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| David and I shortly after the canoe incident ~ 1997 |
My husband David and I started dating when we were seventeen. He was my first serious boyfriend. The first boy I kissed. The first boy who brought me home to his parents' house. The first and only boy who I've ever loved. I look back on all those first and I still smile.
One of the big firsts for us took place two months after we started dating. I was invited to David's house to meet all of his aunts, uncles and cousins for a little family reunion. I love meeting new people and I enjoyed them even more because they were David's family.
Everything was going well, but David and I wanted to get away for a little while to be alone. His parents live on a lake, so he asked me if I'd like to take a canoe out to a beautiful island not too far from their house. I readily agreed, having very little canoeing experience, but he had practically grown up in a canoe, so I knew we were safe.
The day was cool for August and the sky overhead was a brilliant blue. The sun shimmered off the lake as we skipped rocks, shared a few kisses and talked about the upcoming school year. All too soon it was time to go back to the Meyer house, so we boarded the canoe and paddled back.
As we glided up to his parents' house, a handful of David's younger cousins ran down the dock toward us. David pulled the canoe up to the edge of the dock and told me to be careful as I climbed out.
I was a bit unsure how to get from the canoe to the dock gracefully, so I stood, placed my hands on the dock and tried to pull myself up.
The canoe began to slide under the dock and I didn't have a solid handle on it, so as the canoe slipped under, I lost my balance and, with arms flailing, went backwards into the lake! The worst part was my legs were still stuck in the canoe, my head was underwater and my shirt slipped up to my neck. For a split second I didn't know what to do. I was hanging upside down in the water giving David, and his young cousins, a show. I quickly realized the only thing I could do was pull my legs out of the canoe and go completely under.
So that's what I did.
When I finally pulled myself out of the water (I considered staying there forever), I'll never forget the stunned/bewildered/sympathetic/comical look on David's face. I must have looked like a drowned rat. But I smiled. I smiled at him. I smiled at his cousins. I smiled at his parents and his aunts and uncles. There was nothing left to do, but smile and laugh at the whole situation.
David gave me an over sized sweatshirt and pajama bottoms to wear as my clothes dried - and we had another good laugh. My one consolation was that his relatives would never forget me.
And, because of how calmly and gracefully (his words) I handled the situation, I won David's heart forever.
What about you? Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on a date? Did you end up marrying that person?
I have never been embarrassed in my entire life.
ReplyDeleteI invented air.
And I have wings.
So now that we've established the pattern of lying through my teeth...I guess you don't believe my first sentence?
Not any awkward moments on dates, but there is a pig somewhere in central Bolivia who once got close enough to me to ask my name. I was in a ditch. Busy. There were no bathrooms for a few miles....
So funny, and such a sweet story! I had a truly embarrassing moment in high school but not on a date. I think I blogged about it once...not ashamed, happens to the best of us. Funny thing though, my parents had those same floral couches in that pic off you and your sweetie. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a fun story! Thanks for sharing it! It made me smile!
ReplyDeleteVery cute! Had to read this one to Pete :)
ReplyDeleteOh my, I love it! And I love that the "big splash" is part of what won Dave's heart. :) Okay, this isn't actually a date, but for my first couple years of college, I had a huge and slightly hilarious crush on an older guy on campus...and all the girls on my floor knew it an it was a big, inside joke, which I didn't mind at all. To be funny once, I wrote a poem about the guy which was pretty good, if I do say so myself. And my sister made me a cardboard stand-up of the guy. Awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteWell...one day I came back after class to see someone I didn't know talking to my roommate in our room...where the poem and stand-up cardboard thing were on display. I felt like she kept giving me funny looks. Found out later, she was the sister of the guy I was crazy about. Yeah. I felt awesome.
Jennifer - I wonder who was more surprised, you or the pig! :) That's too funny.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I wonder if anyone can go through high school without having an embarrassing moment? :) Yes, my mom just had those couches re-upholstered!
Mandy - thanks for stopping by to say hello! I'm happy I could make you smile today. :)
Beka - ha! I bet Pete had a good laugh. I can't believe I've never shared this story with you before. When I told Dave I blogged about it, he grinned from ear to ear. :)
Melissa - as I read your story I kept thinking: I hope the guy doesn't show up, I hope the guy doesn't show up! It's almost as bad that his sister did, though! That's too funny. :)
Well, me, my 5 friends and the shepherdess saw Pig getting closer and closer. But the truck load of farm workers who saw me in a very compromising position were really surprised. Their (totally not)friendly shouts of "Hey, blanco" were highly accurate.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine! Definitely something you'll never forget! :)
DeleteI was on a date once when my car battery went dead. We were at a park in the middle of winter listening to the radio for too long and the battery died. It was really innocent, but didn't look that way, so we had to call friends to come give my car a jump. However, it was very late and we were having a very hard time finding help. To make matters worse I had to pee worse than I ever had in my entire life. There just wasn't a "holding it" option any longer. So as my boyfriend of a couple weeks stayed in the car laughing, I walked down to a secluded area by the Mississippi River, pulled down my pants and peed...facing the entire downtown skyline of Minneapolis. I don't think anyone could see me from across the river, but the pure fact that I was half naked, peeing, in the bushes, by the river on a date left me mortified. But I had no choice! Later we finally got the car jumped and made it back to our respective dorm rooms. That relationship didn't last too long, but it did leave me with a night I will never forget!
ReplyDeleteJuliene, I love you story! Thanks for stopping by and sharing it.
DeleteHa ha, what a great story and memory to cherish. The picture is super cute too! Love it! No embarrassing date stories to share myself, unless you count the time when I went to the restaurant where my boyfriend worked for a Valentine's dinner... I sat by myself the whole time. Poor boy really did try to make it romantic, but it was extremely awkward. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGwen, one year I had to work at a grocery store for Valentine's Day, so my boyfriend (now husband!) came in and set a huge bouquet of roses on the counter and said: "I'm buying these for my girlfriend." I thought he was so cute, but when I rang up the flowers and he found out that a dozen roses were $50 his eyes grew huge and he said: "I'm not paying $50 for roses that will be $15 tomorrow!" and he put them back. So much for being romantic. I guess it's the thought that counted. :)
DeleteOh my goodness, this is awesome. And hilarious. I love that you smiled, because I'm pretty sure I'd have turned and swam to that island...and never come back!
ReplyDeleteI can't think of anything embarrassing on a date off the top of my head, but when my mom and dad were newly married, my mom was swimming and her bathing suit top popped up...right in front of her brother-in-law. Awkward!
Thankfully I was still relatively covered - but it was the first time David saw my bra! Too bad it was the first (and only!) time his poor cousins saw it, too. :)
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