Ryan and I met on a website called Plenty of Fish in May of 2014. Ryan wasn't like the other guys... he didn't use a silly pick up line like "Hey sexy". I could tell he read my profile because he asked me what my favorite Pink Floyd song was. We began communicating through the site and eventually through text. Ryan was very open and honest about wanting to explore the dating world, which I was fine with. Although when he text me one day to tell me he had went on a date and was going to see where things went with the other girl he had been seeing (remember we hadn't even met yet), I'll admit my pride was a little hurt. A few months later I got a message on Plenty of Fish from Ryan and my first thought was "What the heck does this guy want?!" He asked how I was, and after taking a looooong time to answer him (on purpose hehe) I said that I had been fine and asked how he had been. He said that he had made a mistake. Oh how that tickled me!! Darn right he did! After that I figured I would give him a second chance. I'm sure glad I did. We continued to talk through text and decided to meet. Before the date I told my mom and best friend Heather where I would be and that I would keep in touch so they would know I was still alive and that he wasn't a killer ;) We met at Capri Lanes in Columbus to bowl but it wasn't open yet when we arrived so we decided to go have a drink at The Old Bag of Nails. I rode with him and he was so nervous he ran over the curb. Hard! I think that loosened things up a bit. We had a great time! When he went to the restroom I made sure to let my mom and Heather know I was still alive and that we were having an awesome time! Ryan didn't let me win in bowling that night... And I haven't won since!
For the guys out there who have experienced the displeasure of navigating the do's and don'ts, as well as the annoyance and frustration of reaching out to someone who interests you. Chelsey made this weird social world very easy on me. For my first message to her, I decided to skip the ineffective pleasantries and cut right to the core of her profile. Noticing she listed Pink Floyd as a favorite band I asked, "So what is your favorite Pink Floyd song?" Bowchickabow it worked! That's my story, wedding is April 6th! Haha Just kidding... She replied with "Time" and from there we began an ongoing conversation about our interests etc. Numbers were exchanged and our interaction continued over a few weeks. Around May of 2014 I had to make a tough call. I had already been communicating with someone from the Mansfield area at the time and we had been on a few dates. Feeling this relationship was progressing, I decided to tell Chelsey I thought it best to exclusively interact with her. Needless to say this was a mistake. About two months later I came crawling back to Chelsey with my best "Hey I made the wrong choice" message, and once again she made things very easy on me. Our relationship warmed up and we decided to meet two days after my 30th birthday for bowling in Columbus. There are quite a few things I vividly remember about that first meeting: - We hugged in the parking lot. Chelsey says it was a stupid hug, as if she has germs. Come on, What is a guy supposed to do? Smash his chest into hers? CREEPY! - The doors of Capri Lanes were locked. It was closed. I felt stupid. - We hopped in my car and headed to The Old Bag of Nails pub in Worthington. (This is when I had my first true look at her while she was sitting next to me) - Old Bag was open! We had a couple drinks there and she mentioned her obsessions with Dos Equis "Most interesting man in the world" and Sam Elliot's amazing mustache. The rest of the story is continued in Part two told by Ryan
Part two continued... - On our way back to the bowling alley I ran over a curb (I've never been good at driving and trying to hold a conversation). - I kicked her ass in bowling, but she seemed to have a good time. - She messaged me after we left and said something like "Hey thanks for making losing at bowling so much fun!" On our second date we decided to bike on a trail in Mount Vernon. Halfway through, it rained on us. I felt bad about that and sensed she was hiding how uncomfortable she actually was. We found refuge at a place called Wine Stein just off Rt 13. Wet and chilly we sat for wine and conversation. Probably had another awkward hug in the parking lot... But the third, and most important date is where the fireworks were set off! September 6, 2014. Ring any bells Buckeye fans? Asking Chelsey to tailgate with my friends and I, she began to win my heart while we played cornhole, took shots, and later watched OSU lose (their only loss of the national championship season!) at a bar called Ethel & Tank. After the game, instead of sulking in defeat, a woman who I would propose to three years later stood leaning against the wall and I joined her. Things were fuzzy, but I'll never forget the smile we both exchanged after our first kiss. Like I said, she made it easy on me :)