First date!

First off, I'm challenging all of you to submit a story of your first date with your husband, spouse, significant other. Keep it clean - kids read this...

My first date with Robb...

I was sitting in the computer lab at college, typing a letter to my sister rather than homework. I remember that another boy was sitting behind me at another station that I was kind of hoping would ask me out sometime... But Robb came into the lab and sat at the station next to me. He said... "You're going to know where this is leading in a minute... but are you dating anyone?"
Well no, actually. He asked me to double date with him and another couple, Tim & Sharon and see the David Copperfield show. I said sure!

I had been in several computer classes with Robb and seen him around campus in various activities. He worked in the computer building, so I saw him pretty often there. He once asked for a ride across campus from me when he had really left his car back at the computer building, just to spend some time with me... (I found that part out later.)

Anyway - back to the date. I drew him a map of how to get to my house. I commuted a 20 minute drive from home every day, so I didn't live in the dorms. My home away from home was either in the little restaurant in the commons or the yearbook office where I was the editor or the computer lab.

On the map, I was very precise on how to get to the country road we lived on. Gravel road, dust bucket city... past the golf course, past the dog kennel, around a corner and then drew a picture of my house. I was an art minor for one semester so I took great pains to draw the house in great detail...

So, the day of the big date... I got home from school and was anxious to get ready for our date. In the driveway I found a police car. My youngest sister, Kristin had been home alone (she was 12) and riding her horse in the meadow. Suddenly a car speeding up the gravel road slammed on their breaks and fish-tailed around in the road until they came to a stop in front of our house. Both men in the car pointed at Kristin and the house, then took off again. They turned around over the hill and came back slowly watching the house. Kristin freaked out and called the police, thinking she was going to be kidnapped... A little too much Kojak... but in this day and age, this was not a bad thing to do. She's a smart kid.

So anyway, a woman police officer was glad to see me. She hadn't wanted to leave Kristin alone until someone got home. This woman might have prompted Kristin into going into the police field later... But Kristin gave me the description of the car and it sounded very suspiciously like Robbs...

Robb came to pick me up and after seeing his car, he admitted that he and Tim had tried to find the house early and had been the "kidnappers". They had gotten lost for over an hour and only found the right place because of my drawing. But they would rather get lost earlier, than when I'm sitting there waiting for him... They were so excited to actually find the place that they slammed on the breaks and pointed... at the house... Then thought someone might think they were weird, so they went past, turned around and came back slowly. My dad called the police and called off the search.

My sister and her husband were there, and true to his nature, Ken made sure to stress to Robb that I only like expensive restaurants...

David Copperfield was great! I don't remember much of it, actually, other than I was thoroughly mesmerized. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards and since both Robb & Tim were Methodist ministers kids, they exchanged stories and jokes. We had a great time. I learned how a mouse once crawled up Robb's dad's pants during a sermon in a little country church, etc.

They wanted to go mini-golfing next, but I looked at my new pretty watch and panicked. I had a curfew of midnight and it was 11:30 according to my watch. We wouldn't be able to get a game in. I was too embarrassed to tell Robb that I had a curfew, so I just said that I had to be to work in the morning and needed to get home.

I remember Sharon asking me what time I needed to be there and when I said 8:30am, she looked perplexed and said, "Oh... that's early..."

They took me home and to my surprise all the lights were still on in my house. I was wondering why everyone was still awake. I said good night and went in.

To my surprise, everyone was awake and it was only 10:30pm. My new pretty watch was difficult to read and I'd called my date off early! I felt miserable and thought that Robb must think I had an awful time.

So when I got to work the next morning, I took along my college directory so I could call his dorm room. I worked for an insurance company and wrote down details of semi-truckers accidents when they called in after an accident. Then would call the appropriate adjuster to get it figured out. Great job! They only hired college kids for evening, overnight and weekends. Perfect for me, so I could study at the same time.

I called Robb's room and woke up a stranger! Apparently Robb had exchanged rooms with someone shortly after the year started and it wasn't reflected in the directory. So this guy went across the hall and woke up Robb. He was pleasantly surprised and yes, he thought for sure that I'd had a rotten time. So we set up a date for the next weekend.

So... 21 years later (+ 2 years of dating) this next Thursday, we be celebrating our wedding anniversary. Funny how things work out!
Oh - for a sewing aspect, I made my dress and 3 of the 4 bridesmaid dresses. Pictured above is Robb and me and then our maid of honor (one of my sisters - not Kristin) and our best man (roommate of Robb's). We were married outdoors by Robb's dad in a beautiful flower garden.