First Dates and other Details

I was talking to someone about first dates and that made me start to think. How many first dates do you have in a lifetime? If is an ONLY date, it doesn't count, no matter how memorable it is. I don't think I can recall every first date I ever had in detail. I can say that only a few led to a relationship that mattered.

Sometimes you remember what you were wearing when you met (white t shirt, black pants, black vest, combat boots and a leather jacket), or even what the other person was wearing (white linen no collared shirt, faded jeans, converse hi tops)...... other times you don't even really remember what you did or where you went. As in- I remember when and where I first saw my husband...... couldn't tell you where we went on our first date. Actually, we met with friends, then left them to go do something together, so was that our first date? Or was it when he actually picked me up at my apartment and we had a plan (which I think involved Mexican food and many beers, but I could not tell you what I was wearing, lol). So confusing. But I can tell you about my last first kiss.

In my kitchen I have a framed print of two bar stools and a small table. The picture was taken in Atkins Park. This is spot where David kissed me for the first time, the same night we ditched our friends. He also first told me he loved me in that parking lot a few weeks later. We went there often after that, and had our rehearsal dinner there the night before we were married. We go back every time we are in Atlanta together, usually with the children (that means we cannot sit at our table, however- as it is in the bar area). The picture was actually taken with film and I am too lazy to scan it in for your enjoyment. Sorry.

I am one of those people. I recall weird, random details that other people may not notice or recall. Don't ask me where the car keys are or if my cell phone has been charged, or if I paid a bill. Chances are, I don't know. I can tell you I remember the important things. Like the way my babies looked first thing in the morning, wearing their footie jammies. The way my cat slept on David's chest the first time he "spent the night". The way it felt when my sailor returned from the Gulf and I knew he was finally safe at home. The excitement of a boy giving me a class ring that was obnoxiously huge on my finger.

They say God is in the details. I don't know about that, but I do know the important things always are. The small things that make life's memories are always the details.