Last year I made no secret of the fact that Valentine’s Day is not my favorite day of the year and for good reason. I won’t go into that again, however, I thought it’d be fun to share one of my more humorous Valentine’s Day dates. My then boyfriend now husband, whom I will refer to as dh for the remainder of this story, thought it would be fun to try a Greek restaurant in Seattle’s U District. This date traumatized me for many years, but I can at least smile over it now. I’m hoping it will make you chuckle. Now, before I go any further I must defend my man. This took place before we had the internet, and GPS, so don’t judge him too harshly–after all, I did marry him. :)
Our evening began with us feeding a parking meeting and subsequently getting ambushed by people who knew more than we did–you don’t have to pay the meters after 6:00. We were very young. :) Okay, so that wasn’t so bad, but it should have been a warning of the evening to come.
As it turned out my dh didn’t exactly know the name of the restaurant he was taking me to, or the address. He only had a general idea–the U District. So we begin to walk. It’s dark and there are not a lot of people out. At one point we find a place that looks promising, so we walk toward the door, but realize our mistake too late. The doors are set back and we have to walk into this darkened walkway only to find out it was closed, and it wasn’t the restaurant he hand in mind. LOL I’m not even positive it was a restaurant. So we turn around only to be accosted by a man who solicits me. I was mortified! I was dressed conservatively in kaki colored pants, and a button up floral top, and flats. There was nothing about me that said I’m for sale. I must admit, that part still bothers me and this happened over twenty-five years ago. Somehow we manage to get away from the scary man and cross the street only to have a gang of several men form a circle and block our path. Yes, this all really happened on one date. Scared we slipped into a nearby store and waited for the group to leave.
The store clerk was helpful and told us how to find the Greek restaurant. By this time we were starving and it was getting late–at least to us. :) We finally made our way to the place my dh had in mind and were seated by the window. Those guys were hanging out outside the same window, which really freaked me out considering my overactive imagination. I don’t remember a thing about the food, but my dh really enjoyed it. LOL
Oh, for the record we found out later that those guys who formed the circle were in all likelihood conducting a drug deal.
Isn’t it funny how when someone tries to do something nice for us it does’t always turn out as planned? Sadly my husbands record of planning dates has improved very little through the years. He now doesn’t even try and leaves all plans for anything up to me. It’s really for the best. :)
I’m reminded of a often quoted scripture passage about love. 1 Corinthians 13. Here is the link. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians+13&version=NASB Begin reading in verse four. I would like to add that in the early stages love is also blind. :)
I hope your Valentine’s Day went better than ALL of ours. As I write this post it’s less than a week before the “big day” and neither of us has a clue what we will do. I’m leaning toward attending a home and garden show. :)
Do you have a funny date story? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Also, my book Island Hope releases February 28th. I wrote a post which includes an except from it over on my personal blog. I’d love it if you’d check it out. Here’s the link. https://kimberlysmusings.wordpress.com/
Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance, romantic mystery, and romantic suspense that warms the heart and feeds the soul. Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
It sounds like you two were in a rough area of town, Kimberly…funny story! I remember on our first date, Derek told me he had a twin sister and I proceeded to ask if they were identical…LOL!
Thanks for sharing your story, especially about your husband not planning dates. My husband of 43 years does not plan dates either, he leaves it to his “social secretary,” which is me. Since we are retired, on Fridays we enjoying going on road trips. Monday through Thursday, I watch our. 2 1/2 year old granddaughter, with little time to use the Internet or plan events. Friday morning, often before I had my cup of coffee or really awake, he asked “what is an the agenda today.” Meaning where are we going – what movies are playing, what new restaurant or museum can we visit. After taking care of my parents, my children, and helping with grandchildren – for once I would love someone to do the planning of dates, outings, and vacations. Your blog made me fell better, that I am not alone.
