He is a boy, and I am a girl- can I make it any more obvious?

When you and I met, it was wonderfully ordinary. It was funny that we were waiting for each other at opposite doors at the restaurant, and I had to direct you by texting, "I'm standing by a statue of a pig." Talk about cheesy pick up lines...

When you and I met, I noticed your dapper shirt, your smiling eyes, and your nervous energy. I immediately noticed your intelligence and ability to hold a conversation. I noticed that you had an actual goal in your college experience and knew what you wanted to do with your degree (What a nice change from the other frogs I had kissed to no avail...)

When you and I met, I noticed the brilliant normalcy and the lack of sparks. I didn't feel a spark when I met you- and I think that is okay.

In fact, I think the absence of that zing! is more than okay. First dates are so romanticized (thanks, Ryan Reynolds). Call it strange, anti-romantic, or boring, but I don't think there needs to be an immediate electricity between two people when they meet- I think that is incredibly rare, especially when two people are nervous, worried about their amount of body odor, and wondering if there will be an awkward lull in conversation and/ or battle for the almighty check at the end of the meal.

I may not have felt an initial spark when we met. However, I do feel an attraction to you- a curiosity that digs deeper than other previous, superficial relationships. I want to know about your opinions, and I want you to ask about mine. I want to be able to disagree and be okay with it. I want to know what makes you tick, what brings you discomfort, what brings you immense joy. I want to know why you like terriers more than golden retrievers, why you like living in small towns. I want to understand your fascination with the Old Testament, and I want to teach you about my perspectives of the Gospel. I want to understand you so I can understand what could turn into us.

And I firmly believe that that effort, work, and energy will create sparks from the sheer friction and excitement of two excited, wobbly-kneed, wonderfully nervous individuals.