"How I Met My Husband" OR "Thank Goodness First Impressions Don't Always Stick"

Barb at A New Chelsea Morning is asking readers to share their stories of how they met their mate (head over there to read some sweet stories!).  I've been thinking of telling you this story for a while.  It's a good one, but it's excruciatingly lo-o-o-ong.  Grab your Diet Coke and prop up your feet (or, move on to the next blog, you won't hurt my feelings...)

It was February of 1993, my junior year of college.  A student ministry group I attended occasionally was having a lock-in one Friday night at a local church's family-life center.  I almost didn't go.  I was only three months off a painful break-up, and I was feeling rather unsocial, particularly where the male of our species was concerned.  My girlfriends talked me into going. 

At the time, I had a part-time job at an after-school daycare program, and I got off around 6:30 pm.  I drove straight to the lock-in--I was tired and hungry and in NO mood to meet the love of my life.  In the meantime, Hubs and his group of friends had gotten there early and had been playing basketball in the gym for a couple of hours.  He was sweaty and gross, as were his buddies, and they were all on some weird, macho, sports-induced testerone binge.  There was a big group there--probably around 150 people--and they opened with one of those silly get-to-know-you games.

This particular icebreaker game involved everyone present being handed a sheet of paper.  The whole page was divided into a chart of sorts, probably about eight columns by eight rows.  Each little square in the chart had a random fact such as, "I've been to Europe", or "I own red underwear", or "I have a motorcycle", etc.  The object of the game was to mingle among the group members, find someone to fill in as many squares as possible, and the first person to get eight in a row would win.  The winner had to stand up and introduce the people they'd met. 

So, the game began, and I browsed through the chart, when I saw a square that read: "I blow my nose in the shower". 

Um, excuse me?  [Please remember that these were the days before I was the mother of three little boys and I was still grossed out by bodily fluids].  Two thoughts ran through my brain:  first, what kind of weirdo would do this, and second, what kind of bigger weirdo would admit to it publicly? 

Surely you see where this is going.

The game ended, and the winner stood up to introduce his list of people.  He got to the nose-blowing square, the whole room groans, and the winner proudly read, "Hubs Dryer!"  Hubs gave a macho wave, and all his basketball buddies slapped him on the back the way 13-year-old boys would after one of their own had made a really great burp in science class.  I observed this strange boy across the room  and shook my head in disgust.  Though I did think to myself that it was a shame he was so tacky, because he was really cute.

That, my friends, is how I first laid eyes on the man I would marry.

Anyhoo, the next item on the agenda for the evening was a scavenger hunt.  I had offered to be a driver.  They had somehow taken all those people present and assigned them into groups of four or five.  As they read the assignments, you can imagine my, um, surprise to see that Hubs Dryer had been assigned to MY GROUP.  He walked across the room toward me and I thought to myself, "It's the nose-blower! I wonder if it's safe to shake his hand?"

We embarked on the scavenger hunt, the uber-competitve Hubs Dryer sitting in the back seat of my car, leaning up over my shoulder giving specific orders.  But I still hadn't had any dinner, remember?  I insisted I had to get some food before we started collecting our items.  He-Who-Must-Win-Every-Competition was so frustrated at me, and he made no effort to hide it, snarling from the backseat.  (Hubs tells me that I must tell you that I was NOT hungry for food from Mr. Burger, a location we were REQUIRED to go for the hunt, but only hungry for food from McDonalds, which was not on the travel itenerary).  His impression of me at this point is that I was a spoiled, bow-headed sorority girl who had to have things JUST. HER. WAY.  No-o-o-o, surely not?

[Geez-Louise this story is really getting long...are you still actually reading this?]

After I got my dinner, we found all our items, Hubs and I keeping a safe distant from each other.  To make up for lost time, Hubs suggested a back road in our hilly college town.  But it was February, and there was ICE on the roads.  As he navigated me through dark streets, down a steep hill, we began to slide.  (Again, these were the pre-motherhood days when dealing with trauma was not a carefully-cultivated skill of mine.)  I took my hands off the wheel and began to scream.  Hubs yelled at me from the backseat:  "DON'T LET GO OF THE WHEEL!"  I screamed back:  "I CAN'T DO THIS, WE'RE SLIDING!"  Yes, it was a real bluebirds-and-roses moment, as we sat there shouting at each other and almost careening to our deaths.  Good times.

We managed to make it back to the lock-in, where Hubs and I stomped away from each other, never to speak again that evening.  Thank goodness, first impressions don't stick.

