Do You Remember Your First Date?

Do you remember your first date? Just thinking of mine gives me the jitters and makes my stomach a little queasy…ha! Such a strange mix of anticipation, awkwardness and a fun kind of “newness.” I remember mine from start to finish – from the moment he picked me up from theater rehearsal (I was prepping for our high school production of Chicago – so he had to pick me up on campus) to when we got out of the car and shared our first kiss before he walked me to the door.

It’s funny to think that my first and last kiss will be with Blake. Yep – Blake was my very first date and very first kiss! (Well, “real” kiss – I’d kissed boys for roles in plays, but not with someone I liked like that). He was 16 and I was 17 (proud late bloomer over here, ha!).

((^^That’s one of my favorite photos of us when we were teenagers…We look SO young!))

He picked me up in his Honda Element (seriously, still one of my favorite cars) and we drove to a movie theater in north Austin to see Across The Universe. Blake was always a super quiet guy, so I of course rambled during the long drive trying to overcompensate for any potential awkward silences.

As we waited for the movie to start, I remember we both sat with arms crossed to ourselves, trying not to be too suggestive by having a hand on the armrest. I can’t remember whether or not we got a soda or popcorn…if anything, we might have picked up Sour Patch Kids or something small like that.

The movie started playing and we stayed completely to ourselves until the song, I Want To Hold Your Hand came on. That’s when Blake went into “smooth-guy-mode” and turned to me and said, “I kinda wanna hold your hand…”

And so we did. We clasped hands and laced fingers tightly – and not at all naturally (the struggle of teenage nerves and inexperience, I tell ya), and we held hands just like that for the remainder of the film. You bet there was a pool of sweat between our palms as the credits rolled through – it was so awkward and so hilarious – but also quite endearing that neither of us wanted to let go.

By the time we made it back to my parents’ house, the nerves were in full force as I anticipated the prospect of a first kiss with Blake. Right as I walked around the car to meet him at the end of my driveway, with the street lamp shining bright above us in the cul-de-sac, he looked down and kissed me.

I guarantee my giddy-17-year-old-self ran inside to divulge every detail to my mom and I am 110% certain that as I tried to fall asleep that night, I was in a state of euphoria as I lay replaying the date and kiss in my head.

What was your very first date like? I would love for you to comment and share it with me below! I think I got really lucky that I ended up actually liking (okay, loving) Blake – because I know it doesn’t normally go that way. It’s pretty fun to walk down memory lane and laugh at ourselves looking back (…and honestly, every time that Beatles song comes on we can’t help but replay the scene and laugh). First dates are such a fun, monumental time in our lives!^^Not a lot has changed… 😉 Happy to kiss that face all day! This was snapped at the airport before we flew to Barcelona about a month ago!

As I share a moment that made me sweat (…and apparently him, too), I’m thrilled to partner with Dove to share their Amazing Moments campaign and video, which celebrates the fact that sometimes the moments that make us sweat are the most amazing moments of all. (…And I, of course, love this concept – hopeless romantic over here!).

In the video below (…it’s pretty darn cute – so cute, in fact, that I made Blake sit down and watch it with me a second time, ha!), Dove puts its Clinical Protection Antiperspirant to the test during a real woman’s surprise proposal to the love of her life. (I had some very strong jitters just watching this video – it’s so sweet!).

Visit http://clinicalprotection.dove.us to view the film and see how Dove Clinical Protection offers clinical-strength wetness protection with ¼ moisturizers to care for skin.

So – any first date stories you’d like to share? Can’t wait to hear all about them! (…No but really, I live for this kinda stuff!).

A big thank you to Simply Stylist and Dove for sponsoring this post! All opinions (…and embarrassing stories) are my own.