3 years ago...

3 years ago TODAY, Lyle and I had our first date.

We usually don't recognize today as anything different. I think the first year we were arguing, last year we were moving, and this year I didn't even realize it until the night before, then forgot it again until dinner today.

It was fun to talk about what we did on our date, what we were REALLY thinking and feeling, and what was most significant about that first week.

So that it is officially recorded, I will describe our first official date. I drove down from Cedar Hills to meet Lyle in Provo. He wanted to pick me up, but I was too sensible (and probably too independent) to make him drive 30 minutes up just to drive 30 minutes back to Provo for a date. I met him at his apartment, where he was ready to go. He drove me to the Outdoor Scera Theater and surprised me with tickets to see FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. I could not hide my surprise at that moment and asked him, "who are you". He responded with, "I am a modern day renaissance man. I enjoy a museum during the day and a football game at night". Granted we were enjoying a lot of fun, sarcastic banter throughout the entire date, but I could tell he was being witty, yet honest, and that is probably the turning point of the night. Following our chinese takeout with the Fiddler on the Roof, we went back to Lyle's apartment where he showed me his plethora of bands he loved. Not only did he show me EVERY SINGLE CD and describe the essence of his favorite bands, but he also played me HIS songs and his BAND'S songs. Let me just say that I endured through the former because I enjoyed the latter so much. He wasn't cocky about how awesome his songs were, he was just passionate of how much HE enoyed them...that they were HIS. That struck a chord (pun intended) in me. Here's an exerpt from my journal. Keep in mind that the entry BEFORE this one was dated December 4, 2005, which goes to show that I didn't write very often, but this entry was obviously foreshadowing my future:

"Technically it's Sunday morning, but I couldn't go to sleep until I wrote something down. But right now, the most immediate noteworth thing I must record is the wonderful night I had and the unprecendented feelings that came with it. A guy named Lyle took me on a date...He has a band so he was playing some of his new stuff for me and I think this is where I started to feel it. It was this feeling where I couldn't take my eyes off him and I felt like everything was perfect... Then he was telling me the words to some lyrics and I felt like he looked deep into me, like he knew me, and I knew him...I feel like Lyle could be it. I don't know exactly WHY I think it, but I love everything about him. I can't think of why he's interested in me, but I hope I fulfill his expectations. Something is different with him and it makes me nervous. Could he really be "the one"?"

The words seem somewhat stereotypical now, but they were honest. I had NEVER written about a boy being "the one" before or even written about a single first date (except maybe my first one at 16), so this entry was very weird to even record at the time. It's fun to have it for my posterity and to remind myself what I was feeling at the time.

Our life changed that day...3 years ago.