ah, memories…
hard to believe, but phil and i officially started dating NINE YEARS ago tonight. i gave him a scrapbook of all our dates a year later for our first anniversary. i couldn’t resist looking through it and reliving old memories. and i especially couldn’t resist posting a few pictures here! 
phil had called me earlier in the day and asked if i wanted to go have dinner that night. since we’d had quite a few dinners together during the summer just as friends, i didn’t really think much of it and agreed. phil informed me later that he was sitting on bruin walk (manning the cia info table) with james (who i think was the most excited out of the three of us) when he called and felt a little nervous because i didn’t sound very excited on the phone. i protested that he sounded pretty nonchalant himself which is why i didn’t think anything was up. heh heh, besides, it’s good to keep ’em a little nervous, no?
that evening, phil showed up at my rochester apartment right on time and took me to louise’s trattoria for dinner. we had an enjoyable time and got through the entire meal. including dessert. phil hadn’t said a word! so we left the restaurant, and phil drove us back to my place. he parked. i was about to get out when phil said, “michelle, wait. we have to talk…” and so we had the DTR (determine the relationship) talk right there in the car. hmm, was phil too nervous to bring it up during dinner? i think i later asked him that and he hedged and said he didn’t bring it up because he wanted to enjoy dinner juuust in case i said no. hee hee.
after our talk, we officially became a couple!
our very first date following the dtr night took place at zankou chicken. mmm. i haven’t eaten there in years! anyone up for chicken and hummus?
the now-faded cover of that insane scrapbook. i used to jokingly call that my senior thesis since i worked on that thing way more than i did on schoolwork that year.
my goodness, how young we looked then! phil was 23. i was 21. i would post a picture of us now, but that would just be too depressing. 
we don’t do anything to celebrate this day because phil says our wedding anniversary is more important. and i agree with him, but this day is still special to me. 
8 Comments
MNah
I totally remember that scrapbook! “Senior thesis”? That is hilarious!
And, wait a minute, wasn’t your first date with Phil with me, Dan, and Jenny? At Fatburger? Hmmm??? Now I think that deserves its own xanga entry, don’t you? 🙂
MominIreland
That’s too cute! I love how you put so much time into that!
On the one year anniversary of *our* first date, we had already been married for five months.
nahyoojin
Burning… burning…
joannaaaakim
wow! what cool memories! i wish i scrapbooked our dating years back then.
greantea71
“michelle, wait. we have to talk…”
that’s sound so scary. LOL. more like breaking up than hooking up….and i think hooking up is scarier!
you guys are so cute. 9 years huh? i always wondered if you guys were a couple (little, teenaged helen asking “are those two together because they’re the only members of praise team??”). and then, well, you get a wedding invite and it’s like “DUH!”
jjohnson32
Ohhh, I love it. And we both share the same weekend and year of our dating adventures!
brofermin
Good story! I love your story because as I had said, it is the one where you also liked Phil and he was a bit slow… like another asian boy I know… 🙂 We also celebrate our dating anniversary. Why not? It helps you remember all the many little reasons to celebrate daily this amazing person God saved for you!
mrssjlee
ha ha! i totally remember that scrapbook. i’m so glad our single/dating days are over and we’re just happily married!