Last Tuesday... A Thousand Years Ago

I want to take you all back exactly one year today...

I had been chatting rather amiably with a nice girl that I met through Yahoo Personals for about 2 weeks. In "my day", that would have been a strange way to meet someone ("Why not just go to the club?"), but I'm a liberally minded, 21st-century guy, so there you have it.

Anyway, we made a date to meet each other for the first time in person on April 28th. I'll be the first to admit that the idea of a blind date had me quaking in my boots (okay, I don't wear boots, but you get the picture...). And, from what I have since learned, she wasn't much calmer about the proposition. Still, being two grown adults, we swallowed our fears and met on that fateful day.

We chose to go to a movie (always a safe bet for a first date) and, since there was a bookstore right next to the theatre, I suggested we meet there.

I made sure to arrive well ahead of time, so I could stake out a good spot. I wanted to see every person who came in so I'd be sure not to miss her. I had only seen a couple of pictures of her and I had no idea how old they were... How embarrassing if I didn't recognize my date! So, I grabbed a book and managed to find a chair that gave me a perfect view of the only door. If only I hadn't picked such a good book...

As I was becoming very engrossed in the fiction, I suddenly felt very much that I was being watched... I looked first to the door, hoping it was just my intuition alerting me to her entrance. Nothing. Then I turned turned to my left, and there she was.

The first thing I noticed is that she was trying very hard to blend into the bookcase she was hugging for dear life. Okay, well at least I wasn't alone in my nervousness... The next thing I noticed was that she was far prettier than the pictures I had been sent. Naturally, this pleased me very much... for a moment. Then I began to worry about what she thought of me! Well, no time like the present to find out, I thought...

I closed my book, stood up from my chair, and walked straight over to her. Then, in an uncharacteristic move, I hugged her, saying, "Hi there." And that was it. At that very instant, I felt like I had known this girl my whole life. In fact, I told her on a subsequent date, "I met you last Tuesday... a thousand years ago."

Today is funny, really, because she hasn't fully recovered from her eye surgery, so what started as a Blind Date has lead us to a Nearly-Blind Anniversary a year later! But, I have to say, it's been a year filled with a lot of fun, a lot of love, and a lot of happiness. So, I'd like to dedicate today's post to her, my little Dancer on the Sand, and to the many years I know we have ahead of us...

Here's to you and our future, honey...