The first date. Nervous. Excited. Did I mention nervous? Yeah, well, I was nervous. How many boys had I dated? Not many. The plan was to meet Jason at his house, and he would drive us to Idaho Falls. As I pulled up to his house (on time), Jason was still getting ready. In fact, he hollered for me to enter the house, and I found him staring down at me through a little window that looked down from a room of a split level. I'm sure I blushed, because he was not ready.
He motioned toward the couches and told me to sit tight, so I quietly sat down, avoiding the window at all costs, and I took in my surroundings. There were these two very flowery couches, and the wall paper was covered in flowers too. In fact, the whole house had the decor style of a woman, which I thought was odd for a couple of bachelors. I knew that Jason was living with his brother... but he never mentioned that he lived with his parents too!! What if I had run into them that first day? I know that they would have been more than cordial to this unknown girl, because they are very welcoming people. I suppose it is the pressure of meeting the family before anything become serious.
(This whole memory lane thing has me laughing...what good times).
He finally came down the stairs dressed in slacks, a white shirt and a tie. I immediately thought, oh my, am I under dressed in my jeans, t-shirt and jacket? So, I voiced my concerns. His answer, "No, I brought clothes to change into. I just have a job interview in Idaho Falls first."
I nodded my head. Of course, a job interview! Always thinking practically, Jason had tagged our date onto the tale end of his interview! That was a first for me! So we hopped in his white Jeep, and took off, to make it to his appointment on time.
We had an engaging conversation during that one hour long drive. He mentioned how he was interested in being a financial planner, and the job he was interviewing for would be a step in that direction. We talked about family, friends, drum corps. and volleyball.
He asked me, "So, what are your thoughts about going on a mission?"
That one surprised me. I was fresh from high school, months away from turning 19, and hadn't put any thought into that particular option. "Well," I said slowly, "I suppose if I wasn't married, and I felt it was the right thing to do, then I'd go."
Jason's response was something to the affect of, "Well, I'd hate to hold you back from such a great experience."
I'm not sure where the conversation went after that. Those were just the main things I remembered.
The one thought that was on my mind during the drive was, now, am I going to wait in the car....? That's me, always worrying about the details... even then. But not to worry, because my concern was answered with a, "Well, come on, there are some chairs in the office that you can sit in to wait."
So, we went in. He was very gentlemanly and opened the door for me, ushering me in. I expected to wait away from the office, and the people who worked there. To my surprise, Jason led me all the way to the receptionist where he checked in and we took a seat.
The interviewer finally came out, and introduced himself to Jason, and to my embarrassment, Jason introduced me to the guy too! I would have been fine to just sit quietly without any attention being drawn to me. It was very nice of him to include me though.
If my memory serves me correctly, the man asked me if Jason was a good guy, and if he should hire him. I may have responded, "Sure! Your guess is as good as mine!" (Now, I don't remember if Jason was offered the job or not... I hope I didn't hinder him).
After the interview, we headed back to the Jeep, and headed across the Snake River and ate at the Chiles there. The food was delicious, and I distinctly remember being very conscious of eating in front of him, somewhat unlike me. Funny how dating someone new can make us self conscious. Afterward, we went to the movie theater and watched the movie Signs, about an alien invasion. Jason had already seen it, and he just kept watching me... I caught him.
After the movie, we continued talking, and walked around the Idaho Falls Temple. It was gorgeous at night. We may or may not have shared a kiss or two. I plead the fifth, but he was a perfect gentleman!
Funny bit. Jason hugged me, and I could feel something underneath his shirt going down his back. My original thought was that he had some kind of medical thing on his back. It was a little bit worrisome, until later I saw him pull the long cloth strap that he had hooked to his keys! I felt sheepish afterward, because I wondered what was wrong with him!
We drove back to his house, said goodbye and I headed back to my own house with my head in the clouds. What a good day... even after its quirks!
