10 Years

Yesterday, December 7th, was our 10 year dating anniversary.

It was the first time we went on a "date", just the two of us, no other couples or groups involved.

Ahhh... tacky high school dance pictures.

Up to this point I had...

- called Matt to let him know when I would be at CYO dances over the summer (and he always came, with or without his friends, and he always asked me to dance the last dance of the night with him.),

- already been to homecoming with Matt and a group of friends,

- shown up at his house in full cowgirl attire (forced by some friends I might add - to show up, not the cowgirl part - we had been at a dance in costume - I'm still surprised his mom let us in!)

- Matt had braved a movie with my family (a chick flick we went to for Laura's birthday no less - he was supposed to invite other people but somehow never did...) ,

- gone on a double date with Matt and another couple (and when Matt offered to pay for my ticket I told him no - don't ask me why!),

- worn his letter jacket every day since homecoming (he stood there waiting for me after 2nd hour to give it to me)

- and Matt sat next to me every day at lunch so his friends had been asking me if we were going out (Matt's never been one to just volunteer information so I guess asking me was the most logical route).

But we weren't dating.

The cowgirl costumes
{I apologize to the others in this picture, but this really was the least saucy of all the poses :) }

As most of you know, December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and therefore a non-school day in the Catholic schools. On Tuesday the 7th we were walking out of school down sophomore hall with a group of friends. Matt and I were a bit behind everybody else, just chatting between the two of us. Part way down the hall our friend David turns to me (in typical David fashion) and says "Elizabeth, when are you going to ask Matt to be your man?!?" Talk about embarrassed, and awkward! I doubt I had a witty response for that, I don't know if I responded at all. I'm pretty sure our conversation didn't get finished at that point, whatever we were discussing.

Later that day Matt and I were chatting online on ICQ (the best typing practice I ever got! Who says you can't carry on 5 conversations at once?) and I got up the nerve to ask him if he'd like to see a movie since we didn't have school the next day. He said he wasn't sure since he'd already told David he'd go to a basketball game with him, but then he suggested we go to the game together and see a movie afterwards, which we did.

Matt picked me up and we had a quiet drive to the basketball game (it was at East, just to help you get the setting right in your mind). When it was time to pay for our tickets Matt offered - again - to pay for my ticket and I said no - again (apparently I don't learn very quickly). The ladies working the ticket booth kinda chuckled and said "If someone were offering to pay for my ticket I'd say yes!" Once again, embarrassed. Watched the game, which was one of the few that I went to by choice and not by obligation to my grade for band, all the while trying to ignore David's teasing looks and my female friends speculations.

We went to see "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (a friend had said it was good, but in retrospect not an excellent date movie, or just regular movie for that matter). This time, when we went to pay for our tickets Matt turned to me and said "Just so you know, I am going to pay for your ticket." Well, that solved that problem I guess.

We were the first people in the theater, and a grand total of 5 more showed up before it started. Definitely not an Oscar-worthy movie, but we didn't have to talk, but I'm not sure if either one of us could have at that point anyway. Not for a full two hours at least.

Matt drove me home afterward and by the time he turned onto my street I figured if I didn't say something then I wouldn't get a chance, so in a round about way I asked him out, and he said yes. Later he informed me that he was planning on saying something when he walked me to the door, but I beat him to it. It's OK though. I let him propose marriage, so we're even.

So that's it, the story of how Matt and I started.

And now you know.