4.01.2009

Our First Date Was....Uh....I'll Get Back To You On That

One of my very good friends is going on a date with her husband tonight.

For their anniversary.

Typical. Sure. IF IT IS YOUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

They, however, are celebrating the anniversary of their first date. 15 years ago, to the day, they ate at a certain restaurant in Little Rock. And he's taking her back to that same restaurant tonight.

I almost swallowed the spoon I was gagging myself with.

Seriously? First date anniversaries? People do that? When you aren't wearing braces and passing origami folded notes decorated with hearts in the halls? Really?

Because Kirk and I can't even remember the exact date of our engagement, and half the time our marriage, let alone our first date.

And even if we could remember it....I know a date would probably never happen. Because, after having to have my mom remind us of our wedding anniversary, we rarely go out for even it. Instead....we hang out with the family. MY ENTIRE FAMILY to be exact.

True.

Kirk and I have been married for 12 years (I think!), and (no joke!) we have spent EVERY single anniversary with my extended family. Because it is always at Christmas.

See, we made (ahem....I made) the stupid decision to be married 2 days after Christmas. I was in love with the decorations my church went overboard with each holiday and was convinced that nothing other than that atmosphere would work. My poor parents. I am forever indebted to them for putting up with that insanity. Not only did it cause HUGE problems at wedding time, it will forever be overshadowed by Christmas.

Maybe that is why I can't even remember how many years it has been half the time....because we just don't focus on it.

Kirk and I go out on dates to celebrate all the laundry being done or as therapy or just because some poor soul offered to keep the hoodlums. Anniversaries? Not so much.

So....today when I found out about my friend's hot date planned for the evening, soda almost came out of my nose. Because they actually keep up with their calendar dates. And that seems so profound to me.

And weird.

And loverly.



***Editor's note....please don't recommend marriage counseling or Dr. Phil interventions. Kirk and I are more than good....even if we can't remember how it was exactly that we ended up together!!! Just seems like it's always been that way. I wash his dirty socks and put up with his weird eating habits, and he just...well...puts up with me. And we don't have to put it on a calendar to know we like it that way. :)

19 comments:

lisa@littlesliceoflife said...

First-date anniversary?!

I can probably narrow down our first date to a month and year...maybe. Maybe the place, too, although the place I'm thinking of may have been with someone else. I'll have to ask!

We don't celebrate our anniversary so much either and we don't even have a major holiday as an excuse. It's Aug. 17th. I usually use school starting as the reason but the truth is it really isn't that big of a deal.

Every day we together is a celebration...are you gagging now? :)

Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer said...

I revisit our first date place ALL the time....SONIC!!!! Well if it was actually a date.

I was surprised we actually went out for our anniversary but Hey I'll take it when I can get it.

Anonymous said...

LOVE THIS!! We don't do special anniversary stuff either. And we don't even have a holiday as an excuse. Unless three days before taxes are due is a holiday. I think it's because every day of our love is a celebration in and of itself. I almost typed to the period at the end of that sentence without laughing. Seriously, I think we should double date b/c you all sound like our kind of couple. You guys are a cute couple and your man has great dimples, by the way.

Carpool Queen said...

Well, I laughed at Whimzie's comment. Just because.

Craig and I just celebrated our 13th anniversary with meatloaf and three other little people who could not have cared less that we procreated them.

Jim said...

Amb,
Guess what? I went to town to grocery shop and got back and mom was fixing dinner. Ok, so far! Now the biggie - I guess, though she did not say - we are celebrating the sale of our house in KY with a special meal. NOW, get this - she's fixed JUST US a big bowl of mashed, yes, I said MASHED POTATOES! She's FRYING CRUSTED CHICKEN STRIPS and we're having BISQUITS and GRAVY, too. All of this without any prompting! I'm gonna let her use the remote tonight! Ah, celebrations! Can't you just smell and taste those mashed taters?
LOVE DAD

Mary said...

We have never celebrated our first date and hardly ever do anything for our anniversary. We usually end up spending our anniversary with hub's family since it falls in with his mom's birthday and Mother's Day. However, I do know the date of our first date and on April 29th it will be 20 years since our first date. Hmm...might have to celebrate that one.

mer@lifeat7000feet said...

