Saturday, November 1, 2008

Anniversary

Today is the 17th anniversary of my first date with my husband, Scott. We have known each other for half of our lives! I want to take a few minutes to reminisce about falling in love with him. I figure that it is always good to strengthen a relationship by remembering what brought you together in the first place.

My junior year of high school, my best friend had a crush on a guy that was in concert choir with us. (The choir had over 100 students, so I didn’t know everyone well.) He would walk with us from our history classes (she and he were in the same class, I in an adjacent classroom) to our lockers. I always felt like a 3rd wheel as they conversed down the hallway.

Then, she and I made the madrigal choir for the following year, and she was ecstatic to see that Scott made it too.

The next fall in our madrigal class, we had two different seating arrangements: sections and mixed. We were seated according to height and would stand in the same positions for performances. Well, it just so happened that Scott and I ended up sitting next to each other in mixed position. We began to get to know each other, and I especially enjoyed his sense of humor. He had a gorgeous voice and was a talented pianist too. I felt a “crush” coming on, but kept it to myself because I knew my best friend still liked him.

Then one day, she said “I don’t think I am going to ask Scott to the dance, I think I will ask _____ instead.” I looked at her, got up my courage, and then said timidly, “Do you mind if I ask Scott?” She was excited! “That’s a great idea! I will help you!” For some reason, asking someone to a dance is a big ordeal, something that requires creativity and careful planning. We cut a pumpkin open and put in pieces of a puzzle (wrapped in plastic) with a message and invitation to the dance on the back of the puzzle. A few days later, my doorbell rang in the late evening. On my doorstep was a hot pumpkin pie. My mom and I sliced the pie and removed a piece. Under the crust was a piece of cardstock with the word “YES.” Wow, not only did Scott have a beautiful bass voice and a great sense of humor, but he could cook too!

Well, we hit it off at the dance. It was so comfortable and fun, and romantic. Thus began our dating. My best friend was jealous! (We worked it out, though.) I now had another best friend. Scott and I went to every school dance together after that. We spent every moment we could together at school. He transferred into my seminary class, so we had two choir classes, seminary, and AP English together. We ate lunch together, and spent time by my car after school talking, and then more time later on the phone. Everyone thought we were so cute together, started making predictions about our future, etc. It was 5 months before he kissed me, which drove me crazy! I always thought it was because we were both so shy. Now I know there was more to it than that. :)

The following year, I went away to college while he stayed home and worked and prepared for a mission. For our first anniversary (from our first date), he gave me a stuffed teddy bear that I cuddled with every night from then on until we got married (nearly 3 years). It is pretty worn out. I named the bear “Tin Silicide” because November 1st was also the beginning of “National Chemistry Week” (or so said a small wallet-sized periodic table that I got in my chemistry class at the time.) I thought Scott and I had great “chemistry”, and the symbol for tin is Scott’s initials, and for Silicon my initials. Kind of corny, I know. I was so pathetic.

Writing this blog post makes me grin. Good times.

Happy Anniversary, Scott! I love you!

11 comments:

Hidden said...

Now that. THAT was a great post. Thanks for the reminisce, I really do think that's a great way to strengthen your love and commitment to one another (and more pumpkin pie too, come on Scot!)

Rob said...

THIS is the kind of family God smiles on.

Unknown said...

Awwwh... choir romance! I miss those days. Congratulations :)

There was this girl that liked me a lot, and we were both in choir. We were really good friends and I simply couldn't push myself to go on a legitimate "date" with someone... and this was before I admitted to myself I had sga.

She did ask me to prom though, and I said yes. When I look back, I kind of feel bad for not taking things further, but at the same thing, I felt like we never clicked in that way (just like every other date I have been on). Now she goes to Belmont and is marrying some crazy good singer...

Anyways, your story reminded me of that. You guys are a great couple.

Scott said...

Here's the embarrassing part that she left out:

After she had asked me to the dance, I decided that I was probably safe asking her out on a date (something I had really only done a couple of times before--both with the friend she mentioned in this post)(*).

So I summoned up some courage and asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner, etc., and she agreed, and wondered when I wanted to go. I blurted out the first date that entered my mind.

She looked at me strangely for a moment, then reminded me that we were already planning to go to the dance (that she had asked me to) on that night.

(I managed to overcome my mortified embarrassment long enough to arrange a different day for our date. Obviously she was able to look past my airheadedness and somehow managed to fall in love with me anyway).

(*) I had asked a different girl to Homecoming that year, but the elaborate shenanigans high school kids in Utah go through to ask people out allow you to ask someone without actually talking to them, so I'm not sure this one counts.

Scott said...

... and she just let me know that I had asked her to a movie, not to dinner.

I never get anything right. :)

Sarah said...

Maybe you were too embarrassed to remember. :)

It took me a few minutes to even remember that we already had a conflict that night. I was nervously excited that you were asking me out and I couldn't think straight either, so don't feel bad.

Now here's a test: do you remember what the movie was?

Scott said...

Now here's a test: do you remember what the movie was?

Not a chance. I'm not even sure I remember what we had for dinner last night.

Sarah said...

Pizza

and Robin Hood

"Everything I do, I do it for you..."

:)

Beck said...

You really are a hopeless romantic! This is getting really gaggy... :)

Mike said...

I miss how crazy Utah kids are when it goes to asking someone out to a school dance.

My wife said Mormons never went to school dances up here in Canada, whereas those were really 'THE' dates to go on in high school in UT.

I am so glad I don't have to do that anymore.

You guys are pretty cute AND cheesy. You remind me of my wife and I. :)

LDS Pride said...

Haha!! I remember the good old days of creative asking and responding. The anticipation of putting the puzzle together or rearranging the letters of someone's name. Good times.