"After about 20 minutes, casually drop into the conversation the fact that you'd like to marry him and have lots of sex and babies."

15 years ago today M and I went on our very first date. It was the strangest, funnest, most crazy first date ever. . . complete with reckless driving at high speeds, the drama of jilted love, and the stirrings of teen infatuation. . . pretty typical for two high school teenagers, I guess. We were on a double date. Sort of. We were with one of M's friends, who was with (but not with) the ex-girlfriend of another friend trying to smooth things over or heal a broken heart or some such nonsense.

We went and saw Ace Ventura at the dollar theater. How romantic, I know.

When we held hands in the back seat of Joe's bug, it was electric and I think we both knew we were in for something exciting. How unsuspecting we were - who could know then that we'd end up traveling this wonderful winding road together. . . and love and laugh and live so much?

[Title quote is from "Love Actually"]