Oh, happy day!!!

Dating, being a "single mom" isn't fun, in my book.
It's a whole different ball-game when you're
#1- old
#2- when there's kids involved
#3- it's just not the same as when you're 16.
Earlier this year, I had come to the realization that I would probably be a single working mom forever, and I was okay with that. I was admittedly too stubborn to do the whole online dating thing (I think I was too prideful) and I was content with my life as it was.

BUT then, in mid-March (okay, it was Tuesday, March 9th at about 6:18pm), the weekend before we left for our Disneyland trip, I got a phone call.
It went something like this:
Me: Hello?
Cute guy calling me: Hi, is Debra home?
Me: Yes, this is Debra
Cute guy calling me: Hey, this is Jared Munn- I don't know if you know me...
Me: (cutting him off cuz I that's what I do best!) Oh, yes- I know the name! How are you?
Cute guy... Jared: I was wondering if you are free to go out with me on Saturday night?
Me: (totally frozen!) Um, we're getting ready to leave town and have friends coming in town this weekend, but let me figure it out and I can call you back tonight or tomorrow if that's okay.
Jared: Yeah, just let me know.

So, I was trying to figure it out and thought that Saturday would be too crazy with getting ready for the trip and all. I called him back the next day after work and we decided to set a date for the Saturday after I got back from my trip- which was March 27th.

We got back from California earlier the week of our planned date, and I for some reason was thinking about him a lot more than I probably should have been... especially for not knowing someone :)
On my way home from work one night that week, I called him pretending I didn't know what time we set our date for, but truth is: I just wanted an excuse to talk to him! I knew it was at 7:00. We talked for just a few minutes, and it made my day! Yes, I later confessed my "excuse" to call him, and we laugh about it now.

Date night finally came, and since I'm weird, I had my mom take the girls out that night and I just told them I was going out with a friend. I'm not one to introduce guys to my girls- unless I know it's going somewhere. So, they were gone, and I spent far too long primping and re-doing my lip gloss. 7:00 came, and he wasn't there- but he was there at 7:05 and that was good enough because he came to the door with flowers in hand! SCORE! I opened the door and said something like "oh, look at you starting off our date with flowers", and he said "actually, they aren't for you- they're for your girls since I'm taking you away from them for the night".
OH MY- he won my heart right then and there!
So, I went inside and put them in water quickly and we left.

He opened my door (and still does EVERYTIME we go anywhere!), and we started heading to Provo. I was super nervous for some reason, and even told him that I don't know how to "date" and that he should tell me if I'm being awkward. We laughed, but it was so true!

We went to a Chinese food place in Provo that he knew of and proceeded to have the longest dinner of our lives, but I tell you- the time flew by! Once we were sitting down, the conversation just seemed to flow. We pretty much put everything out on the table with questions about our personal lives, like why we both got divorced, what went wrong in our relationships, etc. It was just nice to be so open!

Two + hours later- we left dinner and he then took me to Color Me Mine (LOVE that place!) and we continued to talk about anything and everything while he painted (very detailed) a motorcycle bank, and I painted a funky mug. We painted until they practically kicked us out.
We had an amazing evening and I didn't want it to end.

We left there and headed towards home. We turned into my neighborhood, but he passed my house and told me he wasn't ready to take me home yet- so we kept driving. He had to stop and get gas and we drove on the back roads down to Santaquin and then back. Random, but we just talked and talked and both obviously didn't want the night to end.

Conclusion: Sparks were a flyin'... we had a GREAT first date!!!

This wasn't our first date, but it was our 3rd or 7th or something:
Gosh, he's handsome!

We sometimes do this, but not very often, I promise:
Life really couldn't be any better- he's the BEST thing that has ever happened to me! It amazes me that I was content with being that single working mom, but there is obviously a higher power that knows that I needed Jared in my life, and He put him there for me! I will forever be grateful for that!