Sorry can’t really think of any disastrous date. Enjoyed your romance “Brewed With Love” in the five romance set Love In Mistletoe Springs. Lots of dates between couples in those romances. What a great concept – saving a pet shelter by having a Christmas in July fundraiser. Enjoyed the unusual pets: a cockatoo, a lizard, and a white rat. An excellent cooperative effort of five talented authors, even though each romance was a stand alone, each author was able to weave the elements of the pet shelter and the rescued pets with their forever home owners together.
Thanks. Happy writing. Enjoy your day.
Kimberly, I love your sweetheart story. I married my childhood sweetheart 29 years ago this past December 13. No disastrous dates. I can remember our first married meal together. He had mentioned not wanting to gain weight. So, when he got home from his first day of work being married, I had thought I would fix a nice huge healthy salad with lots of fixings. It was a great salad. He ate the salad and wondered where the rest of supper was. I said, welllll, you didn’t want to gain weight, so I only fixed a salad. He got up and got peanut butter and bread. He said his Dad said, if you don’t get enough to eat, fix yourself a peanut butter sandwich. That was the last time I fixed only salad for a meal!
Kimberly, your post made me chuckle, but it also made me cringe. Glad you are okay! I have a funny story about something that happened when Tim and I started dating. We were at a restaurant, and had only been out a couple of times. A lady I did not know came running in, laughing, saying I saw your truck in the parking lot and had to stop. (talking to Tim) Then she throws her arms around him and jumps in his arms! (we were in a fast food place) Turns out it was his sister and their whole family is that way. (the hugging, not the jumping lol) I was standing there looking at him like who is this person? I thought you liked me lol. Now it’s funny. Then, I almost walked out.
We don’t have any disastrous date stories like yours, but my hubs still rarely plans dates. If it’s to be, it is up to me. :) I don’t really mind, I’d usually prefer to hang around at home and play a board game than go out.
That’s too funny, Jill. :)
Elizabeth, I’m glad you don’t have a disastrous date story. I usually prefer to hang out at home too, but since I’m here almost 24/7, getting out now and then is nice. :)
LOL. I love that story! I’m glad you didn’t walk out. :)
Okay, I seriously LOL at that. That is too funny, LeAnn. My sweetie lived on PBJ’s and Top Ramen when we first married. If he was lucky I made him dinner. In my defense I was working full time AND taking a full load of classes so I could finish my degree.
Renate, I’m so glad you enjoyed Brewed with Love. That was a fun story. :)
I’m sorry you are the events planner too. I’m with you, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. :) I’m sure there are many more like us out there.
My funny/odd date story is when my boyfriend(now husband of almost 37 years) and I went to a local campground and were enjoying the scenery. Unfortunately, my body decided to get sick and I threw up all over the place. Very embarrassing, but, he didn’t flinch. He cleaned up the mess and helped me get clean. What a great guy! I felt better and we continued our date. He never even mentioned the incident again. I guess I was so excited about the date that I got sick. haha!
As a newly wed with a limited seminary student budget, I made hamburger helper. We had several burnt offering dinners. My mother in law said my husband eats anything with cheese on it. Great way to disguise Lima beans. Cheese is a staple in our house.
There’s no way I can top your Valentines date story, and I’m thankful! If I were the date planner, we’d never leave the farm. Seriously. Hubby is an introvert, too, so we don’t get out much. LOL. A date for us these days is maybe dinner and a movie or shopping in a different town and catching dinner while we’re out.
The first real date i had with my now husband (other than a hike that my dad went along on), Jim took me to the zoo, along with his college roommate and said roommate’s niece & nephew. Those 3 left us alone while at the zoo, and Jim proceeded to tell me why he didn’t want to get serious :-) We’ve now been married 42 years :-)
Too cute, Margaret. I’m glad you had a “happily ever after.” :)
I’m glad you never had one of those kind of dates, Valerie. Dinner and a movie sounds nice. I must admit though, I’d rather watch movies from the comfort of my own family room LOL.
That’s pretty awful, Melissa. I’m glad you recovered and went on to have a nice time. What a sweet man.
