The First Day of the Rest of My Life: June 12, 1999

My roommates and I drove to church together for stake conference.  There wasn't enough seats next to each other, so I sat in front of them next to the tall guy (Rex) that I'd met at the bonfire earlier that week.  Part way through the meeting, one of the girls said she had a headache and wanted to go home, another said she was feeling sick too, and the third was the one who drove.  So they were all ditching church and asked if I was coming.  Today was not a social day at church, so I couldn't blame them for being bored and wanting to leave, but after the lame excuse for spirituality I'd experienced at BYU, I was looking for somewhere that took things more seriously.  I was staying.  I leaned over and asked Rex if he'd give me a ride home. "You really have to twist my arm for that," he said.

As he was taking me home, Rex asked if I'd like to go with him to his best friend's house for dinner that evening.  I actually had plans to drive down to my grandmother's for dinner for her birthday.  So then he asked if I'd go next Sunday.  Again, I had plans.  Poor guy, I could see he was sweating bullets. I didn't want him to think I was turning him down intentionally, so I said, "How about Saturday?" I could see his whole body relax and he asked to take me miniature golfing at the Oceanside Family Fun Center after he got off work that evening. I would be down in San Diego during the day and didn't know when I'd be back, so he gave me his number. I had tried calling him all week but the phone would just ring and ring. I thought he was an idiot for not having an answering machine. It turned out that he had given me a wrong number. Finally, on Saturday evening, I knew where he worked, so I looked up the number and tried calling him there, but he had already gone home. I thought I was out of luck because I didn't know how else to get a hold of him. He thought I was standing him up because I hadn't called to confirm. But luckily he called me and I told him what happened.

When Rex picked me up, I felt underdressed in a sweater and jeans because he came dressed in a button-up corduroy shirt, slacks, and dress shoes.  I think I embarrassed him when I said as much, since I think he was just trying to make a good impression.  After having gone on dates where the guys completely missed every cue, I was pleased Rex was kind enough to open my car door for me.  (The nerve of some guys who honk for their date instead of coming to the front door! Seriously, did a guy expect a second date if he was that rude? No, Rex wasn't one of those guys; he was always a gentleman. And still is.) Apparently, he was impressed I leaned over to unlock his car door for him.  I still think it's silly that he thought it was such a big deal, but to this day, he insists most girls wouldn't do that.  That was back in the day before everyone had automatic locks, and I figured everyone did that. Didn't they?

He was such a goofball. He was so animated and wouldn't stop talking. He had an off-the-wall personality, totally crazy sense of humor, and a completely different way of thinking about things. The way he talked was very intense, his tone and inflection very unique, like he was passionate about absolutely everything in the world. It was impossible not to be drawn to his emphatic speech pattern and the timbre of his voice. He was so funny, he had me laughing so much my face hurt from smiling. He kept saying how he loved my laugh and how I had an awesome smile.

He asked me if I wore contacts. Yes I did, but I thought that was a weird question. He thought I was wearing colored contacts because "nobody has eyes that blue." Hmmm, no, his eyes were very blue. Mine were like shattered glass, speckled green, blue, and gray. But it was sweet of him to say so. He asked me questions and listened attentively. I was surprised then and in later days the things he remembered and referred to. I wasn't used to anyone acting like they cared what I said, let alone recalling it later. It was like I was the only thing he could see, that all the other things in the background were nonexistent.

I could tell how nervous he was that night and I thought it was so cute. He had been a nervous wreck that whole week leading up to the date. His boss even let him go home early that day because he was such a mess. Yes, it was pretty obvious. It was adorable. Like Will Smith in Hitch.

We went to the Family Fun Center (FFC) nearby, but when we got there, the whole place was reserved for some special group that night. I actually knew the regional manager (a member of the Church) and he gave us 2-for-1 coupons as a consolation prize. I told Rex that he could take me home if he wanted; I didn't want him to feel obligated to entertain me when his plan fell through. Or, if he still wanted to go miniature golfing, I knew of another location where we could use the coupons we just got, but it was a long drive.

He took me up on the idea of going to the other location. Heck, that just meant I was a captive in his truck a little longer. So we drove down to my neck of the woods to the El Cajon FFC. But he hadn't eaten after work because he'd been so nervous, and now he was starving, so we stopped at Taco Bell nearby the golf place where I ran into a girl I knew from high school but hadn't seen in 2 years. We went on to our destination where I ran into 3 other people I knew. Rex was amazed at how I ran into people I knew everywhere we went. Well, we were on my old stomping grounds, after all.

Rex made a big deal about how I got 2 holes-in-one, like I was a pro. But I proved it was just good luck since I launched my ball into the bushes several times and he had to go fish it out for me. Then I couldn't get the ball in the last hole and I had to walk up and put it in by hand for it to keep my ball. There was a group of high school kids ahead of us on the course and they were making out. I said I didn't know that miniature golfing was so romantic! Little did I know he was wishing he was doing the same thing with me. Good thing he kept that to himself. It would have freaked me out. I can be so clueless sometimes... Instead, he picked a flower and gave it to me. Aw, how sweet...except he handed me Stink Weed (Society Garlic). He even serenaded me with Little Bunny Fufu. Yes, very much like Hitch.

It doesn't really sound like the most exciting date, but I hadn't had that much fun ever -- and I'd been on lots of dates with lots of different guys. I literally could not stop smiling. I had to massage my cheeks to stop them from hurting. I laughed so much my sides hurt, and, not surprising, I had a hard time keeping from falling over. When he took me home, I couldn't wait for another date with him. Not because I was madly in love with him or incredibly attracted to him, but because I loved his company more than anyone I'd ever met. All I wanted was to have fun, and this guy could make watching fungus grow seem exciting. Little did I know I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.

Happy Anniversary!