My Whole World

Today marks 9 years since Alison and I went on our very first date. It was our junior prom. I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

We knew each other a little bit before I asked her to prom, but we were really more acquaintances than close friends. I certainly wanted to get to know her better and when a friend suggested I ask her to the prom it was a no-brainer.

I called up her house a few weeks before prom and talked to her mom. I told her about my plan to ask her daughter to the prom and she arranged a good time for me to come by when Alison would not be at home. I stopped by and decorated Alison's bedroom with streamers, balloons, and candy. To actually ask her I left an alarm clock under her bed with a note. The clock was set for 1:00am. It went over really well. I am glad she said yes. Back then I didn't know how much she valued her sleep.

I spent the week before prom in Disneyland with my family. Alison and I texted and talked throughout the week in anticipation of our date. Since I flew back on the morning of prom we weren't able to do a day activity. Instead, I picked up a battery for my car. It had some electrical issues and I thought they were caused by a bad battery. Once I had the new battery my car was running well. I picked up my tux and a corsage (to this day Alison is still upset she ordered her own corsage - the friends I asked to do it dropped the ball.) I was ready to go.

I went to Alison's house to pick her up. She warned me it was highly likely I would be greeted by her dad and brothers with their shotguns. This did not occur, and I was very grateful. Instead, I was greeted by Alison and her parents. She looked so beautiful. I was blown away. She gave me my boutonniere and I slipped the corsage onto her wrist. We took a few pictures and we were out the door.

Our next stop was a friend's house to pick up them and their date. We took a few more pictures there before heading over to meet up with the rest of our group. This is when disaster struck. It turned out the battery on my car wasn't the only problem. The alternator was also bad. By this time the new battery I bought was drained and while we were driving my car died. A kind couple pulled over and offered their assistance. At this point, my car was not usable so they gave us a ride to meet up with the rest of our group. The disaster was averted. I ended up driving my friend's parent's SUV, which was roomy enough for our entire group.

We went to dinner at Johnny Carino's Italian restaurant. It was one of my family's favorite places so when the group was planning I suggested it. It ended up not being a great experience. They didn't take reservations. Since we had such a large group we ended up waiting a long time to be seated. The food there was okay. I was so nervous about making a good impression that after dinner I excused myself, ran to the restroom, and promptly threw up my entire dinner. (Alison didn't know about that until years later.)

After dinner, we headed downtown to the Wells Fargo building for the dance. I don't know why, but I was assigned to drive. Not only was this the first time I had ever driven an SUV, but it was also the first time I drove to downtown Salt Lake City. This just added to my nervousness. We made it there in one piece. I had no idea where to park so I valet parked at the Melting Pot. That was a great decision.

Since dinner took so long we actually didn't have much time for the dance. We got our pictures and did a little bit of dancing. I had the time of my life and it was all because I loved being with Alison. After the last dance, I didn't let go of her hand. We ended up holding hands all the way home.

Before heading home we stopped by a friend's house to watch a movie. While we were inside the battery in the SUV I was driving also died. It was not a good night for the cars I drove. We jumped it and it stayed on long enough to get everyone home. One of the last stops was Alison's house. We stood on her front porch and talked about how much fun we had. I gave her a hug before she went inside.

Since my car was still out of commission a friend dropped me off at home. The next morning I realized Alison left some lipstick and stuff in the pocket of my tux. It gave me a good excuse to see her again. She came by to pick them up and I gave her a little gift I got for her in Disneyland.

That prom night 9 years ago is one of the most important days of my life. It was far from the perfect night, but that night I fell in love. Now 9 years later I love Alison more than I ever could have imagined.