That has to be the most memorable date I’ve read about that wasn’t fiction! What a story to share. Mine isn’t as interesting but we tell the kids and laugh. My boyfriend at the time, now husband, bought me a milkshake to soothe my throat because I lost my voice. I sucked that thing down in about a minute, but no voice. Out of nowhere I burp. I mean there was an echo. It was mortifying. He was sitting next to me and he tells people I burped so loud that was how he lost his hair. :)
LOL I love that story, Julie! :)
Like you said, you did marry the guy! That sounds like one horrible date! Mine isn’t as bad but it was exhausting. We were going cross country skiing and my future husband ‘didn’t need a map, he knew the way’. Words that should send a shiver down any woman’s spine! We were supposed to ski a loop and return to the parking lot. Things went well at first. Then they didn’t. It was getting dark, I was tired. No parking lot in sight. My husband ‘remembered’ a shortcut. So we took it. It got us nowhere as well so we turned around and want backwards the way we had come. The only way we knew for sure we would get back to the truck. We skied on in the dark, me lagging well behind my guy, going strictly on frustration at this point. Six hours later (it was supposed to be a one-hour loop) we saw the truck. And I saw my husband with a flashlight looking at a map, nodding sagely. If we had continued on his ‘shortcut’ a few more minutes we would have come to the parking lot. So, according to him we weren’t really lost, he said with a triumphant smile. Just bewildered. I would have clubbed him with my ski pole but I didn’t have the energy to even lift it up. But yeah, I married him too! And that was only one of many, “Follow me, I know the way” adventures we have had.
Oh my goodness, Carolyne. I don’t know, that sounds pretty bad to me. Six hours! Maybe that sounds like utter torture to me because I don’t enjoy cross country skiing. :)
Kimberly, that was some date! Glad you survived. My funny story comes from the night we got engaged. My hubby-to-be took me to a really fancy French restaurant. When the waiter came to our table, he told us about the specials. One of them was calf brains. I was thinking. I’ll pass. My HTB ordered them, and after the waiter left asked me why I didn’t. I said, “Do you know what you ordered.” He said, “It was calf something. I figured it was beef so it had to be good.” He ate them, but the real joke was when we called to tell his parents we were engaged, his dad, the butcher, laughed like crazy when he found out about the calf brains. We still laugh about that.
Oh my goodness! So did he know he was eating calf brains before he ate them, or did you tell him after. What a brave man if he knew!
That was a fun story.
Wow. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories!
We are morphing from homebodies into hermits. So many times we have made plans and had to cancel because of work or a sick child. I’ve started getting creative though, get the kids to bed early, fireplace vids from youtube, romantic music from Amazon, bake a dessert for my man and slip on a nightie, no fail date night (especially if the kids stay in bed)
Love it!:)
No funny date stories here….my guy is (thankfully) very good at directions and finding places….unlike me, lol!! But we’ve had plenty to laugh about over the years, we both have a good sense of humor. I think that’s a key ingredient in marriage, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself to make it through :-)
So true, Trixi. Laughter is good medicine.:)
Wow that was some date to remember. It was like a domino effect for you. It definitely would be one I would always remember. When my hubby and I were first dating, I decided to make a heart shaped cake to surprise him for Valentine’s Day. Did I mention I don’t know how to cook? The cake had egg shells in it and was so hard it could be used as a door stopper. I was horrified, but we still laugh each year about that.
That is too funny, Harley0326. :) I love those kind of memories.
I don’t think I could look at that with humor even after 40 years. :)
What a crazy date. After having lived near the U District through my Freshman year in high school (when we moved permanently to what had been our vacation home on Whidbey Island), I definitely can relate to your story. The district was an okay place to be during the day, but became a bit sketchy at night. It did boast one of the first few Starbucks locations, so it did have something going for it.
So that was our mistake–going after dark. :) I really had no idea, but I refuse to go back there ever, day or night.