Every party has a pooper, and this time it might be ME!

We always celebrate our anniversary.

Not with gifts, but with a dinner date. Just the two of us.

We may be home before 9pm but we always go out.

I dont' remember the exact date of our first date, but like Lisa I could get the month and year right. And I know the exact place we went though it's closed now.

(sigh)

Unknown said...

So, today was the anniversary of the day we met. We celebrated with text messages....

Our's is easy to remember...April Fool's Day! So appropriate!

Kendra said...

We do first date anniversaries. September 24, 1999, eating at The Villa in Little Rock. I had spinach artichoke pasta and he had chicken alfredo. We saw "The Sixth Sense" and halfway through the movie I told Wayne "I think Bruce Willis is really dead!" I wore a pink sweater and a long black skirt with cool black chunky flip flops. Wayne just got out of a meeting so he was dressed up in khakis and a tie.

How's that for a memory!

But it's not as bad as my in-laws. They celebrate their MONTH anniversaries! They celebrate their wedding date each month. That's a bit much!

Tiffani said...

Girl, this is soo good. I do remember our first date was a James Bond movie. But, we don't do much with that other than everytime a JB movie comes out we say "hey, remember we saw a JB movie on our first date..."

Funny you mention this subject though b/c our wedding anniversary is this weekend! No plans though and I don't mind. We're easy like that...my Mom may let the kiddos spend the night and if that's the case we'll eat and not share our food and go straight to bed without stories and stalling tactics!!

buscher3 said...

Wow...Kendra, that's a little scary, but kind of cool you remember all that! I remember when our first date was, but it's just because I was so esctatic about it.
Umm..yeah, and as I sit here and ask my husband to confirm the date, he corrects me and says it's a day later than what I thought. Ahem...he's right. January 31st, and it was a double date with his roommate and his fiance. We went to Colton's in Benton and I remember that he gave me some of his baked sweet potatoes because I'd never had any. No clue what I wore or what I had to eat or him for that matter (except for the potatoes). I've never thought of celebrating your first date anniversary. Kind of clever...not gonna happen with two young kids, but really clever.

The Bowden's said...

We always go out to eat just the two of us to celebrate our anniversary. Well, that is if he is even in the same state, and country for that matter, at the time. :)

Elizabeth said...

I might be the exception because I remember the exact date of our first date and exactly what we did, and we celebrate every anniversary. My excuse is that gifts are my love language, so my husband is great about always taking me out and getting me a gift. Id be sad if he didn't. Sometimes big, sometimes small. I need to tell you about the gift I got for our 10th anniversary last year!

I always wanted to get married at Christmastime for the same reasons as you. The decorations are so beautiful and everything is so festive anyway. We ended up with a February wedding, but I'll always love holiday weddings. Don't let Christmas overshadow it! Get away and celebrate. Or celebrate at home. Almost as good!

Becky said...

I know the month and year of our first date. Can't tell you a specific date but we did go to Red Lobster...remember b/c it was my first time to ever eat at one.

We always goes out to eat for our anniversary, but since it is Dec 28we don't always go on that day. Most years it's somthing simple. We try to do something special every five years!

Mich said...

I've enjoyed celebrating your anniversary with you and Kirk every year! :)

Jackie said...

Ok. I LOVE the idea of getting married at CHristmastime, because I am in love with Christmas, and all of the gorgeous decorations. But I can totally see how it could hamper future anniversary plans down the road. But like you said...you celebrate the simple things "like laundry getting done" (right on!) so it sounds to me like you're doing all right. :)

It's a wonderful life said...

This a sweet and cute post!! I am not married yet so I cannot relate, but I still think it is cute :)

Nina Diane said...

I could never come up with the calendar date of our first date...couldn't even tell you what we did on our first date! But then again, that was more than 30 years ago

Lori Motl said...

We are kindred spirits! December 27, 1997 Casey and I wed...because I loved Christmas and the decorations. Everyone told me we would never celebrate our anniversary. Not US! We will always celebrate it...by driving home from whatever distant land were in for the holidays. My mother has called to apologize for forgetting to tell us Happy Anniversary. That called caused me to look at my sweet husband and say, "Oh yeah, Happy Anniverary!"