Ten years ago yesterday...

It was ten years ago yesterday that we went on our first date.

It was the same day as the super bowl. The Packers won. I was impressed that you would rather go on a date with me than watch the super bowl. You actually showered and put on a button down shirt. And you were on time. I was impressed.

I remember agreeing to go on a date with you for two reasons. Despite the fact we were working together and I had a policy not to date people I worked with. 1 - you liked Leonard Cohen and would admit that. 2 - my good friend K said she thought you were not a train wreck.

By the way, as I think I told you, you were not on my list of people I was going to look up when I returned from my semester abroad.

I can't say dating you didn't have its advantages. Dating you kept me away from my crazy ex-roommate (a feminist who couldn't be bothered to light her own cigarettes, don't ask). You were someone who said what they thought. You pissed a lot of people off on a regular basis - especially the afore mentioned roommate.

And you had a car. I remember the first time I ran an errand with you in said truck. January 1997 was particularily snowy and we had to dig your truck out of two feet of snow. I was wearing black clogs. I recall being impressed by how clean your truck was. I had dated too many men who kept old fast food bags and empty pop bottles in their vehicles. Little did I know that your mom had cleaned out your truck only a few weeks prior on Christmas vacation - and that it wouldn't be cleaned out again for at least four years. But I digress.

After our first date, even though we were working together at the time, I had e-mailed you (using pine - you computer geeks out there). Only to find out you didn't read your college e-mail account and hadn't for years due to paranoia about government monitoring. The entire day you had been curious of my reaction - when in my mind I had already let you know I had a good time.

After we got back from the restaurant, you actually listened to me talk about Russia. Which was impressive, because not many people would listen to me talk about my time there. I could go on for hours (and still can, by the way). You also listened to Tori Amos, who I know you can't stand - to be polite.

You were there when I made my first pot of coffee. It was pretty amusing. Not growing up around people who made coffee, I didn't know the ratio of coffee to water. I think that first pot I put two tablespoons of coffee for ten cups of water. It was pretty horrible - watery would not begin to describe it. But you put on a brave face.

I really didn't think our dating relationship would last more than a weekend. I remember telling you and everyone else that. Hah.

There's never been a dull moment. Even now with two twenty month olds and five years of marriage. It's always been fascinating.