The birthday party

Nate and I are coming up on 13 total years together next month and then five years of marriage in May. Hard to believe sometimes. I think just about everyone who comes here knows the story of how we got together, on a high school band trip to New Orleans. But, it is a little known fact that actually, the story starts a little before that trip. It starts actually back around this time of February at a friend's birthday party.

Recently I told the story of B, the guy who wasn't so good for me. It was shortly before this birthday party that I realized he wasn't good for me and had more or less broke things off, though we remained tentative friends. And somehow, B and a friend of his ended up riding to the party with me. I sort of remember not being happy about it, but for whatever reason, it worked out that way. And I know for a fact as soon as we arrived that evening I split off from B and his friend as soon as I could.

The party was at my friend's aunt's place downtown - really awesome party room and indoor pool from what I remember. It was a very large party with a fair number of our classmates and even those from grades above and below ours, including Nate and his sister. Now of course, I had known Nate forever, but it seemed lately that our paths were crossing more and more, getting put into groups together at school or being seated near each other in class but this party was the first time our social paths had really connected.

I vaguely remember talking to him while we were eating or something. Then the group decided to go swimming. And of course, teenage boys being boys, started splashing the girls and throwing them around in the pool, over their shoulder or whatever. A way of showing off how strong they were I'm sure. Nate came up to me and asked if I wanted him to throw me. And me, not missing at all that this was a flirtatious moment and liking the attention said of course. I do remember thinking "wow he's really strong." And I'm pretty sure I let him do it a few more times. We chatted a bit and I commented that I kind of wished there was a sauna somewhere. He commented that there was a hot tub and I then noticed a couple of my friends were dangling their feet in the hot tub and so I told him I was going to go hang out with them.

So I was chatting with my friends and may have even mentioned that I liked the flirting with Nate, I don't remember for sure, and all of a sudden, he comes over and said "Hey, I found a sauna, it's over there, want to go check it out?" Get your minds out of the gutters, it was perfectly innocent, but me being a fraidy cat grabbed another one of my friends and made her go with me. As we're walking, B and his friend came over and they're like, "where are you guys going?" And my loudmouth friend said "to a sauna over there, want to come with?" so of course, B decided to follow us.

The conversations the four of us had while we sat in there I'm surprised didn't turn Nate completely off to me because well, B was being a jerk and I was dishing it right back out to him and not really painting myself in a very good light. I specifically remember agreeing with my girlfriend about what a "hottie" Leonardo DiCaprio was and kind of going on and on about it - when really, I was never that into Leo. After we'd had our fill of the sauna I think we went back and swam some more but my connection with Nate had kind of passed for that moment -but it was clear there was a spark. I pretty much knew I had a crush on him. I remember wanting to stay at the party later, but having brought B and his friend, ending up agreeing to go home when they were ready to go home. There was something about that night though, I knew somehow that my life was about to change in a big way.

After that night Nate and I continued to find our paths crossing quite a bit for the next several weeks (maybe more purposely than before on each of our parts) culminating in me finding out pretty last minute that he was going on the band trip when he and I were the only students in our gym class taking a quiz that we were going to be missing. Then we went on the trip and the rest is history.

Of course he and I laugh about it now - I asked years later if I did indeed turn him off with my "Leo" talk and he said, "well it was surprising about you and I was glad it turned out to not necessarily be true." At any rate though, B or no B, I am so thankful we were both at that birthday party because really, that was the spark that started it all, even if it would take a few more weeks for us to truly find our way to each other!

And I know that the friend who's party that was reads this blog - so thank you JL, your birthday will always be one I won't forget!