We met!

On Saturday, April 13 we met.

We texted throughout the day. I was at my son's soccer game, he was working out of town. He would tell me when he got a sale, I would tell him when my son scored. Conversation was fun and I was really looking forward to our date.

He suggested that we meet for dinner at 8pm at The Melting Pot in downtown Salt Lake City. I was impressed that he suggested such a venue but also a little nervous. This wasn't a 20-minute meet-for-cocoa first date. Dinner at The Melting Pot can take quite a while. There are so many courses. What if the conversation lagged? What if we didn't get along in person? Online personas can translate very differently in reality. That is why I have never been a fan of long-distance relationships and I was surprised how many people in the "singles world" considered themselves committed to a person they had never physically met. I couldn't do it. I need to know you. I need to hear the jokes and comments in person. I need to hear it and see it in HIS voice. I was pretty quick to agree to dates when I met someone online. The online dating site is only the venue, the vehicle to meet someone. The relationship needs to happen in person for me.

I was excited to meet MagicMan007 or Z Phillip or whatever his name was.

At 8pm, I arrived at The Melting Pot and was greeted by a good-looking bald man who stood from the waiting bench to shake my hand. I always chuckle at that greeting. He SHOOK my hand! I know it was our first time meeting, I realize it was his first date since his divorce, but a HAND SHAKE? We had hit it off in our conversations. I thought a quick hug would have been in order. I just teased him a bit about it. It felt so comfortable immediately.

Side note...this is why I made him a contributor to the blog. We need both perspectives. :)

As he stuck out his hand he said, "Hi, I'm Zane."

We sat for a minute and talked baseball while we waited for our table. He likes the Braves, I like any other team but the Braves. He checked his Fantasy Baseball line-up, I teased him about it. It wasn't like any other first date. It felt so comfortable.

We were called to our table and he led the way. Oh man, I loved the way he walked. Is that weird? It might be a little weird but the way a person walks is very telling to me. He was attractive, he dressed nice, he had a great, athletic walk...I had high hopes for the evening.

About 45 minutes into our date, Zane gets a text from his friend to see how it was going. Zane must have been enjoying himself because there didn't turn out to be a "family emergency". We laughed about that. I joked that I was going to do it but HE REALLY DID IT!

April 13, 2013: I knew my future was changing for the better.