A second first date

Perhaps it's always the first date with someone that always leaves behind the biggest impressions - I'm not sure. Either way, my second first date on 05/20/19 was extremely memorable, and I want to record what happened nonetheless.

I have been friends with her for about four months already, and have already spent quite a lot of time alone with her (e.g. rock climbing, getting ice cream at Izzy's). Although I felt a little nervous leading up to the date itself, after meeting with her behind Coffman Memorial Union a little past 3PM and getting on the highway (after some problems with the East River parking garage exit that caused a little embarassment...), our conversation slid into our regular banter and any residual nervousness seemed to disappear. It was a little strange being so comfortable with someone on a first date, given my past experience. 

We arrived at the Minnesota Arboretum without much traffic; the place was extremely packed for a Monday afternoon! Without much ado we explored the flowering and non-flowering gardens. I don't particularly remember much of what we talked about, but our conversation flowed really smoothly. By the time we walked over to the crabapple orchards and relaxed on a bench together, my cheeks were sore from smiling and laughing so much. Maybe it's because we've been friends for a while, but I just felt like I could be myself - there was no facade or trying to impress her, only me and my raw self spending time with her. 

Heading back we (miraculously, and also embarassing moment #2 - cheeks turned real red here because I didn't expect anybody I knew to see us together) actually bumped into a friend of ours. It was already 7PM by the time we left the Arboretum; time flew so fast! We found that the place I had originally suggested for dinner in Wayzata, The Dough Room, wasn't even open on Mondays. We opted instead for D'Amico and Sons, which was a nice quiet Italian diner. Walking along the pier and the shops in Wayzata in the sunset and holding hands together was a real treat. It was past 9 by the time we finished things up.

Our next date is next Saturday, and we already have plans for... guess what... Detective Pikachu and Nintendo Switch time. Yep, who saw that coming!?