Love Week: Chimerikal - 'First Date'



Welcome to Love Week!  Today is Day #1 and we have just left for Wales to celebrate 10 years of marriage with family and friends!  You can follow along with the hashtag: #RyanAndBonnie  and feel free to send us messages on twitter using that hashtag! I have asked my blog friend, Erika, to be a guest poster today and gave her the theme 'love'.  She came back with an amazing outlook on her First Date.  Since the First Date is where it all starts, I thought it only fitting that we commence Love Week with Erika.  I 'met' Erika only recently when we were participating in the blogging Every Day in May challenge.  People come in our lives for a reason and I knew from reading her blog we were destined to be friends.  I hope you all enjoy reading her post today and have fun getting to know her just as I did.
Thank you Erika for accepting the challenge to guest post for me. <3 





Hey everyone! I’m Erika from Chimerikal and I’m super honored to be a part of Bonnie Rose's Love Week. A bit about me? I’m a semi-nomadic girl in my mid-twenties who blogs about traveling, growing up, and self-confidence (basically: life!). You can read my blog here

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I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend and I thought it would be fun to talk about our first date. And given the circumstances, it's pretty miraculous that we ended up going on a second one. :)

After a disastrous day in New York City, I found myself sitting on the curb in-between two parked cars, scarfing down a salad in between gulps of water. Cars passed noisily in the distance and every now and then I got a whiff of exhaust fumes in my face. Ah, we couldn't have designed a more romantic setting for our first date. 

Had it really been less than a day ago that I had been nervous about whether or not we would get along? About how I would look and what I would say? I laughed to myself as he slid closer to me on the curb and took my hand in his.

Tyler -- the guy sitting next to me -- and I had met about two months prior at a wedding. 

I was a bridesmaid and he was a groomsman. Looking back, it definitely was one of those moments that felt like it was straight out of a movie. I remember thinking: "I can't believe this is happening" as Tyler asked me to dance and we talked the night away. And our fate was pretty much sealed when I caught the bouquet (at least, that's what I choose to believe, haha).

From that day on, we communicated everyday, but we were in a long-distance relationship -- separated by quite a few states. As luck (or destiny) would have it, we both had overlapping dates that we would be on vacation in New York City. We arranged it so that we could spend a couple of days together. I was excited but nervous -- would we hit it off like at the wedding? 


In retrospect, I now realize I was worried about all of the wrong things. 

I should have instead worried about:
1. Starting our day off with the surprising news that his rental car had been towed.
2. Being told by the NYPD that it was at the tow pound. 
3. Walking a bajillion blocks to said tow pound which was "down the street."
4. In the pouring rain. (Surprise! Doesn't matter if it was August and it had been sunny all week long.)
5. The cats and dogs falling out of the sky. (Seriously, it was raining like CRAZY.)
6. Arriving at the address only to find ourselves at a museum of sorts. Where were the cars?
7. Finding our way around that building to the other unmarked, hidden building with misleading signs.
8. Only to find out that we needed the rental car agreement.
9. Which was back at the hotel. A bajillion blocks away. In the pouring rain. 
10. Walking back to the hotel to get dry clothing -- including warmer clothes.
11. Leaving the hotel only to have it be bright and sunny. Of couuuurse.
12. Deciding to go to Central Park to cheer ourselves up, only to take the Subway in the wrong direction. 
13. Arriving, sitting and relaxing, then deciding to take a Pedi-cab to the nearest subway station because we were tired of walking. The driver pointed to his sign and said it would be $15. 
14. Which was a sort of steep price because we were poor students on an already tight budget in NYC and we knew the car being towed would pretty much eat up all of the "fun money" we had (and then some).
15. But surprise! After a lovely ride through Central Park, our driver tells us the ride is $40. 
16. He drops us off in front of the Museum of Natural History, which is where we wanted to go originally but opted out of it earlier that day because it was too expensive. How much? $20 each.
17. Shocked and deflated, we decide to walk to the tow pound instead of ride the subway since we were running out of money.
18. We get to the tow pound, which is overflowing with people. Earlier, there had been about five people there. Now there are about forty. 
19. We then proceed to sit on the hard linoleum floor by the public restrooms because there are no chairs left. 
20. For three hours. Comfy.
21. Finally, we're called up and told that the total for the day's events comes to $500+ dollars. Let me enter that into my currency exchange calculator… and yeah, that comes to about $17,489,984 in broke student dollars.
22. We drive back to the hotel in the rental car and look around for free parking that's actually free. 
23. After finding a spot (and verifying it's free over and over again), we walk around looking for food. We end up picking up food from places that don't have seating. 
24. So, we sit our tired selves down on the curb, wedged in-between parked cars. 
25. And we look at each other, smile, laugh and say we'd do it all over again. 

