Seven years ago today

mementos from our first date- of course I saved the movie ticket! :)

Seven years ago today Hank and I went on our very first date. I still recall that feeling as I got ready for that evening- so much anticipation and so many butterflies. I remember pulling up to the Vegetarian House to meet him (he drove down from Prescott for it), and I'll never forget what it felt like walking up to him. That moment marked a distinct divide in my life. A before and after, and a part of me knew this; call me crazy but I felt l like I'd always loved him from the moment I met him, just weeks earlier at mutual friend's house. And even though I was shaking inside and so nervous, at my center I was calm, somehow knowing that this was it for me.

As the night went by we laughed and talked, we walked around Old Town Scottsdale, we went and saw a movie. We ended our night with a slice of pie and seeing some of our mutual friends at the Tempe IHOP, where we'd all often hang out after shows. The date was perfect, and as he walked me to my car I felt like tap dancing. And as he drove away that night, making the two hour trip back up north, something in my gut told me that I was very right about my feelings. I woke up the next morning to a long email, written at 4am when he got home, reassuring me of that. I still have this letter tucked away in a special place, because it's the true beginning of us.

And now seven years later we still celebrate our special first-date anniversary, and I think we always will. It's such a fun celebration of such an important day, and it's so fun to think back and remember how it all began. Seven years, and a million more to come.

If you'd like to read more, you can learn about how we met, our engagement story, or flashback to our wedding! Enjoy.


p.s. I just realized yet again how GRATEFUL I am for this blog and this space...to have all of this documented in such a way is truly amazing. Yay, blog! haha.