The Night My Life Changed Forever

Eighteen years ago today I had a dinner date that changed my life.

A few weeks earlier I had placed an ad in the local Iowa City independent newspaper - "Hockey Fan Seeks Same". I mentioned that the kind of guy that I was interested in needed to like country music and college football. I was hopeful, but prepared for disappointment. I also had a voicemail message that I recorded in connection with the ad. I distinctly remember saying, "if you're the kind of person that I would see on 'Ricky Lake', I'm not interested."

A few days later I check the voicemail, a guy named Matt had responded. He actually sounded.... interesting.  I called him back and we chatted for about an hour. We made plans to meet the following Monday (he was going home for the Thanksgiving weekend) at a local restaurant in town.

Now, I have to admit, I picked the place because it was a bit of a sports bar and I thought that if the dinner didn't go well that I could at least stay and watch the Raiders - Chargers NFL game. I even went so far as to wear my San Diego Chargers jersey (the awesome powder blue one). When I was getting ready, I looked in the mirror and thought, "I actually look good."

I showed up at the restaurant and he was already there and seated. Back then, before this whole internet fad, there weren't any photos available, so I had no idea what he looked like. When I saw him, I breathed a sigh of relief because he was good looking.

The whole night was amazing. We talked the entire time and the conversation flowed easily. There weren't any uncomfortable pauses and it felt like I had known him for years. We had similar stories, divorced parents, worked in music stores, sports fans. LOL

Before we knew it, the waitress was giving us the "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" look. The restaurant was closing for the night and they needed us to leave.

We walked outside and there was a light snow falling. I offered Matt a ride back to his dorm and along the way we made plans to get together the next day. I remember getting back to my apartment building and talking with my friend Rebecca.  I told her, "I really like this guy. He would fit in very well with our group of friends.

We've been together ever since and not a day goes by that I am grateful to have him in my life.

Happy Anniversary Matt.