Saturday, July 9, 2011

{ DATE #8 - Matt Walter }


Door step greetings on a first date can be slightly awkward, but that’s real dating, right? But, I’ll let you in on a secret. When Matt came to my door I told the crew, “okay wait, we need to do that again - I just completely bumbled over myself, and it just didn’t work.” This exchange instantly broke the ice and had Matt and I laughing right from the start. The light mood carried on as we got in the car, and continued throughout the night. Matt is an outgoing, upbeat, confident guy. We quickly found ourselves jumping past the basics and talking about past relationships, and long term goals. It was just completely comfortable and I felt secure in sharing those things with him from the first hello.

Dinner was at a great local restaurant – Famous Dave’s BBQ. Tell you what, these guys put on a real show! They have multiple BBQ sauces to choose from, with intriguing names such as Devil Spit and Hot & Sassy. When I saw the rack of sauces I was a bit overwhelmed, but our server took us on “the sauce tour” (something he apparently coined), by writing on the plate and explaining each sauce and what made it unique. They brought out a bowl of kettle potato chips and Matt and I went to town trying the different sauces.

While Matt and I were talking over dinner, I happened to lean forward and hold onto the edge of the table. I noticed that shortly after, Matt mimicked my move, and put his hand on the edge of the table, leaning forward as well. It wasn’t intentional, he just did it subconsciously. I instantly noticed and felt elated to literally be witness to a physical confirmation of the connection I was feeling. Our conversation was flowing so naturally and he had me laughing all night long. I laughed so hard that I actually snorted…yes, I know, totally embarrassing. But that’s what happens when you really get me going. It was genuine. What was great though was that it wasn’t just laughter over silly things - we were having really meaningful conversation.

As dinner came to a close, Famous Dave’s pulled out the big guns and brought us a bowl of ice cream with a sparkling firework on top! This was very representative of how I was feeling inside about this incredible guy. I have never seen something like that in a restaurant. I actually can’t believe it wasn’t against fire code... But it was a perfectly charming touch and end to a perfect dinner.

We had so much fun at dinner that we lost track of time. The funny thing is, I didn’t care what we did. I was just happy to be spending time with Matt. We ended up going for a walk on the bridge that runs over Tempe Town Lake on Mill Avenue. It’s lit up with white lights and is very picturesque and incredibly romantic. The setting was just a wonderful as I’d hoped it would be and the good conversation just carried on.

On the drive home, Matt asked if I’d ever gone skim boarding before. I’ve always wanted to try it but haven’t had a chance. “Oh well then you’ll have to come skim boarding with me sometime.” The butterflies were going strong inside when he made mention of our future plans together. I felt my cheeks blushing. What a perfect night. I can’t wait for more to come…

27 comments:

Cami said...

he's the one.

Andrea said...

I'm a big fan of Famous Dave's on a first date. That's where my husband took me on our first date. Oh and an accountant in Irvine...don't let this one get away!

Kari Lyn said...

Seemed to go very well!

Deveny said...

Oh. my. heck. They are ADORABLE together & it's obvious she's digging him. Too too cute!

kristina said...

def the one!

April said...

Loved your write up. You could tell by the video that there was definitely a level of comfortableness that you haven't had with the others. You two are cute!

Mallory said...

I'm thinking YES!!

Meagan @ Meagan Tells All said...

TOTALLY see this one moving forward! FINALLY a guy who is taller than Ashley! I know that shouldn't be a big deal, but her and Matt look adorable together. Go girl!

Our Family said...

Thanks for giveing us details about how you felt about this one! Loved it!

michael. mindy. dane. said...

loved this. i think he's my new fave! even though there wasn't a ton of footage of them talking, it was obvious that they were comfortable and having fun. loved the write-up where she told about her feelings. so fun!

LAURA said...

he was cute, but I think he said "like" more than a preteen girl! Definitely a keeper though!

Unknown said...

Matt looks like he smells nice!

Unknown said...

I'm all giggly just watching this one. It's obivous that she doesn't have to maintain polite interest in what he is saying. She is into him.

Rachel said...

ok this was the best yet! :)

Melodys Voice said...

I think they make a really nice couple. The best so far!

J. Guest said...

I love Matt. I knew him in the mission. He is even funnier and more awesome than he seems in the show. I remember during lessons when people would commit to baptism he would actually get up and give them a standing ovation. Great guy. My favorite in the series.

Leah said...

I really like this one! You can tell that she really likes him, the way she looks at him when he is talking.
PS. I'm from the south and BBQ is called just that, BBQ. Not bbq food. Bless your heart. ;)

Cami said...

The only thing I wonder about is how she feels about him being a lot younger. She didn't share where she was on 9-11 (at least in the edit), and I wonder if it was because he talked about being in high school and she would have been out of college by then. But it definitely sounds promising!

Joanna said...

Glad there is some interest, Ashely. You guys would make a great looking couple.

Harper said...

Your kids would be hot.

korth fam said...

You know there is chemistry when you goof in front of them (like the front door) I totally tripped in front of my husband when I first met him. It's called twitterpation!

_angie_ said...

Awww I loved this one! Not only does Matt seem like a good guy, but Ashley just looked like she was glowing with him. Definitely some promise here!

Heather said...

Just an aside to Cami, Matt is definitely younger, but since she's 27, she wouldn't have been out of college when 9/11 happened. I'm 28, and I was a freshman in college when it happened. So they might not be too far apart in age...

Julie Tomoser said...

I was happy to read in the blog how excited Ashley was about the date! He's a front runner for sure. Funny story about Matt running out of gas!

Audrey Blake said...

Big fan. She is totally twitterpated.

Desie said...

I'm 27 and was a senior in high school when 9 11 happened. I bet they are pretty close in age...

Lee Ann said...

I'm so confused. What happened to Matt? Why didn't he get a second date? She loved him!