I think every girl had an attraction to a guy or guys in high school that was just that, an attraction. It never really becomes an "Oh, I wish I could date him" thing, you just find him pleasant to look at. That's how I felt about Joe in high school. We had a seminary class together and I remember the first day of class when they do all of the getting to know you games, we were sitting on the tops of our desks and I was shamelessly staring at him. He stared back sometimes, I think he thought I was crazy, but I didn't care.
This story’s a little more cliche than I’d really like it to be, but it’s me, so there are some random and adventurous aspects to it. We won’t let Joe tell his version, he always makes me sound like a creeper!
I think every girl had an attraction to a guy or guys in high school that was just that, an attraction. It never really becomes an “Oh, I wish I could date him” thing, you just find him pleasant to look at. That’s how I felt about Joe in high school. We had a seminary class together and I remember the first day of class when they do all of the getting to know you games, we were sitting on the tops of our desks and I was shamelessly staring at him. He stared back sometimes, I think he thought I was crazy, but I didn’t care. I don’t think I ever talked to him, especially after I overheard (no, I was not eavesdropping) him talking to a friend about the girl he was dating. I still saw him every other day in seminary, mowing lawns around the neighborhood, and I’d see his little red truck parked outside what I realized was his house on my way to and from one of my good friend’s house everyday. Joe mowed the lawn of one of the families that I babysat for quite frequently and anytime the guys would show up, my little friend would shout, “Hey look! The lawn guys are here, let’s sit and watch them out the window!” Umm…..how about not. I also started spending a lot of time with the sister of Joe’s girlfriend, so I heard lots about the two of them. Basically, I was very aware that he existed, but my attraction never turned into a “crush” because I never really knew the guy and was dating guys of my own. I remember at one time hearing that Joe had decided to go on a mission, but that was the last I heard of him. When I moved home from school, I’d still drive past his house everyday on the way to my friend’s and wonder if he was on his mission, his little red truck was never there.
Fast forward a few years:
I was starting to get burnt out and falling into a monotonous routine. I was working two jobs, had just started my first semester of college online and had no clue what I wanted to major in, I was heavily involved in the YSA program in our area and attended all of the activities and events, and I was constantly social and trying to expand my circle of people and possibly meet that special someone. I was enjoying life and I lived it to the fullest, but I needed a change of some sort. I started checking out different single/student wards that I could possibly attend to add a little spice and variety to my life. I was sick of dealing with the drama of dating and the game that comes with it. I wanted a break, so I wasn’t trying anymore. I found a student ward to attend and was going to work on getting my records transferred within the next month, but then I “met” Joe.
One night at institute I noticed him sitting on the front row with a few of his friends that I knew fairly well. Joe says that the first thing he thought when he saw me at institute was, “I think her name is Amber??? And she used to want me.” Yep, I think I stared a little too much. Oops.. The next couple of times I saw him at institute, he was always with one specific girl and I was always with one of my best guy friends. Not that I was wanting to attempt anything, he just always intrigued me somehow. I guess being intrigued worked out to my advantage though!
The day that Joe and I “met” was two days after my brother got released from his mission on medical leave. All of the chairs in institute were set up in groups of three and there was an empty chair left next to me. Joe came in late and took that empty seat. I have to admit, I got a little excited that I had an excuse to talk to him, but I didn’t expect to become his friend or anything. They decided to move my brother into a group with a bunch of recently returned missionaries to discuss the topic of missionary work. Everyone else got placed into groups of three or four but Joe and I were left by ourselves. Joe was jokingly grumbling about being offended that they hadn’t put him in with the RM’s because he’d gotten home around the same time as them and had just been coming to institute for a while longer. He decided to pick the topic on the board about being offended and the whole time we were preparing our spiel we laughed about it. After class he sat and talked to me for a bit and was complaining about how he sits at home and does nothing because he hasn’t started working yet and doesn’t have any friends that he hangs out with. I told him that he should hang out with us sometime because we did stuff every weekend. Joe claims that I practically begged him to get my number, but I didn’t…..really….kind of….
I added Joe as a friend on Facebook that night and we chatted for a while about hair gel and people watching. I decided I wouldn’t text him until Saturday when I was going to invite him to come watch scary movies with a bunch of us. He text me the next day to tell me that he was people watching at the mall and I should be jealous. And that is how it all began…..
How did you meet your significant other?