Who likes kissing anyways?!

INCREDIBLE.

 He picked me up and  . . . I . . . was finally the one in the passenger seat.  Take that old girl-friends!  He opened my doors and passed all my stupid little tests I had for my dates.  He definitely passed the humor test. . . the tallness test . . . the good looking test . . . and I was trying to ignore the whole "have another girl-friend" test.  High standard on my dating tests right!  It is a good thing you don't know what you are doing when you date to marry!  We went to a Joseph Smith concert cause my room mate was preforming and had free tickets.  He listened with interest and asked some good questions . . . passed the spiritual test.  Now that I look back I bet Dev hated every minute of that concert!  But I was in heaven!  I think I got ready for about 3 hours before the date and it was paying off!  Then we sat in the parking lot and watched a dancing festival concert on the football field - talking was so easy with him and I was never the initiator finally!  Then Devin took me to Kelly's Canyon.  It has a beautiful view.  I remember I was scared out of my pants of snakes in the dark but was trying really hard to make him laugh.  We sat on the top of a bench looking at the beautiful view of farm fields for a long time.  (Picture was taken after we had dated for a while and after a long day driving around on the farm!)

Then he told me that we had actually just missed all the other couples and they were at David's house.  What other couples?  I guess that out of the 5 boys everyone of them but Dev was dating someone pretty exclusively.  These 5 boys were best friends and had grown up together, gone on missions and had just returned.  No wonder Devin didn't want me to meet them.  Little did I know . . . this is how Devin says it . . . "he still hadn't told the other girl they were done!"  I know!  I guess they hadn't talked for weeks but they never really had the "we are through" talk.  So technically he was dating someone else and his friends were going to give him such a hard time when we walked in!  I didn't feel any of it, clueless once again, and don't remember the eye exchanges as we walked in.  I just remember that if it was possible, Devin was even funnier around his friends and that I LOVED the other girls.

They were all really cute and friendly, I think they liked me.  After talking with the other's over a fire Dev took me to David' tramp and we talked there for hours alone.  We had some good conversations and laughed a lot.  I definitely felt that this was different from all the other guys.  There was finally a physical AND emotional connection.  I was sad when curfew crept up on us so fast.  I think I was the only one that had to be home for curfew and got some flack for that, but Devin took me home on time and when I shut my apt door I had to breathe when I realize that was definitely the BEST date I had ever been on.  I kept thinking to myself how much my family would LOVE him.

So eventually I guess I passed the cool list and he took me out on his boat, to the farm . . . he passed the hard working test . . . , but never to meet his family.  WHY?  I didn't ask question, I had never met anyone's family and was not looking forward the that stage.  That just means you have to tell people you are serious and I'd have to start saying no to other dates.

One night we were at my apartment with David and we were watching National Treasure.  We had been  hanging out every day and I guess in Devin's mind that means you have to (get to)  kiss them.  In my mind, he had asked me out like 4 times on dates every weekend and we had only known each other a month.  Not long at all.  Well he put his arm around me at the beginning of the movie and it felt comfortable.  "Smooth Devin," I was thinking.  He teased me to get me to look at him and then BAM!  All I knew was he was kissing me.  WHAT THE!  I panicked.  I was loosing my VL reputation fast and I wasn't so sure that was a good thing!  Then out of no where I back away and looked at him.  This was way too fast and what was he thinking?  He definitely passed the good kisser test . . . but his friend was asleep on the other couch and could wake up at any time.  For all I knew he was peeking right now!  I'm pretty sure that all these emotions could be read on my face.  Cause Devin had a look of defeat and the rest was a blur.  I just remember apologizing and saying it was late.  Dev got the hint, woke up his friend (I still swear he wasn't asleep!) and left in about 30 seconds.  I went to my bed to a bunch of giggling room mates.  They made fun of me and said that I had just lost my VL and it was time to celebrate!  I didn't hear from Dev for a while and I missed him.  I thought  I had scared him off and it was over.   But honestly, who does that!  4 dates!  Well I finally got a text from Devin and he was very apologetic.  He mentioned something about him rushing things and he wanted to make it up to me and asked me out for that weekend.  Things did slow down.

Way down!  For the next 2 semesters nothing changed, which was good.  Yes there was a kiss now and then (I finally grew up about the whole kissing thing, come to find out I like it!!!) but we just had fun.

I got to know his friends and their girl friends really well and yes, I finally met the family!  I blocked that experience out pretty well so it must have been really stressful for me.  I remember I wore the most conservative pink shirt I could find only to get there and see that his mom was more fashionable than me!  I also remember I got a cold sore over meeting them.  They were so nice and completely reminded me of my family.  I swear every time I went over to his house his mom had this elaborate meal that was a new recipe and I went home and I always ended up burning the next meal I cooked!  I don't think I ever invited Devin over to my house for a Sunday meal.  When I heard he and his friends were getting invited to 2 and 3 Sunday dinners a week that quickly changed though.

Somewhere in there I took Devin to meet my immediate family and the HUGE  Ray family at a wedding.  (Only a portion at a family reunion.)

Bad idea to do that at the same time but I don't regret it, it was definitely an initiation.  I did inform him on the way home that even though we were exclusive I had told my family we were dating.

Dev passed the cool family test.  We went skiing, snow-shoeing, camping, I spent a lot of time with the Gneitings and they were so generous and kind.  And over time I watched him in an extremely stressful situation . . .  passed with flying colors, around his neice and nephew . . . totally passed the children test, watched him around my family . . . which was a breeze, watched him get perfect grades . . . pass, found out he wanted to go to more schooling . . . pass.  Man, there has to be something wrong with this kid.  I soon found out what it was . . . 

TO BE CONTINUED . . .