Strangely, we began running into each other almost daily, in the most random places--the library, the student union, the hallway after class, etc.  We laughed at our less-than-stellar first meeting and began to talk.  I went to a Saturday-night party at his fraternity house a few weeks later, and we sat in a corner and talked for a couple of hours--we never seemed to run out of things to say.  I was fascinated by this strange man:  a macho nose blower?  Perhaps.  But he fascinated me.  He was a cut-up, yet he was serious and brilliant.  He was gentlemanly and kind, yet he was also logical and driven.  He could make me laugh until my sides hurt one minute, and then ask me something deeply profound the next.  I'd never met anyone like him.

We had our first date two months after our first meeting, and the rest, as they say, is history.  After our third date, I came home and told my roommate I had found the man I would marry.  When we had been dating a month we began to talk of marriage.  We fell for each other very, very fast.  Seven months after our first date we were engaged, and seven months after that, in June of '94, we were married (three weeks after we graduated from college).

I laugh at this story now when I look at the man I share my life with.  We have changed and grown so much from those two stubborn college kids--and yet, we still laugh and good-naturedly tussle just the way we did then.  And still we never run out of things to say.  Just this past Saturday evening, we sat side-by-side in a McDonald's playland, watching our four kids play.  Adam was shouting at the video game, Stephen and Joseph were making siren noises from inside the tunnels, and Corrie stood next to us, pouring Sprite down the front of her shirt.  I looked at him, and he looked at me.  "Our Saturday nights have changed a lot over the last 12 years, haven't they?" I laughed.  He reached over and took my hand and smiled at me, the same way he smiled at me in that fraternity house 13 years ago.  And he winked. 

That said it all.

Comments

[Tammy]

Wow, I'm the first one to comment! :)

This was a wonderful story! I just loved how you first met...and were careening through the ice screaming! This story made me laugh out loud...but so full of sweetness too! I love that he held your hand just recently at McDonald's and you two shared that special moment. Very, very sweet. I can almost feel all that unspoken love that goes on between married parents.
Thanks for sharing this.
(Mine is going to be coming in the next day or so...)

[amanda]

what a sweet story. thanks for sharing it. (and yes, i did read it all.) :)

[Susanne]

How sweet is that love story! And good thing you didn't go with your first impression!

[Tess]

college icebreakers - better named as future matchmakers ;)

[momrn2]

What a GREAT story!! Not only are our birthdays just weeks apart. So are our anniversaries. You were married in June of 94 and we were in July of 94. Small, small world!! :-)

[Deborah Li]

wow. that is such a hopeful story for me. hahaha. so many first impressions are just not quite right, but maybe there's hope after all. hehehe

[gramma_s]

A very cute story. I love, "love" stories and yours is very good. Now I'll go see if I can find some more. :-)

[Lily]

That is such a lovely love story. I love it!

[Jenny]

Such a sweet story, and I loved the ending.

Jenny

[Katrina]

Wonderful story! I'm another got-married-in-1994 gal (Jan. 1) - good year for marriages. :) Thanks for sharing your story - sounds like you've got a great guy!

[Trisha]

What a great story. I married one that blows his nose in the shower too. Who woulda thought? If you would like to stop by, mine is up too.

[Jennifer, Snapshot]

Great story. I loved the details. I did mine, too. It's not quite as long, but I did scan in pictures!

[Melene]

That is a great story. Thanks for sharing. My husband blows his nose in the shower and sometimes also in the sink just before he shaves. It's not a pretty sound.

[Beck]

Terrific story! And kind of romantic if you squint.... mine is up - the link is at Barb's.

[dcrmom]

Love it! I have tears. Great story and great wrap-up. (Wrap-ups always challenge me most.)

[Heather]

Wonderful. Glad I am not the only one who had a bad first impression. All these tales of love at first site were eginning to get to me. :)

[Barb]

I didn't think this was excruciatingly long at all. I loved reading every word of it. Loved your first impressions of each other. And the way you ended this, at a fast food place, watching your children play, and that wink? That just gave the warm fuzzies all over. I love your love story, Shannon.

(Is it bad manners if I ask you, um, does he still do that shower thing? Yeah, I'll bet he does. There are some things we're just not ever going to change about our guys.)

[Sheri]

Oh, I love it! What a great story and a great memory!

