Totts: The Beginning

The Story

April 26th:

At the beginning of the semester, I put together a potluck BBQ as a welcoming activity for the new kids moving in. We had a really good turnout and I loved watching the new friendships develop. At some point, someone asked me if I was from Georgia. Thomas overheard and called out that he was from Georgia, too. There were already a couple of us Southerners here at the 'Ridge, so it was exciting to have a new Georgian friend. Little did I know... ;)

April 28th:

I attended a movie gathering at Thomas' apartment. He does not have any recollection of my presence...at all. What a silly boy! I brought some candy and treats to the party, and he remembered that. Haha

May 16th:
Time went on and Thomas and I crossed paths here and there. Every night (or almost every night), he would chat with me on Facebook. He would always have something funny to say: "I'm pretty sure Facebook isn't helping you accomplish homework."

May 18th:
An even more fun tidbit of the story is how my brother met Thomas. My brother was playing goalie in a game but wanted to play the field. He didn't have the right color shirt, so Thomas offered my brother his shirt. He was literally giving him the shirt off his back! ;)

May 25th:
I was sitting at home doing homework and Facebooking. Surprise! Something happened to upset me, and Thomas found out. He came right over to my apartment to cheer me up. I was still pretty upset, so I ignored his request to come downstairs. He persisted, and I eventually gave in. "Jenny! Have you ever been in a jeep with the top down on a beautiful day?" That got me. I put on my sandals and went on an adventure. We went to a nearby park and didn't talk about the incident. He asked me about my family and what I liked to do. He told me about himself and his family. We sat on the swings for awhile and chatted. That's when I knew this kid was somethin' special :)

June 1st:

There is a Facebook group our apartment complex uses to announce activities, ask for eggs and oil, and post funnies we find on the Internet.  I posted about a concert I was planning to attend.  Thomas asked me about the concert details and, of course, who I was planning on going with. I already had a few options in mind and I had no problem sharing them with Thomas. I found out later on that he secretly wanted to ask me, but recognized that I already had plans to ask someone else...oops! 

We trekked up to Salt Lake to see my friend David Oliver perform with Jon Mclaughlin.  I loved how talkative he was with his date, April.  They had a very steady conversation the whole way up to Salt Lake.  Thomas is very good at making people feel important and is a very good listener.

June 4th:

Thomas texted me and asked if I would like to join him at Applebee's for dessert. After Family Home Evening, we went up to Applebee's and shared a Blondie and a Triple Chocolate Meltdown. Yum! He ended up using the rest of his gift card to get a meal to go for the next day. 

June 5th:

I received a text message from Thomas asking me if I would like to help him eat the meal he took home from the night before.  We ate together and got to know each other a little bit better.

June 15th:

Thomas and I went on a double date with our good friends James and Chelsea.  It was filled with cold water, allergies, and rope swings.

Thomas and I saw each other every day from that point on. It was a wonderful beginning to a strong friendship.

And so it began...