Black days of winter all were through
The blossoms came and they brought you
Clouds left the sky
And I knew the reason why
They made way for you and the blossom-Nick Drake, Blossom
June 11, 2016 was my last first date with Daniel and it was totally an accident. The night before Daniel and I were both at a friend’s apartment and found ourselves making small talk about cheese-making and the Richmond Kickers. It was random, not-flirty, and comfortable. When Daniel offered me an extra ticket to the Kicker’s game the next day, I said yes (probably after first calling my brother and best friend Melissa).
At the game, Daniel was totally in his element– drinking a beer, singing random Red Army chants, and commenting on the game. For the first time maybe ever, I really saw Daniel. I saw him for the handsome, kind, passionate man that he is. I started imagining what it would be like to give dating another go, and I realized I liked that image!
When the game ended, we walked to get pizza at Mary Angela’s. Once we sat down, I awkwardly realized a past boyfriend was at the table next to us. Soon after ordering food, I realized this guy was awkwardly being dumped by the woman he was with–it seemed like a nice reminder that the past was in the past.
While walking back to our cars, I realized I wanted to reach to hold Daniel’s hand. It just seemed right, especially since we had already gone through the first date motions the previous two summers. When we got back to our cars, we continued to talk with no urgency to go home. Finally, I just said something like “I can’t remember why I broke up with you. Tonight was so fun.” Daniel kindly said he also had a nice time.
With nothing to lose, I asked Daniel if he was interested in dating again. He responded by asking “Do you think we should discern this?” To which I laughed and said “No, I know I want to date you” and just like that we decided to hang out the next day. Now, two years later so much has passed.
In the last two years, we crossed milestones together and apart. Obviously pursuing marriage and homeownership were big leaps we took together. Individually, we each had several career advancements (a big job change for Daniel; licensure for me) and made solid progress in the world of adulting (getting excited about investment accounts, becoming NPR listeners, and learning to deal with car problems without our parents!).
The last two years have flown by and I can confidently say my life is better because we are together.
XOXO, Kari