Today’s throwback is a funny story.  Well, I find it funny.  I didn’t at the time, of course, but time has a way of changing how you feel about things.

Anyway.

“As a girl, I dreamed of being swept off my feet by my one true love.  And at the age of 24, it finally happened…and he’s never let me forget it.”  That’s what it says on my bio page.  And it’s completely, one hundred percent, absotively posilutely true.

Back in 2008, my husband and I had our first date (thanks to coincidence and Yahoo! Personals).  We met at a nice public place (the local pizza joint) for supper, where I arrived fifteen minutes early and spent the next ten minutes anxiously checking my watch and the door.  Seymour walked in about five minutes early and seemed surprised to see me waiting.

We sat down and started talking, after placing our order (they’re quite prompt there).  As we were getting to know each other, my old kindergarten teacher stopped to chat and asked if we were out for Valentine’s Day, which was the following Thursday.  I blushed, we both giggled, and then I replied no.  She was picking up a pizza, so she didn’t stay long, and Seymour and I went back to talking.

While we waited for our pizza, he told me how he’d been remodeling his house.  It sounded like he’d done a lot of work to it.  Things were going well, so he invited me to see a movie with him after supper, and since we had some time to kill before the movie started, he asked if I’d like to see his house.  I said, “Sure!”

And off we went.  To my high school best friend’s old house.

Me: (looking down the block to the only house on the street) “You don’t live in that green house, do you?”

Seymour: “Yeah…Why?”

I still chuckle over that one. 🙂

Anyway, he showed off his house (which was awesome) and his Star Trek collection (which got me drooling…and to think he didn’t believe me when I told him I was a fan… :)), and then we took off for the movies.  We saw Fool’s Gold, which looked awesome after Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s prior pairing.  Still, we thought How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was better.

But I digress.

February in Iowa is usually full of snow and ice, and Seymour pointed out a particular hazard as we left the theater.

S: (points to patch of ice on curb) “Watch out for that ice.”

M: “Okay.” (falls on butt)

Now, that’s not entirely true – I only half-fell.  One cheek hit the ground, the other cheek was saved by Seymour’s helping hand.  I was mortified; I couldn’t believe I’d done something so stupid.  And on our first date!  But Seymour was gracious enough not to say anything about it.

Not right then, anyway.

At our wedding reception a year and a half later, he told the story of how he swept me off my feet that night during his toast.  And while I can’t recall his exact version of what happened anymore, I do know that a couple of our guests were in tears by the time he finished; one of them said it was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard.

As for me?  Well, every time we go to that theater now, Seymour warns me to watch out for the ice, whether there’s ice present or not.  And I laugh hysterically every single time. 🙂

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