Our first date...!

Paul and I went out on our first date seventeen years ago today. This is how it all began. After we met on Sunday morning, Paul came back to lead the worship service that night and realized that I had gone back to Austin. He asked my aunt for my number, but she wanted to make sure that it was OK with me. After asking for my number several times, he finally called me on Tuesday night about 11:00 pm (he had to wait to get back home after the Tuesday night service.). He called and asked me if I would like to go to the Amy Grant concert in Waco on Saturday night, Nov. 2. Before I could answer, he said that he was taking 15 students from his church with him. I said that I would love to go and we made arrangements for him to pick me up at my aunt's house in Temple. We talked one other time during the week. Finally Saturday arrived. I went to Temple to my aunt's house. Paul picked me up around 4 pm. We had to drive to Marlin where we were going to have dinner before meeting the kids at the church to go to Waco. Paul told me that he fixed dinner for us and as I walked through the door, I saw that he had a candle lit dinner prepared for us. He had asked some guys in his youth group to come over and light the candles and put the plates that were in the oven on the table. I was so impressed. I had never had anyone make dinner for me.

After dinner, we went to the church to meet the students and get in the church van to go to the concert. It was an interesting ride to the concert. Paul and I on our first date - trying to get to know one another and 15 students trying NOT to listen (ha, ha). We had a great time and after the concert, we drove back to Marlin and then had to drive back to Temple. On the way, Paul asked if I would like to stop to get something warm to drink. It was a very cold night and in a small town, the only place open was a convenience store. We pulled in and both got a hot chocolate to drink. (Looking back on it now, Paul was very smart. I hate the way coffee smells and Paul loves coffee. He picked the right drink for the night!)

Paul and I were finally getting a chance to get to know one another without anyone listening in. We were different in many ways. I am a small town girl from Texas. He was a city boy from Georgia. He was confident and a huge extrovert while I was quiet and reserve. But in many ways, we discovered that we were alike. Our core values and Christian beliefs were the same. We love music. He was in choir and I was in band. By the end of the night, I had realized that I had found someone who was very special. He was someone I wanted to spend more time with and we could talk and laugh about so many things. Our first date is something that we always remember.

Coming up next...."Meeting my family"