The First Date

From Sadee's perspective

If you know me, you know I am not a morning person. Like, at all. So when Johnathan asked me out on a date… at 8 a.m.… in January… on a day it just happened to be blizzarding… to go shooting… I was already questioning my life choices. Poor Johnathan could tell too.

He showed up bright and early, a little behind schedule (he had been busy packing half of Cabela’s into his truck), so I ran to the gas station and stocked up on essentials: Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, hot cocoa, and candy. When he finally pulled up, I walked outside and immediately thought, "Wow, this is his truck?" Let’s just say I had never been picked up in a vehicle that nice. He hopped out, opened my door like the perfect gentleman, and off we went into the snow.

The drive was easy and, honestly, a lot of fun. We talked and talked and talked. No awkward silences, no weird first-date vibes, just instant comfort. Of course, my phone had to be that phone and kept blowing up with work calls (on a Saturday!). But instead of being annoyed, Johnathan patiently set everything up while I took care of clients.

And then, wow. When I finally hopped out of the truck, I felt like I’d walked into a Hallmark movie. There was a fire crackling to keep us warm, a table and chairs set up, and an entire spread of treats: donuts, bananas, danishes, and yes… stuff to make more hot cocoa. (Cue me feeling guilty for bringing us sad little gas-station cocoa, but Johnathan was so sweet and told me it was okay.)

While I geared up with earmuffs, gloves, and glasses, he walked out into the snow to set up targets, and that’s when I literally said out loud, “I think I’m going to have to marry this guy.” (Thankfully, he was way too far away to hear me, or that probably would have freaked him out.) I wanted to snap a picture so badly to send to my mom and sister, but, of course, I had purposefully left my phone in the truck… because I’d already felt bad about being on it during our drive.

He let me pick which guns I wanted to shoot and taught me how to use them all. He clearly knew exactly what he was doing, which I found so attractive. Not in a sappy, romantic way, but in a “wow, he’s confident and really good at this! " kind of way. And the best part? He made me feel so special the whole time, never once making me feel dumb for asking questions or missing shots. With most of the guns, I actually did okay… but then came the shotgun. That thing humbled me real quick. I couldn’t hit a clay pigeon if my life depended on it. And when he trusted me to launch clays for him, I may or may not have almost hit him with one (or two). It was truly a manufacturer's error, not my own. I was dying laughing, completely embarrassed, and he just laughed right along with me. Honestly, I’d never had so much fun on a date.

Afterward, we packed up and headed to Chubby’s for food, where we sat and talked for hours. By the time he dropped me off, I was genuinely sad it was over. A cold, snowy morning had turned into the best first date of my life.