[Shannon in Arizona]

I loved the ending......well the whole story......(sigh)

[Katherine]

What a great story! I read EVERY WORD (great compliment from a chronic "skimmer!"). Sharing a sense of humor is the greatly underestimated glue that has held us together for so long, too. Those who laugh together, stick together!

[Laurel Wreath]

I love that story. Very very sweet. And yes, thank goodness first impressions are not the ones that "stick".

[Emily]

What a wonderful story, Shannon! I loved reading it. Makes me remember all those exciting, nervous feelings. My husband and I were both part of a group of friends that formed in high school. I distinctly remember having a conversation with some of the girls in the group, and declaring that of all of our guy friends, I could never imagine myself dating Matt. Guess who has eaten her words! (and my girlfriends were there to remind me of it!) We, too, got together in our junior year of college..maybe it's something about that time in our lives, opens our minds a little bit? Thanks for sharing your story with us!

[Goslyn]

Awww. What a sweet story.

[Kirsten]

Would you believe I met my husband in a VERY similar way. Yes, the People Bingo Game (as I like to call it) was to blame.

It was during our Junior year of college on the first day of Adolescent Psychology. Our prof wanted us to get to know each other. Of course I had already spotted my cute hubby. After all it was a college psych course and there were all of about 4 guys in a class of at least 30.

My first words to my future hubby- "I heard you had a spike haircut in high school". He answered yes and signed the square. I wish I still had that piece of paper.

We were assigned to the same small group in class and would spend the rest of the semester working on a project together. We found out we had some mutual friends. After class we would stand outside of the building and talk for hours and hours and hours.

We were engaged one year later. And the rest is history... can't believe it's been over 7 years.

Thanks for sharing your story-- it reminded me how wonderful those first moments together are.

[Barbara H.]

Who needs romance novels when reading about real life is so much more interesting! :) Enjoyed the story and your way of telling it.

[Michelle-This One's for the Girls]

What a great story. I always love hearing people's courtship stories and yours did not disappoint.

[Julie]

I thought all men blew their nose in the shower. I certainly married one :-)

[voni]

Your story totally made me smile. Does he still blow his nose in the shower? he he he

[Kathleen Marie]

What a funny, cute and wonderful story! It is amazing how God puts people together and the nose blowing thing. I can relate. It was a shocker after I married and then I had two boys as well... I am so happy I have my very own bathroom all to myself! Ha!

[GiBee]

What a wonderful story! He sounds so kind and loving! Yet another reason why I must meet this man!

[granolaGirl]

Thanks for sharing you how-we-met story; I'm gettin' all teary eyed and weepy...

DH and I were college sweethearts too, but we're only 4 years (nad 1 child) into this game we call marriage. Life has never been sweeter.

[Shalee]

That my friend is a great story. The best part is that you both still see each other with that same love all those years ago.

Thanks for sharing your humorous meeting with us. And "Thank Goodness First Impressions Don't Always Stick" would probably apply to many stories.

[MicheleinNZ]

I guess the big question is - does he still blow his nose in the shower? ;) Don't worry, my husband does it too. When we were on our honeymoon I shouted from the other room - what is that noise?? It must be a guy thing. He says it's just being efficient.

[Mich]

Loved the story! Thought you missed the part about your friend telling you not to ever, ever think of going out with him. Luckily, you are much smarter than I and ignored my suggestions and married the man of your dreams!

[Addie]

Sweet story Shannon! It was totally worth reading all the way through. Happy endings with strong marriages always are! :D

[Chappyswife]

That is a great story. There is something to be said about having a long history together. I am glad you two are so happy together after all this time in this day and age. There seem to be not enough of us happy couples around.

[Mommy Dearest]

I really love this meme. What a nice story.

[PastorMac's Ann]

Didn't feel long while reading it.

I could just picture you two holding hands there in McDonalds watching your kids play - a new kind of romantic!

Thanks for sharing your story!

[Silvana]

Great Story! That game is crazy - I remember playing it too. I met my soon to be hubby (45 days til the wedding!)in an elevator at a parking structure....he also blows his nose in the shower.

Silvana

[Jan]

Print out that story and save it for your children!

[Rebecca]

Ohhhh such a lovely story :) I'm going to do mine, definitely.

[edj]

I guess the one question I still have is...does he still blow his nose in the shower?
This was a fun post; I'll have to do ours too. One of these days...

[Magi]

My favorite part was picturing the yelling when the car was sliding. I went through something similar in college, but it involved mud, not ice. :o) Loved your story!