After graduating from BYU nursing school, I moved with my nursing school friends, Ashley Jensen and Sarah Spendlove, to Washington DC. I interviewed at 3 different hospitals and was offered a job at each one. I decided to go with the one my friends were going to go to also, George Washington University Hospital. I worked in the ER there for almost 2 years. Ashley, Sarah and I lived together and worked at GW together, and went to church together...we pretty much did everything together. Dan moved out to DC several months after I did after completing his degree in Russian Literature at the University of Utah. He lived with his brother, Eric, and family for several months before he moved in with roommates and attended the Colonial Singles Ward, where I attended also. He worked at PAE at the time with a girl from the singles ward, Leslie Smith. I was also friends with her, but did not know Dan. One Sunday at church, my roommate Ashley happened to sit next to someone in Sunday School and introduced herself. When I came in to sit down next to her, I introduced myself to the guy she was sitting next to also. His name was Dan Loveridge. We figured out that we had a mutual friend, Leslie Smith. After that initial introduction, I talked with Dan at almost every church activity. He was always really easy to talk to. Around Halloween 2002 I actually asked Dan out on a date, not for me though, for Ashley. We went on a double date, but I was with someone else. Throughout the night I always had a much easier time talking to Ashley's date, Dan, than my own date. We went to dinner and roller skating where Ashley and Dan held hands for the "couple's skate". To this day, Dan still teases me that he held Ashley's hand before he held mine. After that double date Ashley and I became good friends with Dan, we even started "Project Dan", where we would pick him up and make him go to Institute with us. In February 2003 Dan and I became a bit better friends. He called me once from work which I thought was a bit unusual and then one time when he was over watching a movie with all of us roommates, he rubbed my back...definitely out of the ordinary for us. I was starting to fall for him around that time. The Monday after that we had a ward FHE for Valentines Day, but he didn't go to it. I called him after it was over and asked him where he was. He said he had just worked out and was watching a movie. I told him that I wanted to go over and see him and he said that would be great! To this day I'm not sure why I was so forward on the phone with him. I had never been that forward and had never been to his apartment before...plus it was already late. On a quick side note, I also had a little bet going on with my brother, Ken, that whoever could get a meaningful kiss by Valentine's Day would win the bet. So, I bragged to my roommates that I was going to go "make-out" with Dan to win the bet. I would never really be so forward, but I liked to think I might be! So, I went over to Dan's apartment and we hung out for a while talking. We had lots to talk about and really enjoyed getting to know each other better. After a little while there was a pause in the conversation and I asked Dan what we should do. His response was "I can think of something we can do" and he leaned over and kissed me!!! I just started laughing and he said that wasn't the response he was hoping for. I thought his "line" was really cheesy and it made me laugh. We talked a bit more and then I had to get going home. He kissed me one more time before I got into the car. I went home with a perma-grin on my face and bragged to my roommates that I had just gotten a kiss from Dan! After that initial kiss, there was no question that we were now dating. It was just so comfortable and easy to be together. I was thinking of possibly going on a mission at the time and even met with the Bishop a few days later, but that decision became clear soon enough. Dan and I were getting along so well and I was so comfortable and happy when I was with him. That Friday he took me on an "official" date to a Mongolian barbecue. A month later he invited me to go with him to visit his best friend and wife up in Pennsylvania. We had no problem finding things to talk about on the 4 hour drive up and back. His best friend liked me and commented to Dan later that he knew we would get married. After that first month and trip to PA, both Dan and I realized that we would be completely happy marrying each other. It was comfortable to be together from the very beginning.
No comments:
Post a Comment