In the Beginning... Part II

When we last left our heroes, they had started their relationship online and over the phone and were about to meet in person...


Jesse - Eventually, Amy decided to come check out UNL.

Amy - I was interested in UNL because of the dance program; I really wanted to be a dancer at the time, so one weekend in January my mom and I drove down for a tour of campus and dance major auditions.  That's when I finally met Jess face-to-face.

Jesse - So when we met, it was in the parking lot of the scuzzy hotel Amy's mom reserved a room in.  Really guys, it was bad.

Amy - I think that hotel's closed now.  Or at least renamed and under new ownership.

Jesse - And for good reason.

It looks harmless... but beware!

Amy - So anyway, Jesse pulled up shortly after Mom and I arrived, and I scuttled excitedly over to his car.

Jesse - So I pull into a parking stall and I'm putting my car into park.  I glanced up, and Amy was sitting on the pavement with her head thrown back, laughing.

Amy - I had failed to notice a patch of ice, slipped, and landed hard on my hip.  There was a nice bruise the next day.  But Jesse seemed to think me falling was adorable.

Jesse - It was pretty cute.  And then we decided to go on our first actual date.

Amy - Wait, that was the next day...  Oh, the night I got there we exchanged Christmas presents!

Jesse - Oh, that's right.  You're always right, Amy.  (Jesse may or may not have said this.)

Amy - I gave Jesse the aforementioned scarf I had been working on for weeks, and Jesse gave me a claddagh ring I still wear to this day.

The ring Jesse gave me (left) and the ring my mom gave me when I was younger and had just found out about claddagh rings and begged her for one (right).  The heart is for love, the hands are for friendship, and the crown is for loyalty.  How you wear the ring reflects if you are taken or single.  Another fun fact: I tied both of these rings around my bouquet with a ribbon when Jesse and I were married for my "something old."

Jesse - After we exchanged Christmas presents, we shared our first kiss.

Amy - It was so romantic.  We had been talking online and on the phone for months, and we just knew we would connect when we finally saw each other in person.  And then the next day, after my campus tour, we went on our first date.

Jesse - For our first date I went and picked up Amy from the hotel and we drove around trying to decide what to eat.

Amy - I saw a Godfather's Pizza, which I hadn't seen since I was a kid because most of them have closed in Wisconsin, and I got really excited about the idea of eating Godfather's Pizza again.

Jesse - So I said, "Why don't we go ahead and get a pizza?"  I let Amy pick the toppings.  Ham and mushrooms, if I remember correctly.

Amy - Probably.  That is one of my favorite combos.

Jesse - Then we took the pizza back to my townhouse and we sat and watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days while we ate some pizza.

Amy - Some people on that date ate more pizza than others.  Jesse apparently was so nervous that he could only eat one piece, but I was starving, so I think I ate about three.

Jesse - While we watched the movie, we snuggled on the futon.

Amy - It was a very nice date.  Jesse was very sweet.

Jesse - After the movie I took her back to the hotel room.

Amy - I had to get some sleep for my dance audition the next day.  In the car we listened to the mix CD I made Jesse...


Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of...  In the Beginning!