first date

Look back six years ago tonight, and you'd find two nervous, excited friends driving down country roads toward a corn maze in rural Kansas. A couple of goo-goo-eyed 23-year-olds, completely unaware that in six years, they would be looking back on this date as the night it all began.

Awwww.... :) Read on, it gets better!

Six years ago, I was living in Wichita with my parents and Brian was in his second year of dental school in Kansas City. We had spent a lot of time together the previous summer, and while we both knew there were mutual feelings between us, nothing had officially been verbalized. Several weeks before October 15, B let me know he would be coming to Wichita and asked me to reserve the evening for a mystery date. He showed up that crisp, fall night with handwritten clues I had to solve that would lead us to our destinations.

The first one took us to Barn'rds (Wichita's yummiest sandwiches) for dinner. This may sound like a lame first date but seriously, they have the BEST sandwiches. I was not disappointed by this choice in the slightest, because my gracious date even bought me one of their sugar cookies with orange frosting and a candy corn on top. Is it pathetic that I remember the cookie I ate? :)

The next clues brought us to the Bergmann Family Corn Maze in Haysville, KS. This little country attraction is a fall wonderland. There's a pumpkin patch, hayrack rides, apple cider, popcorn, scary movies playing in the barn and of course, the infamous corn maze.

(For those of you who don't live near corn and have no concept of said maze, visualize 15 acres of corn taller than your head. Walking paths have been strategically cleared throughout it, and you have to find your way from one end to the other. In the dark.)

Thanks to the flashlights Eagle Scout Brian brought for us, we eventually made it safely through the maze, took advantage of some cider and popcorn, and snuggled under a blanket to watch The Ring (scary!) in the barn. No hand holding yet, but I do remember sitting awfully close. And I'm pretty sure I acted more terrified by the movie than I really was, just for the excuse to bury my face in his shoulder.

Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures together at the corn maze, but six years later I can still remember everything so clearly. Autumn time, especially October 15, will forever evoke memories of those sweet early days together. Happy first-date anniversary, B!

I just looked up all of our October 15's together since 2004 - how much can change in a year! Here's a sampling -

2005: 2.5 months out from our wedding, our lives were hectic but the future was bright.

2006: We were living in KC. I was in a job that was killing me. Brian planned a special weekend trip to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, MO to lift my spirits.

2007: Still living in KC, now working for myself, B had graduated and was in his AEGD program. On the 15th we were once again in Branson to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend.

2008: On Oct. 15, we moved out of our apartment in Lancaster, PA. On Oct. 16, Brian flew to Indianapolis to interview for one of seven spots in their ortho program.

2009: Now living in Indianapolis and B was a first-year ortho resident. Praise the Lord. We hosted new friends in our home for dinner.

2010: We'll be packing our bags and going to bed early, more on this to come!