My husband & I celebrated the anniversary of our first blind date in early February. We met in a slightly unconventional way. We met online, but not through a dating website or anything. Back in the olden days AOL was the main way people went online. When I left Pocatello, Idaho to come back to Utah after my first marriage fell apart. I moved in with my mother. Not the ideal situation, but one I thought I could deal with for 6 months or so while I got a job, saved up some money and got on my feet. We basically left with nothing but some clothes, toys & a car. I had been a stay at home mom for five years so I didn't have any income coming in.
On the weekends that my kids were gone, I didn't have anything to do, so I went online and chatted with people. I didn't like the chat rooms because they were awkward and random individuals. AOL had a search you could do to find people closer to home. One night I sent him a note because he lived in the same city I was. He didn't want to meet because I wasn't divorced yet, just separated. We chatted off and on for a year and a half. We never met, never exchanged phone number, never exchanged pictures, or even knew each other's last names. We did chat about a lot of personal things, deep feeling and silly things. It's easy to talk to someone when you think you'll never actually meet them. There were times we didn't talk for a few months, but then one of us would contact the other one.
About a month after I moved in with my mom, I realized it wouldn't work so I moved into the cheapest apartment I could find, got a job, and started my life with my kids. My divorce became final and I started dating here and there. I continued to chat online with William and occasionally I'd ask if he'd like to meet, but it became kind of our joke. One day, 11 months after my divorce was final, I asked him to meet. This time he startled me by saying yes. He said you name the where and when and I'll be there.
Keep in mind we still didn't know what each other looked like, last name, where each other lived or even what car to look out for... I decided to meet at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. I remember pulling up right behind a guy in a white Pontiac Firebird. He parked, I parked. He didn't say anything and neither did I. He walked toward the entrance and so did I. He sat down on the bench right inside as I approached. He said, Sandra. The entire lunch, all two hours was easy conversation, he was funny, charming, and had an amazing personality. He was cute. When we left, I hugged him and told him he smelled good. I didn't want to leave him.
To commemorate that fateful day, we go to Sweet Tomatoes every year. We always take the kids, some times his mom comes, and we’ve even had occasions where extended family has attended the event. I love that tradition. It always reminds me that trying too hard to make something happen isn't always the best way. Sometime it’s just a matter of being ready….
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