How I Knew David Was The One

First dates can tell you a lot about a person. They can be scary, full of bent up nerves. They can be comfortable, full of chatty conversations. They can be terrible, leaving you wishing you could somehow get those 2 hours of your life back. But first impressions are very powerful and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Twenty-three years ago, I was a single mom with a 2 year old little girl. I was trying to get ahead by attending college full time and working three different part time jobs.   I had a few guys that would show a bit of interest in me, but when they found out I was a package deal, they somehow seemed to drop off the face of the earth.Interesting first impression, don’t you think? I became very guarded, not just of my own heart, but of my beautiful little wide-eyed girl. I came to the personal conclusion that we’d be just fine on our own and that being a single mom for the rest of eternity would suit me just fine.

Around this same time, I began attending a local church and started volunteering with the youth ministry program on a regular basis. I loved plugging into the lives of young people. After a few weeks, I started to notice a tall, good-looking guy that was also at the meetings helping out. Over the next few months we served alongside one another, along with plenty of other adults. My first impressions of this guy were based on the fact that he was a college graduate-an engineer even. He had moved with his job and that’s why he was in my hometown. He had actually even purchased a home of his very own. All of this told me he was a hard worker, he was stable, and he loved God because he actually chose to serve and go to church on his own accord. These facts told me a lot, and made me struggle with being interested in getting to know him better but my heart had a protective wall around it.A few weeks later, I answered the ringing phone. It happened to be David, the cute guy volunteer from church. My heart was leaping out of my chest, but my head warned me to proceed with extreme caution. I had to think of not only myself, but also about my daughter. He asked if I’d like to go out that Friday evening to dinner and a movie.

“I’d love to go see a movie, but I can’t go to dinner.” I replied.

That Friday, I was scheduled to have some injections in my head and neck to help with lingering pain and headaches I was suffering from due to a car accident I had been involved in. I’d had some of these injections before so I knew how painful they were and how they left my neck and jaw sore for a few days. I knew I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a meal for a while without discomfort so that was the reasoning behind my reply. I explained my reasoning to David but it sounded pretty lame. He probably thought my next excuse was going to be something about having to sort my sock drawer. I didn’t give him a very good impression of me at that point.

Even through his disappointment and doubt about my crazy excuse, David agreed to go to the movies.

We had a good evening, riddled with casual but comfortable conversation. When he pulled up into my parent’s driveway at the end of the evening, my heart wanted to leap out of my chest. I think the pitter patter could be audibly heard by the neighbors. And then, in a moment that captured my heart for eternity, he gave me a gift that I’d treasure forever….. his famous chocolate chip cookie recipe, handwritten on a recipe card and placed in a protective plastic sleeve. Man, this guy really knew the way to this girl’s heart!!! Talk about making a first impression on me! I didn’t need sappy love notes or pretty flowers, but chocolate was a completely different story!
And the rest, they say, is history. We were engaged about a year later and married a year after that. This past July we celebrated our 21^st wedding anniversary, and we’ve enjoyed many chocolate chip cookies together along the way.

It’s funny how a small gesture can go such a long way, especially when making a first impression. Who in your life has had a strong first impression on you?

PS: Here’s the recipe, in case you want to try them. 🙂

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour with baking soda. In a large mixing bowl combine butter, the sugars, pudding mix and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture, but do not overmix. Stir in chocolate chips. Batter will be stiff. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden on top.

VARIATIONS: You can be creative with this recipe and use different flavors of instant pudding and add in different mix-in ingredients. For example, you could use Chocolate Fudge pudding. You could add dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, or toffee bits. We’ve made chocolate chocolate chip cookies, white chocolate macadamia cookies, etc.. I like the original recipe with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and craisins in them…There’s lots of options!