My first date with Tyler was disastrous, but I'm so thankful for it. Because I got to see him for who he truly is -- I got to see his character. And he got to see mine. (Through the smudged make-up, scraggly hair, and oversized jacket that I sported for much of the day. Thanks rain.)

That date set a solid foundation for our relationship -- a foundation of support, communication, trust and endurance. It allowed me to open up in a way that I never would have before -- for I was the kind of girl who had my walls up pretty high. 

Falling in love can be beautiful, but relationships often fall apart when life doesn't go our way. I feel so fortunate that I got to see how he is -- how we are -- when obstacles (like a million of them) are thrown our way. 

In our misery, we found joy together -- laughing at our misfortune and holding hands the entire time. And when I found myself thinking that I would live that day over again if it meant I got more time with him, I knew that we had found something pretty special.


To read more about Erika's misadventures in travel and other semi-nomadic reflections, visit her blog or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Bloglovin'. 




26 comments:

  1. Bonnie -- thank you so much for allowing me to be a guest poster on your blog and thanks so much for your kind words! They were sincerely touching and I'm so glad that we 'met' each other. (Oh, and the photos aren't showing up for me? Not sure if it's just my computer or what??) Anyway, thanks again for letting me be a part of this! :)

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  2. Wow, I think that tops all other "disastrous first date" stories I've heard. Glad it worked out in the end!

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  3. Eeks! And I thought I had a bad first date story!! Sometimes the situations that seem the worst are the best for us. Congrats on making it to the second date!

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  4. I love Erika's perspective about the whole thing. It's very easy to sit back and whine about how everything can go wrong when you're faced with a tough situation. To wallow in pity and misery. But instead they both decided to keep their spirits high, look at the bright side, and just enjoy being together even when it doesn't seem like it will get better anytime soon. I also admire Erika for looking at this as the perfect opportunity to see him for who he truly was. If you really want to get to know someone, look at what angers them, how quickly they lose their temper, and how they treat their peers.

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  5. This is adorable!
    What an unfortunate but not so unfortunate first date! Haha.

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  6. Well, I guess it was all uphill from there. What a great/depressing first date!

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  7. I LOVE this post. SO much! "My first date with Tyler was disastrous, but I'm so thankful for it. Because I got to see him for who he truly is." Such a great way to view your date. In fact, it's the more realistic dates that better gauge how well a relationship goes. It's so easy to "feel" love or be in love with a person when the environment sets the tone for romance (ie The Bachelor(ette)). But the reality is, it'll be tough sometimes. And it was from date one! But, you all got through it. And like you said, his true character came out which is awesome! So glad for you and your boyfriend, Erika! I wish you two many more years together!! :D


    And many more years to you too, Bonnie! So excited for you and your hubby's vow renewal!! :D (Btw, solid choice for your first guest post :))

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  8. Thanks Mary!!!!! I completely agree -- we can get so caught up in wanting everything to look perfect that we overlook who someone really is. I got the opportunity to really see him -- and that let me know that he is truly a special, special person. (And I totally agree about the Bachelor/ette and all of those shows -- that's why it's hard to make it work because pretty much anyone can get along if someone else is footing the bill and they are getting flown to 5-star restaurants and hotels in spectacular countries). :)

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  9. Hahah Polly! It was uphill from there... and it definitely was exhausting and exasperating, but really revealing, too! :) And now we have a story to laugh about (sort of, haha. Maybe it's still a little too soon?? Haha)

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  10. Haha, thanks Kate! It's one of those... well, the date didn't go well but the relationship is! So all's well that end's well! :)

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  11. Wow. What a crazy first date. Just goes to show that it's the company that counts and not the circumstances.

