**Note: It is September 9th now, and I just discovered today that somehow all of the pictures I posted on every blog entry got deleted. I salvaged most of them, but unfortunately the pictures from my date with Doug were on my old phone and I can't retrieve them.You'll just have to trust me, Doug is a handsome, tall drink of water!**
I've known Doug for about a year. He's Nathan's younger brother. (the infamous Nathan who started off Kim's dating adventures, setting a pretty high bar!) Let's just say that it wasn't love at first sight between Doug and me. It took some time for him to get used to my vivacious (he might have said obnoxious), and at times loud personality. After some time getting to know each other better and one awesome road trip to Austin, Doug saw that there was more to me than LOUD; I came to appreciate his sarcastic sense of humor, and I'm happy to say I've been able to call Doug my friend for several months now.
True to form, I waited until the last minute to ask Doug to go out with me. True to form for him, he teasingly gave me a hard time about it (well deserved, I admit), and then because he is a stand up guy he graciously agreed to be my date. After tossing around some ideas, we agreed to go to Houston for a concert and then maybe get dessert afterwards. I didn't get off of work until 8:00pm, so Doug picked me up at work and we raced downtown, hoping to only miss part of the opening band.
Much to my surprise, the concert wasn't even scheduled to start until 9:00, so it turned out we had some time to kill before rocking out to the sweet sounds of Good Old War. Some of our friend that were there recommended a Cajun joint across the street that apparently had good food. Doug and I agreed that a late dinner was in order and headed over to BB's. We both ordered Po Boy sandwiches, and oh my gosh. They. Were. Delicious. According to Doug, who is a life-long Texan, the art of a sandwich hold is essential for anyone who wants to be labled a True Texan. He bragged that he can eat even a sloppy Joe without dripping any sandwich innards everywhere. He tried to teach me the magic grip during our dinner, but the sauce all over my hands, face and plate made it evident that it will be a good long while before I can call myself a Texan. Luckily for Doug, I (barely) managed to stop myself from actually licking that delicious sauce off of my hands and instead used half a roll of paper towels to keep myself somewhat clean and presentable.
(Tangent: On my first ever date when I was 16, we went out to ice cream and my date and the couple that we were doubling with all got shakes or ice cream in a dish they could eat with a spoon. Not me though, I got a double-decker waffle cone. And then spent the next 30 minutes desperately trying not to wipe off ALL of my makeup along with the ice cream I was getting ALL OVER my face. You'd think I would have learned my lesson and started ordering better "date" food after that, but here I am 12 years later, still ordering food on dates that no man wants to watch a proper lady eat. But what can I say? I just can't sacrifice taste for propriety!)
After dinner, Doug and I headed back across the street and listened to the last couple of songs from the opening band. During the break between bands, we got to meet up with some friends and had a great time socializing with them and each other. Then the lights dimmed and Good Old War started. If you haven't heard of this band, I highly recommend them. I discovered them last year, and they have a folksy-rock vibe that reminds me of Guster and Simon & Garfunkle. Their music is full of great harmonies and toe-tapping beats, and I couldn't help but dance along while the band played, although I tried to contain myself a little so Doug wouldn't be forced to leave my side and deny that he was my date for the evening. ;-)
The night ended with a ride back to my work, where Doug kindly walked me to my car and made sure I was able to leave safe and sound.
So now a little about Doug himself. I really had such a good time with him. Despite our rocky start last year, I've learned over time that he has such a soft heart and is turning into a genuinely good man. He is a really hard worker and motivated to be successful at work and in school. He's intrinsically motivated, which is getting harder to find these days. He naturally looks out for troubled or lonely souls and has a way of making sure they feel loved and valuable, and it's always genuine. On our date, Doug was funny and engaging, really easy to talk to, and a true gentleman throughout the night. He's a tall drink of water with a great smile, and I am so happy we got to go out.
Oh, last thing (I know this is a long post, thanks for sticking it out), my streak has officially come to an end. While Doug has 3 brothers, he also has 2 sisters. It was an impressive run while it lasted.
One more date and then all this madness (and fun) ends!
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