16 Years Ago Today

November 5, 1993. I was a sophomore in high school. I was 15 years old (10 days shy of 16). A guy named Travis had called me a few days earlier and asked me out on a date. I had never met him. I said yes (before I even asked my parents.) He picked me up at my house and we (yes, just the two of us) drove to a nearby town to watch a movie. My dad gave me a quarter for the pay phone and told me to call him if I needed anything. We watched the movie "Cool Runnings." Great movie to watch on a first date. After the movie, we drove back to my house and he came inside. We talked for awhile. I had a great time. He made me laugh and he was so easy to talk to. When he left I told him he could call me if he wanted to. He turned to me and said "if I want to." (He says it was "if I want to??" but I thought he was playing hard to get!) Any uncomfortable silence is not good on a first date, so I talked a lot. His mom later told me that he came home and said I was "a talker." He must've liked me though because he called me again and the rest is history!

Now that I'm a parent, there are two things that are hard for me to believe.
1. That my parents let me go out with a stranger. (They did know his aunt & uncle and grandparents, so I guess they thought he came from a good family.)
2. That my parents let me go all by myself.
I laugh when I think about my dad giving me the quarter for the pay phone. He told me he'd come get me if I needed him to. Do they even have pay phones anymore?!

I'm so thankful my parents let me go out with him. Who would've thought 16 years ago that we'd be where we are today. I've now known him for half of my life. It's been a wonderful 16 years. I love you more than ever Travis!

Prom 1994 (you can laugh at my dress!)

Prom 1995 (you can laugh at his suspenders!)