Dating Diaries - The Blind Date (but not really blind afterall)

When I first moved to Logan (from Oregon), I moved into a residential area. I was roommates with my former mission companion and some of her friends. Other than her, I didn't really know anyone. I felt very much alone in our student ward. Although it was a "student" ward it was in this residential area and so most of the students lived at home and had grown up together. I was having flashbacks of moving my freshman year of HS and feeling that horrible feeling of knowing no one and wondering where I'd fit.

Then a young man came home from his mission. He'd served in Leeds, England. He was assigned to be my home teacher. He was a devoted home teacher and became a friend. He was faithful in coming once a month and would stay and make me laugh for much longer than the normal home teaching visit required. He was just a really nice young guy.

After that school year I moved closer to campus (next door to another nice guy named Richard). I would see my old home teacher on campus and we'd exchange warm smiles and a quick "how are you?"

About two years later, one of my roommates announced that she had been set up (by cramster's sister, actually) with a really neat guy. He was an RM, very intelligent, and funny. They would be going to the Institute dance. She was excited, even though she actually had her eye on another guy. As I listened to her talk about her soon-to-be blind date, I realized it was my old home teacher friend. I told her that they would have a great time.

The day before the date arrived and my roomie informed me that the man she'd had her eye on for many months had asked her to go out of town to visit his family - how could she pass it up? She wondered how I would feel about going on her date to the Institute dance. I told her I would feel awkward. She assured me that it would be fine, especially since I knew her blind date. I eventually agreed.

Apparently the date thought the whole thing was a bit odd too. He called me the day of the date and said, "I can't make it tonight and so I've arranged for my brother Steve to go with you." I informed him that I was "really just fine not going to the dance. It was a girls' choice dance and obviously I hadn't asked anyone and so obviously I was fine not going." He chuckled and told me he was kidding. Then he told me that he was in a new singing group and that they were going to perform at the dance. I didn't really catch the name of the group.

He picked me up, we went to the dance. He and some other guys performed a couple of a cappella numbers. We went home. I graduated that year and moved to Montana for graduate school. The home teacher and I kept in casual contact when I moved back to Logan after grad school.

Little did I know that he'd continue to be an important party of my life for a very long time. Years later, I married the dreamy baritone from the home teacher's a cappella group. As they often sing, "It's a small world, after all!"

Speaking of small worlds, you'll notice the girl next to me in this picture. Well, when the picture was taken she was fresh off her mission and had just moved in next door to me to attend grad school at USU. After I moved back from Montana, she and I became roommates (for 9 years!). Yup, that is my Charlotte. Oh, and the guy who was her date? He and I dated some and now he is in the bishopric of Char's ward. Just in case you were wondering about the other couple, he was the brother of a friend and the girl was his wife or fiance are something. They didn't live in Logan and were just visiting. I've never run into either of them again.