After a very long week, most people wind down with a date night with their significant other. Well, I’m still waiting for Valentine’s Day supper, but that’s nothing new. And truly, I don’t mind…that much, except when the weeks have been long ones. And this has definitely been a long one.

Since I won’t be heading out on a date night with the hubby any time soon, I thought I’d go through a flashback of some of our greatest date moments…well, at least they were memorable.

1) I do believe Boss Man holds the record for latest date ever…and it was one of our first. We were supposed to go to a movie, but I was stood up. He called me 9 hours late. Apparently he got his pickup hung up on an old house foundation in the pasture, and this was in pre-cell phone days. He ended up walking quite a distance, and then was home so late he figured it didn’t pay to call me. Because I wasn’t up waiting by the phone, wondering where he was? Right. So I can’t complain too loudly about his tendencies to run late. I’ve known from the beginning.

2) He surprised me for lunch once (and yes, I think it only happened once), when I worked in town. We took his “farm” pickup to the local drive-inn and had a great meal, and a much-appreciated break from the work day. When it was time to leave, the pickup wouldn’t start. Apparently a bolt had come loose underneath, and needed to be tightened…and he knew all this because it happened on a somewhat-regular basis. A few seconds under the truck, and we were on our way. And yes, this was before we were married. And although that pickup isn’t used any more, it’s still a great memory when I see it.

3) I vividly remember the day we went to pick up our marriage license, and the tuxedos for the wedding. In true farmer-fashion, Boss Man decided that we should kill three birds with one stone and return the manure-spreader he had rented, while running the other errands. The only problem? The manure-spreader was the furthest away, meaning that we took care of the other “things” while pulling the spreader. Our local courthouse was full of giggles, and the bridal shop attendant looked like he was going to pass out when I placed the tuxes in the back seat of Mark’s extended cab pickup. They did tell us it was the first time any type of farm equipment had pulled up in front of the shop.

Our dating life and our married life have been much the same. It’s been such a wild ride, but the laughs and the giggles make it all worth while.

And one last memory before this Friday is over. The day we were married, Boss Man showed up late for pictures. He said, “Well, I figured you could take a bunch of pictures that you didn’t need me for.” I understand the logic, but it didn’t make me any less nervous!

Then, the last picture before we walked down the aisle, a romantic shot of us behind the church, me and my cathedral-length train (what was I thinking?) and Boss Man. The photographer suggested that he dip me, and give me a kiss. How romantic! Unfortunately, dipping was not a move that we had discussed, nor practiced…and, well, see for yourself:

That's right...he dropped me.

I was most concerned about grass stains on my dress. This would be another reason not to take photos before the wedding.

Just sayin’.

Needless to say, the last decade-plus has been one interesting moment after another. I sometimes say that I wish we lived a normal life, but I’m pretty sure that’s not true. How boring would that be?