30 Day Challenge | Day 3: The Perfect First Date

**Okay.  I'm going to get a little cheesy here.  You've been warned.**

I do believe that my first date with J may have been the best first date ever.

And I don't just mean my own, personal best first date.  I mean it was the best of all the first dates of all the people in all the world.  That's right.

For starters, our first date was on the fourth of July.  J said he was going for something memorable!  J picked me up, and we went to Regency Park.  I had spent all day perfecting the perfect picnic basket (grilled teriyaki chicken sandwiches with provolone, potato salad, lemon bars, wine).  This was excellent, as I was able to show off my mad kitchen skills on the first date.

I brought along the picnic basket and a blanket, J brought a cooler of other drinks, and we found the perfect spot to listen to the North Carolina Symphony perform.  We got to eat and talk while we listened, and wait for the fireworks display that would start after dark.

A picnic, the symphony and fireworks for a first date?  How cool is that?

Only we didn't actually get to the fireworks...

The thunder started after we were done eating, but before the symphony had finished playing.  And before we knew it, the skies had opened up.  It wasn't just raining- it was pouring.

The car was parked about a mile away, so we hoofed it back as best as we could.  Needless to say, my perfect first date look had been completely ruined.  J and I were completely soaked to the bone.

When the car was finally in sight, we made a mad final dash, hopped in...and the rain stopped.  It was like someone had flipped a switch!  Literally, the moment we slammed the car doors shut, the rain was gone.  It was crazy!  We both laughed, because what else is there to do in a moment like that?

Even though I looked like something that cat dragged in, J held my hand on the car ride home that night.  And kissed me goodnight.  And I just knew that something good was coming into my life.

We had five dates that first week.  I think maybe he knew, too.

So THAT, my friends, is the perfect first date.  Unique, personal, fun...and most certainly unforgettable.