Can you remember being a teenager and getting ready for a date? For some of us that involves casting our minds back a lot longer than others! I've been with my hubby for 25 years and married for 22 of those. Last night we went out on a 'date' and I couldn't help reminiscing about our early dating life. I thought it would be kind of fun to compare how I got ready for a date in 1989 compared to 2015. Read on for all the details ......
Follow Me!
When I look at those numbers it's scary. That's more than half my life dedicated to one man. I feel extremely blessed to have found my soul mate very early in life and I wouldn't change a thing about the life we have built together. If anything I'm more in awe of my amazing man now then when we first met. In fact, I know I am because he asked me out for more than six months before I finally said yes. Ultimately the only reason I did say yes was because my Mum lost it when I asked her yet again to say I wasn't home when he called. She screamed down the phone "I'm not going to tell that boy you are not here anymore!" as she handed me the phone. Subtle right? Remember this was 1989 and way before mobile phones were common place so avoidance tactics were easier, well there were if your Mum would play along! I was mortified and after that little outburst couldn't bring myself to say no so I agreed to that very first date. They say timing is everything and if he hadn't caught me shamefaced that day my life might well have played out very differently. It wasn't that I didn't want to go out with him per se, it was just that I didn't want to be settle down with anyone. I was having way too much fun being footloose and fancy free to even contemplate a relationship. So many boys so little time right? That's the thing about life and love though isn't it? It has a way of showing you want you need not what you think you want because I fell hard and fast and the rest is history. I asked him once how long he would have persisted asking me out for and he said until I came to my senses. He says he always knew that we were destined to be together and it just took me a little longer to get with the program. Fast forward 25 years and our kids are grown (mostly!) meaning we are able to enjoy more time with just the two of us again which is exactly what we did last night for our 'date'. Here's the finer details* ...
Food/Drink 1989 - Pizza Hut. McDonalds, KFC or a similar budget establishment. Bourbon & Coke in copious amounts. We had no money and that's about all we could afford. He had the metabolism most young men enjoy which meant he was able to eat as much rubbish as he wanted without gaining a gram. I was too ignorant of nutrition to realise I couldn't eat the same amount without facing the consequences! 2015 - Dinner before we headed out. I had steamed veggies with low fat cheese sauce sprinkled with panko crumbs and low fat cheese. 4 Glasses of Sauv Blanc. He had a banana and a Peroni. The metabolism has slowed and I have to watch every morsel that goes into my mouth. I'm a few kilos over where I need to be at the moment so I'm trying to be good. He needs to lose 3 kilos to make weight and fit into his leathers for his next motorcycle race. We are both conscious we have a Lebanese dinner out on Saturday where there will be excess!
Venue 1989 - Maybe a movie, a picnic, a day at the beach or a footy game but usually hanging out with friends. We would go out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and maybe a couple of times during the week as well. 2015 - Gold Class Movie (Avengers Age of Ultron). Getting a Friday or Saturday night off is rare treat given hubby is a shift worker. The ones he does have off are usually booked with other activities weeks in advance but when he does have a night off and we don't have plans we'll try and do something. Usually dinner fairly locally.
Preparation 1989 - Hours riffling through the wardrobe to select the perfect outfit. Consulting with BFF's on said outfit. Girly drinks in my bedroom at home while having my hair and make up done by my besties. Perms with big fringes and lots of black eyeliner were a must! Shouting at Mum that I was going 'out' as I ran out the door without a care in the world. Ignore questions from Mum about where 'out' might be and when I would be home. 2015 - A quick shower, clothes selected from the floordrobe based on what looks reasonably clean, sharing the bathroom sink (lucky we have two!) to brush teeth, put on a slick of mascara, a spritz of perfume, and hair in a pony. Him yelling at me encouraging me to hurry up. Check I have the tickets three (no four) times. Load dinner dishes in dishwasher. Lock all the doors. Turn off all the lights. Put the dog out. Skull last remaining wine in glass. Run back upstairs to get a coat after realising how cold it is outside. Jump in car and head off. Turn back to feed the dog even though we were already running late. Jump back in car and head off. Realise we might have left the heater on. Deciding not to go back again. Lipgloss done in the car on the way.
Clothes 1989 - Whatever was cheap and on trend. Quite often borrowed because I couldn't afford a new outfit every time. Luckily us girls were pretty much all the same size back then which essentially quadrupled our wardrobes. Cheap skin tight 'bubblegum' jeans (remember those?), oversized tops (often with matching socks!) and super short skirts. Oh the 80's had a lot to answer for fashion wise. Remember Choose Life tops? Yep I had one ... 2015 - Bootleg true Religion Jeans (so much more flattering to my pear shape than skinnies), black jumper, black long leather coat, black Prada heels, black Coach bag. The finances have definitely improved. I'm pretty sure I had no idea True Religion, Prada and Coach existed in 1989 ...
Transport 1989 - On the back of his GSXR1100, his Mum's Bluebird or my (bright yellow!) Datsun 200B 2015 - Too cold for the hubs latest two wheeler (a BMW700GS) so we took the family Kia Cerato.
Post Date Activities 1989 - Discussing and over analysing every tiny detail with the girls. Days spent wondering whether he would call. 2015 - Home and straight to bed (and not for what you think lol)
I was contemplating searching through some of my old photos to show you my style in 1989 but some things are just best left in the past!
Can you remember your first date? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
Until Next Time ...
Happy Hunting
SFH
xxx
* 1989 were 'typical' situations and not necessarily reflective of one date. My memory is just nit that good lol. 2015 is exactly what happend last night. My short term memory is better :)
