Back to the Beginning

I recently shared that JD’s parents came with us on our first date.  As promised, here is the full story behind that:

It was January 2008 when a co-worker asked if I’d be interested in meeting her friend’s son.  “He’s  a Marine firefighter.  He’s such a great guy, and he really needs to meet a nice girl.”

I always swore I’d never date someone in the military because I thought it would be too hard.  But I’m a true believer in the idea that everyone should be given a chance because….well…. you never know.  

My co-worker immediately went to work setting up a time we could meet up for a date.  Meanwhile, I looked JD up on Facebook, “friended” him, and we quickly progressed from Facebook messages to texts and the occasional phone call.

We didn’t do any of the planning for our first date.  That was the work of my co-worker and JD’s parents.  They scheduled the day, picked a restaurant, and decided we’d all go to dinner together since he and I had never met.  Think about the most nervous you’ve ever been on a date, then think about the pressure of earning the mom’s stamp of approval as well as your date’s stamp of approval all in the first date.  That’s enough to make anyone tie the pee record (which I actually did that day, I think). 

Finally, February 13^th came.  I was distracted at work, bit my nails, obsessed to coworkers, and waited till it was time to go home and get ready.  I remember peeking through the blinds to watch him walk up to the door.  “He has roses!” I announced excitedly to my roommate.  He was wearing a red button-up shirt and a ratty hat he’d forgotten to take off (he’s still embarrassed about that).  I remember opening the front door and being so excited the moment had finally arrived and thinking how pretty his eyes are.  I remember putting the flowers in water and my roommate telling us we looked cute together.  I remember how nervous he was, which was so endearing.  I remember sitting at dinner and wanting to touch him so badly.  Just reach out and hold his hand.  But it was the first time we’d met and his parents were sitting across the table.  Talk about awkward.

I do have to say that dinner was fun and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be, going on a “supervised” first date at the age of 24 (though I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone).  After dinner, we went out to get a drink by ourselves.  I immediately knew the relationship was headed somewhere, I just didn’t realize quite how far it was going to go.

I have to say that I’m glad I broke my “no military guys” rule.  Worked out pretty well for me in the end :)

***Sadie Update***

She’s safely home with us!  We cleared out the man room and set things up for her.  She has her own crate with a dog bed and blanket, 3 new toys that are all hers, plus a new collar and tag so she knows that she’s a part of the family.  We also put down a tarp, which has come in quite handy.  I think she knows she’s supposed to go outside, but she gets overexcited whenever we come into the room and immediately pees wherever she’s standing.  For now, we just want to make sure she’s comfortable; we’ll start work on the peeing issue in a few days.

The boys haven’t met her yet.  We have to keep them separated for the first 10 days in case anyone has any illnesses they could pass along.  Plus, with her foot in such bad shape, we don’t want them playing too rough with her.  They know she’s in there, and she knows they’re out there, and everyone is anxious to meet.  But no one has scratched down any doors yet, which is a good start :)