He Said, She Said.....Our First Date

Sunday is the official one year anniversary for me and The Boy from Texas.  To commemorate the event (and share the hilarious story of that situation....), we're doing a He Said/She Said version of the story.  I had to sweet talk him to get him on board, but I used my lawyer skills of persuasion and got it done.  Okay, maybe it was more of a bribe using a promise of baking him a pie.  Whatever works.

Enjoy.

Valentine's Day

{I had no intention of including Valentine's Day on this blog, because it was another month until we actually went on our first date.}

He Said:  You have to include Valentine's Day.  This all leads up to it.  These are historical events, you can't leave parts out.  {Okay then...}  I tried to send you flowers on Valentine's Day.  I called like 10 places, but no one could deliver that day.  So I had to fess up and tell you the plan that had failed.  I sent them a few days later.  That way it would throw you off.  I couldn't just send them the next day.  That was too obvious.

She Said:  I didn't really expect anything for Valentine's Day, we hadn't even gone on a date yet.  But about 1:00 that afternoon, I got a text with a really pretty picture of a flower arrangement with orange roses that said, "I really tired to get this delivered to you today, but failed.  This will have to do."  I was impressed, even at the failure.

Asking me out

 {To set the stage here, we lived about 5 hours apart and my parents' house was in the middle.}

She Said:  I was driving to my parents' for the weekend with plans to go to a basketball game on Friday night, take reasons at an FFA contest on Saturday, and go to the National Rifle Association Banquet with my parents on Saturday night.  He called and asked if I could come to Amarillo so he could take me to dinner.  I said that I already had plans and told him my agenda.  He said, "Can you get me a ticket to this banquet?"  I said, "Um....it will be me, my parents, and every gun toting redneck in the county there.  You don't want to come."  He said, "I don't care what it is.  I just want to see you.  Get me a ticket."  Well, okay then.

He Said:  I don't really remember the conversation because I was kinda nervous.  You kept saying you had all these plans.  I remember you said you were taking horse reasons, and I told you that I had judged horses in high school too.  You didn't get the hint.  You just kept making excuses for me not to come.

Horse Contest

{Because Mrs. Arizona is sure to ask, a horse judging contest is an FFA competition where there are four horses in a "class" and the students rank them first place through fourth place from best to worst.  Then you give reasons that explain why you ranked them how you did to adults like me.}

He Said:  We were not really meeting up until the NRA Banquet that night, but I headed over early.  I got there and you weren't answering your phone.  I kept trying to call so I could find you.  You kept texting me and saying you were almost done.  I finally found you.  I almost didn't recognize you because your hair was in braids.  After that, we sat in my pick up and judged horses from there.  Then we went into the barn and took a set of halter reasons.

She Said:  Okay, I kinda freaked out that he showed up early.  He wasn't supposed to be there until that night, I was busy, I was also nervous, so I may have not answered his calls on purpose.  I know, I know.  Sorry.  It all worked out fine.  Turned out he knew something about judging horses (major bonus points) and he held the score cards for me while we were taking reasons.

Parents House

He Said:  After the contest we went to your parents house.  I met your mom and dad.  First thing your mom said was "you're not as wild as Sweet Talker are you?"  I said no, no I'm not.  {Sweet Talker is the mutual friend who introduced me and TBFT.  We've been friends for years and my parents know him well.}

She Said:  We got done with the horse contest and after all day outside in the wind, I was literally covered in dirt.  Like it was caked on my face.  So I told him I was going to run home and get ready for the banquet.  He said he'd come too.  Not going to lie.  First thought?  "Holy crap, my parents are there, is this guy crazy?"  But he would be meeting them later in the night anyway, and it's not like there is a mecca of activity going on in my hometown, so what else was he going to do?  

I remember my mom's comment, she thought she was really funny and laughed at herself.  I remember TBFT and my dad talking about oil and gas stuff (they both work in the industry) and being happy he could carry on a conversation with my dad.

NRA Banquet

He Said:  When we walked in the room, there was a ton of people.  Of course, the first people I see are relatives of my ex-girlfriend.  But it was fine, we said hi.  Your mom was kinda quiet.  Your dad was running around like crazy bidding on guns.  We got tickets and were trying to win you a pink pistol that you really wanted.

When it got time for dinner we sat down at a table.  Turns out it was you and me, your parents, your Dad's high school prom date's son and husband and a guy who your dad went to high school with who said your dad can fight really good.  At this point, I didn't think it was awkward, I just wondered what the heck else could happen on this date.

She Said:  There are really are two main things I remember.  

The first was with the aforementioned ex-girlfriend's cousin and his wife (who I also know).  The wife figured out right away TBFT and I were there together.  The husband, on the other hand, saw TBFT walk in with my family and said, "What are you doing here, buying lambs from her dad?"  Well....not exactly.

The second is obviously dinner at the table.  TBFT's assessment pretty much sums up who was sitting at the table.  Gotta love small town America.  My dad did announce that he had taken the other guy's wife to the prom.  That wasn't awkward.  And the guy didn't just say that my dad could fight really good.  He said it like 57 times.  "Your dad, he was a really good fighter, I mean really good."  Given the fact that this guy had been in PRISON, I leaned over to my father and said, "What the heck did you do, shank people on the playground?!?"  He said, "I don't know what he's talking about" and kinda giggled.  Yea, right.  

This whole time, I'm relatively sure this will be both the first and last date because after all this, TBFT had to run for the hills, so we might as well just enjoy it while it lasted.

Breakfast

He Said:  I stayed at a hotel that night and met up with you the next morning for breakfast at Kix.  We ran across the Hepburns and I met them.  I really couldn't even eat or get a word in edgewise with Mrs. Hepburn's questions.  I remember Baby Hepburn came and sat in the booth with us.  I ate breakfast and headed home.

She Said:  The Hepburns are like family to me, so it was fitting that he meet them along with the parents on the first date weekend, right?  Mrs. Hepburn was so excited.  SO excited.  She really did talk about a million miles an hour.  After TBFT left, I went back inside to chat with them.  She said, "You two just look so cute together, you fit, like he could be your cousin."  Yea.  That wasn't traumatic.  {She later explained she just meant we were comfortable with each other, he would fit in with my family, he was my kind of person, etc.}

The Aftermath

 He Said:  I'm pretty sure I texted you to tell you that I had a great time and ask you out again before I left town.

She Said:  I was honestly shocked (but obviously really excited) that he texted me so quickly and that there would be a second date.  I mean, for real, if a guy can survive horse reasons, meeting the parents, an NRA banquet, learning that my father is some kind of secret fighting ninja, the ex-girlfriend's family, and Mrs. Hepburn calling him my cousin, he might just be a keeper...

Valentine's Day 2014 (sadly, I have no photo proof of the first date)