Nostalgia

Well, Christmas has come and gone. Daniel and I had a great time skiing with his family and relaxing together for a few days. I feel refreshed and invigorated! And I have only one dadgum day to go before my next weekend starts.

Don't you love nostalgia?
So wistful. So sentimental. Everything is cast in a near-perfect light.
I am definitely someone who basks in nostalgia from time to time. Complete with half-smiles and contented sighs. Ahh...those were the days...
And then I remember what an awkward person I've been my whole life, and a single memory can wake me from that dreamy state.
Today I've been thinking about this guy.

But when he looked like this:

He really hasn't changed too much.
But I was thinking back in the day when I first met him. Maybe I should say saw him. I remember the first moment I laid eyes on him.
I was a young and spry fifteen years of age. It was mid-morning some time in late January. I was a Sophomore. And I had excused myself from Mrs. Brunson's American Literature I to go to the restroom. I walked out into the hallway and turned to the right. On the stairs to the left I heard some commotion, so I glanced behind me...and there he was. Standing on the top of the stairs in a blue and green striped, short-sleeved Polo and khaki shorts was the best-looking guy I had ever seen in my life. He was tall, tan, and handsome.
I stood and stared at him for a moment as he turned and walked away from me. Who was that???
And then I went about my business.
At lunch that day his name was buzzing around the small lunch room. Daniel. According to gossip, he was the older brother of another new student in our class, Josh. He was a transfer student from a public school. He was bad news. You see, I went to a small, private, Christian school and the slightest ripple in the water was like a tidal wave to us. You also may know that teenage girls love drama.
Especially these girls

"He is definitely the hottest guy in the school."
"He is the hottest guy I have ever seen!"
"Really? I don't think he's all that cute."
"Are you kidding? He's gorgeous!"
"He sits in front of us in Algebra. I couldn't stop staring at him!"
And the conversations went on.
I spent lunch looking across the room at the Junior class lunch table, catching glimpses of this mysterious new boy from time to time.
Later that afternoon I was running errands during study hall for one of my teachers. So young. So carefree...
I darted into the administrative offices to drop off some paperwork but stopped short when I noticed a familiar blue/green striped Polo standing in an office doorway.
Daniel.
I stood staring for a moment before the secretary asked me what I was doing out of class.
"Just, uh, dropping off some, er, papers for Ms. Jo...this period is my study hall," I smiled awkwardly, looking at the papers in my hands.
She held out her hand to take the paperwork, and just as I handed them to her Daniel turned and started walking in my direction.
He was looking at whatever the guidance couselor had handed him and was about to slip by me while mumbling "excuse me" when...I panicked.
"Hey!" I said loudly. Too loud.
He looked up at me with a pair of gorgeous brown eyes.
"Uh, hi."
"You look a lot like your brother!"
He smiled slightly, "Yeah..."
I was drowning. He was obviously weirded out. I glanced at the blue/green striped Polo.
"I like your shirt."
"...thanks..."
"The blue and the green...it reminds me of the sea!" As the words came out of my mouth I remembered thinking what the heck is wrong with you? but the second thought didn't come soon enough. So I laughed. Loudly and awkwardly and for way too long.
"...haha, thanks. Well, see ya." He said as he slowly backed out into the hallway before turning to leave.
"Yeah. See ya."
I looked at the secretary and she smiled strangely at me. A dismal failure.
Well, so much for that. I thought as a wandered slowly back to the portables.

*Daniel claims he has no recollection of this meeting, lucky for me. However, I have reminded him of it many times. Which might have been a mistake, but apparently not because he married me.

After study hall I made my way over to Mrs. Uhrich's Art Class with Christi.
Here we are in high school.

On the way I recounted to her the pitiful exchange between me and the new guy, and then we proceeded to talk about his handsomeness. We sat in our typical spot along the side wall, a great spot for us to pass notes and doodle on each other's notebooks. And watch the boys goof off on the back row.
I was a very diligent student.
Students started to trickle in, but Christi and I were wrapped in conversation, not paying much attention to our classmates. That is, until I heard a familiar voice coming down the hallway. It was the new guy, Daniel, and he was walking down the hall joking with Josh, one of his fellow Juniors (there were a great many Joshes in my life throughout high school; kind of weird, actually). My ears perked up, I glanced in the direction of the voices, and saw that Josh and Daniel were walking into my art class. They scoped out a couple of seats in front of Christi and me and sat down. Christi and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and stifled giggles, recalling my awkward conversation with Daniel a few minutes earlier.
I thought I would never have a reason to interact with him again--other than a polite, passing hello in the hallway...yet there he was. One row in front of me for the rest of the semester...


Ah, nostalgia.