When I first met Nichole we were working at Chuck-a-Rama down in Provo. She was a waitress and I was just a new hire, a nobody, someone trying to find his way after returning from a mission. I wasn't having too much luck with different jobs and thought I'd give a restaurant a shot. I came in and interviewed with Ken Adams, the then assistant manager. I started on as a line runner, then dishwasher, then moved up to cook and then supervisor after a short period of time. However, I did not enjoy the job. I didn't like working with who I considered at the time low end class individuals. Yeah, I know, I was a little prideful and arrogant of which I had no right to be. Amongst the rif raf, I did notice this one girl who always had a smile and a glow that just always seemed to bright up the restaurant. She would always walk by with a quirky smile and always seemed to be happy and laughing and just all around cheery. I guess you could say, she was the light on the hill. And, to top it off, she was cute!!
I thought to myself that "yeah, I could see myself dating this girl". But then, the funny thing happened, she asked me out! Yeah, that was extremely rare. I had always been the one growing up to initiate any kind of a date. There were a couple instances that I did get asked out, but this was cool. I was still pretty shy I thought from my mission and had a hard time talking with girls. It was so nice for her to ask me. So, naturally I declined. Just teasing, of course I said yes. We had the best first date.
Her friend Chrissy shows up in this Jeep with the soft top off and her pretty hunk of a man date. Now, I'm a little intimidated and thinking this is pretty cool since the car that this stud of a man had was a Ford Festiva of which bicycle tires were bigger than its tires. Needless to say, that I was in no position to impress with the lack of manliness vehicle of which I was an owner. I think the only thing remotely manly with my Festiva was its sporty red color. But, then again, like Rick always says, "you can't polish a terd".
So, where would we go for our first date? When, to my surprise and satisfaction, we go to a hotel! Yep, our first date was to a hotel, the Comfort Inn just down the street from Cougar Stadium. I can say that proudly. I was not blessed with many manly possessions, but what "real man" gets to go to a hotel with a girl on his first date? I thought I was pretty cool. We went hot tubbing. This girl had me hooked right from the start. She had all the qualities. She was beautiful and pretty, sensitive and spiritual with just a touch of rebeliousness in her. Her smile and love of live was infectious. My spirit connected with hers. I was hooked from that day on.
We dated every day on. I never wanted to go a day without seeing my precious girl. In fact, the only time we did not see each other during our 6 month courtship was for a few days when she decided to head down to Zion's with Chrissy and have a girl's week. I was left to my lonesome and felt the need to have her all the time in my life and in no desire to share this spitfire spirit.
We dated for nearly 4 months before we nearly called it off. I got scared of the thought of getting married and told Nichole. Elena, Nichole's older...and wiser sister, was our savior as she convinced Nichole to give me a second chance. It was within a week of this happening that I proposed to my sweetheart. The proposal is a story for another day.
One night when Nichole and I were just sitting around and talking with each other, we came up with this crazy idea and notion that has stuck. "This whole life is a honeymoon compared with eternity". We need to always treat each other and love each other like we are still falling in love.
Something else as of late that Nichole has tried is the "15-second kiss". This kind of a kiss is more than just a peck. I've never been much of a kisser and I actually called myself a "pecker" when referring to my kissing style, which obviously sounded funny and came out wrong. Anyways, girls are naturally more romantic than guys and that sense of connection is important in a relationship. So, what better way to connect than to do the "15-second kiss". It keeps the relationship alive. The verdict is that Nichole was right. It's like we're on our honeymoon again.
