First Impression

* Posted in response to Tif-do's additional question: What was your first impression of your significant other? It's sort of a long explanation........

The summer before my senior year, I lived in an atypical family. It consisted of three single women: my mom, my older sister and I. That summer my mom met John. Janae met David. They were both in love. I was trying hard not to roll my eyes, convinced that playing the field was the way to go.

In November, Mom married John. He and his children moved into our quiet house, and everything changed. I took refuge in cheerleading.

I lived, slept and breathed cheerleading. It consumed most of my time outside of school. Some cheer squads get along very well; others do not. In an effort to build a squad that worked well together, our coach scheduled a mandatory squad night outside of practice and games once a month. We got to choose what we did and where we went, but attendance was mandatory and other friends or boyfriends were not invited. Cheer nights were for the squad only.

In December-- right in the middle of the busy basketball season-- Janae and David announced their engagement. They were getting married on Valentine's Day. They chose this date for two reasons. It was the only long weekend in WSU's winter semester before Spring Break, and it was two weeks after David's brother was scheduled to return from his mission.

Just before the wedding, David's family received news that the mission president had extended David's younger brother. He wouldn't be coming home until the first week of March.

All of the wedding plans were in place, the announcements sent out, the temple appointment made, so they went ahead with the wedding without David's brother.

About a month later Janae and David dropped by our house. It was a surprise visit, and they brought David's brother Nathan with them. He had just gotten home from his mission in Argentina.

Nathan stood in the doorway of our old house in Pasco, clean-shaven with a missionary haircut. His face was tanned because he'd just come from the Argentine summer, his green eyes so bright against that golden skin.

I think my mouth actually dropped open when I saw him. I didn't just look, I stared. I had to force myself to look away and felt my cheeks burning red when I finally did. I turned to my mom and mouthed the words, "Oh... my... gosh!"

He looked pretty intimidating, but then David cracked a joke and Nathan laughed. His smile lit up his entire face. He was drop-dead, flipping gorgeous. Four very distinct words came into my mind: OUT OF MY LEAGUE.

So, my mom piped up and said, "Why don't you invite Nathan to go out with your friends tonight?" I'm sure she thought she was doing me a favor. I could have killed her. It was squad night-- other friends not invited-- and he was a returned missionary. Why would he want to hang out with a bunch of high school cheerleaders? Somehow I made an excuse, but to this day, Nathan thinks I jilted him that night.

The following year Nathan moved to Utah, and I went to Washington State with Janae & David. In the fall of my sophomore year, Nathan took time off school and got a job in Pullman working road construction. He worked full-time and slept on Janae & David's couch. He also came to the singles ward, and he usually talked to me because he knew me already. Several of the girls in the singles ward were interested in Nathan, and a few asked me to set them up with him. Somehow I never got around to it.

I remember him telling me that he was planning to go on a date with this one girl. I thought, "Her? She's not that pretty. Heck, I'm as pretty as she is." Suddenly, a light went on in my head.

He didn't know he was gorgeous.

The following week, another of my friends asked me to set her up with Nathan. I said no. If I was going to set Nathan up with anyone, it was going to be me.

After that, as Nathan would say, it was all over but the cryin'.