Our Love Story: Part One

The story of us is a long one, and it started long ago.

It isn't always the most romantic story, and there probably aren't a lot of people that would say

"Oh I wish I could have a love story like that!" 

But it is ours.

It's our journey, and it's how we got where we are now, and where I hope we go in the future.

This is the story of us.

Our love story.

Bill and I met on March 14th 2009, if you count the day we met in person as the day we met. As unromantic as it probably sounds, we met online, on a website called Plenty of Fish. Classy, I know, but hey, I met one of my exboyfriends on MySpace, so I guess you just never know where love might find you. 

I wasn't really interested in dating. The Jedi was just a baby, not even a year old yet and I was still sort of reeling from my breakup with his dad, even though it had been almost a year before I met Bill. My cousins Lindsay and Danielle both had profiles on Plenty of Fish (and yes, I sometimes wonder if either of them had ever talked to him online before I met him) and they convinced me to make one, sighting reasons like "You can't be single forever." and "It's fun, if you like someone, have coffee, if you don't just see what's out there, make friends, have a life, blah blah blah"

After a little pressuring, I made a profile that I did not take seriously in any way shape of form.

I listed going to a roller disco as my top date idea, and I had a list of 10 reasons why someone should date me, which included things like "I won't steal Vicodan out of your medicine cabinet" and "I don't hear voices in my head."

A couple weeks went by, and I got messages from mostly creepers. I would sit up at night and read the awesomely spaztastic shit that guys would send me that they considered serious attempts to meet a lady. Things like calling me baby in their introductory email, asking if I was an angel cuz my smile was Heavenly (I swear to God) and even telling me that they heard voices in their head, but they all said I was beautiful.

Sigh.

I went on a date with a guy who was so thoroughly creepy, he actually asked me ON OUR FIRST DATE if I could see myself falling in love with him.

Ack!

It wasn't looking promising.

And then one night, I logged on and there was a message waiting for me from a guy with a very normal profile picture. Not shirtless, not posing with drunk blondes in a bar, and there was no photos of his car anywhere on his profile. Holy shit, could he be....normal?! Not socially retarded! ZOMG!

I don't remember what his message said, which to this day irritates me, but I remember it was funny, it was charming, and it actually made me laugh out loud. I was intrigued. I looked at his profile, and that was awesome too! He actually listed how sarcastic he was and that he loved ice cream on his DATING profile! 

Winning.

And y'all, he was H-O-T. I mean, seriously, old movie style handsome. Handsome in a way that you just don't see these days outside of movies like Casa Blanca and The Way We Were. I was pretty smitten, basically right off. 

There was an age difference of 17 years, which bothered me none, but when I told my cousin Lindsay, her exact words were "Sarah, holy shit, he was having sex when you were BORN." I didn't see why that mattered. Annnnnnd he was separated, not divorced, which at first was a little off putting to me, but he assured me his divorce was just around the corner and they'd been split up for quite some time. 

None of it mattered. I had to meet him. 

We agreed to meet on a Saturday night in Tempe for drinks around 9 and see where things went. Of course, this being a story involving me, something had to go terribly wrong. I locked my keys in the car at a gas station, and ended up being TWO HOURS late. But Bill, being the awesome guy he is, agreed to wait, and still met up with me at 11 o'clock.

We met in downtown Tempe, around Mill avenue, and I had parked in a parking garage and starting wondering around, lost, like I do. Bill and I were on the phone, trying to find each other, when I turned around and he was pulling up right behind me. He rolled his window down, leaned over and smiled at me.

Now, I've never been a believer in love at first sight, but that one moment, that first smile, changed something for me. As soon as I saw it, even though I can't say I was in love, I can easily say I have never seen a mouth that I more wanted to kiss in my entire life.

It was magical.

{Queue dove release now}

For a first date, we really couldn't have gotten more unclassy. I was in shorts and a tank top, he was dressed super casual {not his fault, he was sweet enough to coordinate outfits with me prior to meeting. I know, what a guy, right??} We ended up going to Macayos, having enough beer to get me buzzed, then walking to Hooters.

I know. For shame.

But it was fun!

I don't think I had ever laughed so much on a first date in my entire life. He was hilarious! He was charming, and disarming and so down to Earth it was obscene. Our conversation flowed easily, our eye contact was intense and our silence was inexplicably comfortable. And I was just dying to kiss him.

After Hooters, where I got a little more unclassy {read: drunk}we walked back to his car in the Macayo's parking lot, and this is where shit gets real.

He went to my side of the car like he was going to open the door for me, but when I went to get in, he grabbed me and spun me around to face him. Before I could say Hey, his lips were on mine, and I was knee deep in our very. first. kiss.

And as kisses go, it was, in a word, delicious.

Stay tuned for Part Two of our tale of two love birds, tomorrow!