a flood of flashbacks

Today is our anniversary of our first date. There are a lot of memories that have flooded back over the past couple weeks that I have been reminiscing on. Our relationship started over the Internet on LDS singles dot com. We wrote many letters back and forth during a one week period with finally a phone call on Thursday night that lasted into early morning hours. If I remember right, it was just after 4 am that I finally hung up. He had a test the next day and I had work. He sent me flowers at work on Friday, followed by another phone call that night and with him "sort of" asking me out, "if he had time" Saturday night. Our first date included:

• Jake planning a date with my daughter. He specifically told me not to get a sitter.
• Jake going to the wrong house and picking up the wrong Amy. At this house also lived an Amy, with a two year old daughter, that drove the same color and model of Honda that I did. He even went as much to inviting himself in and persisting that he was going out with her while her husband sat on the couch. Her daughter told him that "mommy said we have to teach the boys a lesson." Meanwhile inside his head he was already planning on throwing away his computer for life thinking this "fake" had used a fake picture, fake conversation, fake everything and set him up. If you haven't ever heard this story, you are missing out. It's priceless.
• After realizing he was at the wrong house, because the middle of the street divided the town, he was over a half hour late picking me up.
• He finally made it to my house, and I had a "code" set up with a co-worker in case it wasn't going to work out, and I needed an out.
• Realizing it was for real.
• Going to Chuck E. Cheese with McKay, and McKay ended up getting sick. We went to the movie store and picked out a couple movies to watch that night.
• Staying up late and talking.
• Finally ending the date at 5 am with church being the next day.

(Back to the present) A couple weeks ago, we were giving the lesson in primary (my friend Lindsey and I teach the 4-5 year olds) and the lesson was on the importance of prophets with a story of King Benjamin in the beginning. Lindsey was teaching while I sat with the kids and it took me back to that next Sunday(following our first date).

Jake ended up coming to church with me since we had stayed up so late and I had the afternoon schedule. He came with me to my class and bore his testimony and told the story of King Benjamin. It was fast Sunday and he also bore his testimony in sacrament meeting. It was that night that I asked him where I stood because I hate playing dating games. It was that night he told me we were exclusive. That first week we spend over 80 hours together (we kept track.)

I'm so happy he wrote me back that first letter.