dirtyDogStink

Whitney

Tuesday, January 01 2008

They say that "behind every great man, there is a great woman." Well, I'm not claiming to be a great man, but I certainly have a great woman in my life. ;-)

It was May of 2007 and her profile started with: "The first date requirement is normalcy. Sound simple??? Not so much...as I have experienced in my years of dating." That caught my eye and I couldn't help but continue reading. First though...yep, I'm normal. Check.

She described herself as "outgoing, down to earth, grounded, ambitious, honest, stable and adventurous." I like all of those. Check.

She went on to say that she's "...very diverse in [her] interests and hobbies. Crazy and daring in search of an adrenaline rush at times. Also have characteristics on the opposite end of the scale seeking solitude and quiet time. Balance in life is key." I'm always preaching balance. Check! Ok, I am definitely interested!

It took her a week to reply to me [cause she just didn't realize yet what a catch I was ;-)], but it didn't take long for us to hit it off. After a month of phone conversations we both wanted to meet. I vividly remember our first date where we opted for the typical meet-for-coffee at Green Lake. A simple coffee turned into a walk around the lake full of witty banter [well, at least she was witty] and even a few revealing moments. There was quite a bit of flirting going on. Of course, I was too damned scared to even kiss her that night, but boy did I want to!

After a few months I knew she was everything I wanted and could hope for...intelligent, humorous, passionate, motivated, independent, compassionate, introspective and fun. She's all of these things and more. Importantly, we share many similar things. There's the really important stuff like philosophical ideas, self-awareness and open/honest communication styles. And the activity-based things like snowboarding (she's not a poser!), seeing bands (Bumbershoot '07!), walking around downtown Seattle or just catching a movie are all in sync.

Next step, meet the daughter. I waited almost 4 months after we were dating to introduce them. Being a single dad raising a little girl (3-1/2 at the time) I didn't want her to see a procession of coulda-beens, might-bes and what-the-hell-was-I-thinkings come through her dad's life. So, I waited.... But like I already said, after a few months I had a great feeling about this one and knew I wanted to make the picture complete.

I was only slightly nervous. Honestly, knowing my daughter so well (um, her whole life) and feeling like I knew my dreamgirl well I would have been extremely surprised had it not gone well. Of course, they hit it off from the start (just like we did) and share a very special bond now.

And now, the adventure continues.... 

In fact, the adventure has gone so well over the past three years, that we're now engaged to be married.  Coming soon to a chapel near you...Mrs. Whitney Hilton.