Day 1: First Crush

1 - Write about your first crush. Who was it? Do you still talk to them?

My first crush (you'll remember this one, Dad) was my neighbor Brennan. He lived a few houses down the street, and I was friends with his big sister too. He and I were inseperable; he'd come over in the mornings sometimes to watch cartoons and eat cereal and yogurt with me before school. We went to preschool together, and kindergarten too. We used to sneak out over his back fence and play in the abandoned, crumbling barn that was slowly sinking into the wetlands behind our street - we thought it was the coolest thing in the world. One time we decided to make a parachute by taking a sheet and holding all four corners of it, then jumping out the 2nd story window ... luckily we tested it by jumping off the top bunk of his bed first and realized it didn't work. We used to tell everyone we were going to get married when we got old enough. Like 12 or so.

When we got older, we went to different schools but still played together in the afternoons. At some point his family moved away, but near enough that we still got together fairly often, but that was when we were at the age where boys and girls aren't usually friends so I spent more time with his sister. In high school he did some things I disliked and that freaked me out, and I told him he had gotten mean and I was disappointed in how he was turning out. We haven't really talked since. I keep in touch with his sister, but not him. I'm sure he's probably over that phase now, and is a decent guy and all, but he probably didn't like being judged by me back then (I don't blame him for that) and so he's probably not a big fan of me.

And no, we didn't get married at 12. Or ever!

Day 10: First Love and First Kiss.

I skipped this before, because it's all a little . . . icky? But after surviving 36 hours of vomiting, fever, and diarrhea, nothing seems icky anymore.

I didn't make the best choices about dating when I was younger. The only really good choice I made was to wait until I was 16 or 17 to start.

My first kiss was from an alcoholic high-school dropout. That didn't turn into a relationship, thankfully! Nice enough guy, but yikes.

Sidenote: Years later, he married a girl who I went to college with. When I was in college, I worked on the weekends at Denny's for a while. First Kiss Dude and his Fiancee came in together, which surprised the heck out of me because I didn't go to college in the same town I grew up in (same state, but a few hours away). I was so mortified that the only time I ever saw this guy again was when I was sweaty and in a Denny's uniform! Then they asked to be seated in the smoking section and I thought, "Oh, he hasn't changed, he hasn't even quit smoking" and didn't mind as much.
Side note #2: I think I still smoked at that time, so I don't know why I was so judgy about it. Oops.



My first love (first boyfriend I ever said "I love you" to, not first real, mature, lasting love) was inappropriately old for me. We dated during my senior year of high school. He was 28. I met him at a community college class I'd been sitting in on. Again, nice enough guy, but come on. No one normal and healthy that age wants to date a high schooler. I'm 28 now, and you'd have to threaten me with one-by-one finger amputations to get me to go on even one short date with a high-school boy. And if he were under 18, no way. Who does that?! Anyway, we broke up and I went away to college. Which is great! If I hadn't, I'd probably be a stay-at-home-mom with a cheating husband right now. No thanks! No child brides here.

Day 03: My Views on Drugs and Alcohol.

I just worked a 12 hour day, so this will be short and not-so-sweet:

Drugs: YES. Halidol, Ativan, Antipsychotics, and anything that makes those combative residents stop BITING me (yes that really happened tonight).

Illegal Drugs: No thanks. I'll stick to my ibuprofen.

Alcohol: Rarely. I went through a phase when I was younger when I used to binge drink, which was not the greatest plan. Now I almost never drink at all, and stick to just one or two. Mr. Polly says I have the tolerance of an 11 year old.

True story: Just now I was telling Mr. what I'm writing about and now he's going to get us some Riesling. Because I ache from head to toe and because I got BITTEN BY A GROWN WOMAN! I think a glass of wine and some Jeopardy or Smallville sounds like a good way to end my day.

Day 01: Relationship.

I'm married, and very happily so. I met my husband a long time ago, way back when I was 19. We married when I was 23, which I was pretty surprised about, having never planned on getting married until I began dating him.

We laugh a lot. When we go to bed at the same time, we stay up too late talking and playing stupid games we make up on the spot, like "Holla Whatcha Call Me" (pretty self-explanatory) and other weird stuff, like the time I decided to tell him "The Scariest Story Ever Told" in a bad Russian accent (it was about a character named Black the Ukranian who was covered in fur like a monkey from hell). I wonder if our neighbors can hear us, and if they wish we'd just go to sleep for God's sake.

I still think my husband is very handsome. And he's still very tall. Even when we're old and he shrinks, he'll still be very tall. When you start out at 6'4" you can spare a little spinal compression.

Having been so young when I started dating him, we've really grown up together. Learned how to be responsible adults that show up for work on time and pay our bills on time. I've learned how to cook, though not 'till we'd already been married a while. But I'm good at it now! We've traveled together a little bit, but not that far away. When I was a nanny, the family I worked for took us both with them on their vacation to Whistler, BC, which was really fun. They have special trash cans there that are too confusing for bears to get into. Also, I taught my husband how to ride a bike.

When I was younger and my single female friends would ask me how to pick a guy, my basic advice was "Look around at everyone you know, and pick the guy that you think is too nice and funny and cute for you. Then ask him out. Or maneuver him into asking you out. Then try really hard to be good enough for him, and expect him to do the same for you. Then you'll be happy."

It worked for me!

Happy 9th anniversary this fall, Mr. Polly!




PS we both just figured out what we wanted to be when we grew up, like, a year ago. So don't stress about that either, people.