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  12. Sarai, thank you so much for this comment and yes! I totally agree with this: If you really want to get to know someone, look at what angers them, how quickly they lose their temper, and how they treat their peers. Positive experiences tend to bring out the best in us, but when entering in long-term relationships, we need to able to see people when they're not on top form. I think people forget that everyone is flawed and when you're dating, you're really choosing between flaws. Some don't really bother us at all while others may be dealbreakers. :)

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  13. That's the main thing! And it's an unconventional story to tell which are always the best ones!

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  14. Rebekah, I like the way you said that -- what a great quote! And it's SO true!!! If ever there was proof in my life of this, it was that date! :)

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  15. Thanks Madison for reading!! :)))))))

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  16. I love this. First dates aren't always 'picture perfect,' but that's what makes them awesome! I suppose my husband and I's first 'date' was him accompanying me to a piercing/tattoo shop to fix one of my microdermal piercings I have in my hip. I was too scared to go in by myself. lol.


    Makes for a great story does it not?! Love reading your posts dear!

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  17. Erika glad we could get this fixed, as I loved your post and so glad we could start off Love Week with it and your beautiful smile! x

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  18. Thank you so much Erika for sharing this with us it was such a unique perspective! The way things worked out on your first date made me think about couples who travel in that show (its early and I cannot think the name of it at the moment) where its couple traveling all over the globe hoping to be the first person to get to all the destinations to win the prize. Nothing like be stressed, challenged and having things go wrong to know if you are compatible. After ten years that message definitely rings true in my ears. Which is why I loved your post so much and so thankful you wanted to share it with us here. What was so great is you went through all that on your first date of all dates and can laugh about it afterwards. Laughter in any relationship is a good one and I hope you guys continue to smile and laugh in the face of things that go wrong and may many thing go right! Cheers!

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  19. hehe, thank you Mary! Just a few days now and I cannot wait to share with everyone! x

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  20. Thanks Amanda! And I totally agree! I think sometimes we think that if the first date isn't perfect, it's an omen or something... but I think it's just life! :) And that definitely is an interesting first "date" with your husband, haha! A bonding activity for sure!

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  21. Bonnie Rose, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. And I think the show you are talking about is Amazing Race??? But it's true... life can be stressful at times and you have to know who brings out the best in you during those moments and who makes it worse, haha (so you can avoid them!). And you're right -- when you can laugh about something while in it or even afterwards, well, that makes it fun, too. And we also learned so much (like to pay much better attention to parking signs), too. :)

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  22. Aww, me too Bonnie Rose! :) And I'm so happy to have been able to kick things off for you! :))))) Such an honor!!!! I'm still so excited, I don't care!!!!! :D

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  23. Erika, I loved reading this post! It sounds like a first date out a movie- where everything goes "wrong" but in the end is perfect. :) I think it's great that you and Tyler are making it work long distance and you both are so strong for doing so!

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  24. Thank you so much Kayli! And it does feel a bit like a romantic comedy -- full of misadventures. Haha, "The Perfect Date" -- I can imagine the trailer already!

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  25. Oh wow, what an interesting first date!

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  26. Fit-for-movies dates look good in writing, but to Really know a person, a date like yours is better :D You both got to see the real person from the get-go, and not the polished persona we all like to project ^_^ I think this could be made into a movie, actually. I'd watch it ;)

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I love to interact with my readers and I try my best to respond back to all comments.

Cheers,
Bonnie Rose

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