily ever after (esp. when he does the dishes.)

Anonymous said...

I posted over at Mary's about my very "first date ever" NOT my "first date with future hubby" so maybe I got it wrong. I'll blog about me and hubby later!

You and your man look so cute in this picture! And I feel so old, too. In 1998 I was 26 and finally pregnant after 3 years of marriage.

Thanks for sharing your cute/sweet memories!

Elizabeth said...

Our first date involved IHOP, too! Only in NC, not Alabama. And he sung to me in his ghetto truck. He was sweet (or was it the syrup?) and we talked forever. I still love that guy almost 9 years later. Makes me wanna have an omlet.

brooke said...

How cute! :) I love old photos like that! Our first date was Olive Garden and a movie...nothing too spectacular. Although, we were really together before out first date. How weird is that? No...we were best friends first then our relationship just grew.

Unknown said...

Those date nights that resulted in 3 hours sleep before work or school seem so long ago! (But that was so fun!) Our first date (I was 16, he was 20) was watching "Pump Up the Volume" at my house. Our first "real" date was a Queensryche concert.

And I just realized that Jason & I are the same age, so I guess that makes me OLD too. LOL!

MenefeeMenagerie said...

I was reading your story saying, "I was there! I was there!!!" Okay, so I wasn't really there on your date, but I was there when you were all giddily (is that a word) falling for him :). Oh, and was that pic from Amanda's birthday???

Our first date story was officially to a wedding after long distance talking for a month or so. Our neat story is how we met. So, I'll save that one for if you have a post like that :).

Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said...

Well, first of all, thank you for participating in my copycat carnival. :)

Second, um, I have to agree (sorry, Jason) - he WAS old for a 19-year-old! :)

I love that your first date was in the middle of the night. I have to ask, though - did your parents know? Or were you at college or on your own at the time? I'm just thinking about my own, wonderful, overly protective parents here...

What a fun story - I love how you could just talk for hours. And I don't know about you, but if Mark and I ever HAD hours to just talk, we totally could.

Stephanie B said...

Strange but true--- my hubby Chris and I met on Yahoo personals (back when it was free!) on New Year's Day 2001. Our first date was about a week later, and we went to a nice dinner and then a play at the local theatre (we lived in Rochester, NY then). He brought me flowers in a hand painted (not by him) vase. When I commented about how pretty the vase was, hand painted and all, he replied that was exactly why he'd chosen it. (Now I ask you, how many guys do you know who pay attention to the VASE when picking out flowers?!?) That was my first clue that he was a good catch. Our 2nd date was dinner at his place--- with him cooking. I gave him a squishy rubber frog that night because I had a pretty good feeling that he was going to end up being special (you know, the whole princess kissing a frog and finding prince charming thing-- corny I know). Anyway, we both knew we'd end up together by the end of the 2nd date. 9 months later he proposed (that's a whole other story!), and we've been happily married for 7 1/2 years now! (And I've dragged him across the country for my work twice now, so that's saying something!)

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Hillary

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