Half a Lifetime of Love

Our First Date 2/9/11

Eighteen years ago today, this guy and girl decided they wanted to see where this relationship was going. We had met the semester before, when he was dating a friend of mine. They broke up before Christmas, and when we came back, we started hanging out more. We were sure to tell anyone who asked that we were "Just friends." But on this night, he held my hand. And started capturing my heart. And now I've been his girlfriend for half my life. How cool is that? From here on out, I will have been his sweetheart longer than I wasn't. It makes me happy.
The picture above was from our first date, which almost didn't happen due to car troubles and the movie we had planned to see being sold out. The only reason we have that picture is because a friend of ours who was an art major happened to be there that night, too, and snapped this candid memory. 
And I'm so glad he did. Those baby-faces have grown a lot since then, but my heart still skips a beat when he holds my hand "just because" or when he presses a kiss to my forehead. The more things change, the more they stay the same ... and that's okay with me.
What about you? Do you have sweet memories of a first date? Have you passed the half-a-life mark? I'd love to hear about your real-life romance stories, too.