The story of Kley and I: Chapter One- The First Meeting

After Kley had agreed to go to Roommate Roulette, there was only about a week and a half before the first meeting (this was late September, 2007.) I was a little excited, but I didn't really think much of it because I thought it would never go anywhere. Who actually dates someone they were set up with, had never met before, and there are 50 other people on the date with you? I still wore my favorite outfit, though, just in case, and apparently it paid off. :)

Unfortunately, the day before the event, I thought I got pink eye. My eyes looked horrible- they were beat red and kind of pussy. It was so gross. I went to a walk in clinic Saturday and got back right before we were supposed to leave. (Long story short- I got the medicine, which was the wrong one- it stung and my eyes were still red. I got the right medicine, quit wearing my contacts, it would clear up, but as soon as I started wearing my contacts again it would come back. This happened a few times over about two months, which was the first two months of Kley and I's relationship. We finally figured out that it was actually an allergic reaction to my contact solution, and not pink eye. Thankfully he still liked me anyways.)

So Jackie pulls Kley aside before meeting me and tells him to not say anything about my eyes. What a great start. (I didn't know she said that until Roommate Roulette was over.) Then I come over. We awkwardly shake hands, introduce ourselves, and make small talk for a minute before we were all herded into huge vans. I remember he was wearing jeans and a light blue polo shirt- I thought he looked pretty cute. :)

Here's the gist of how our conversation in the van went:
Me: So, I hear you're from Orange City?
Kley: Yep.
Me: I have grandparents that live in Sioux Center. (Which is close by.)
Kley: Cool. I loved growing up there.
Me: So, I hear you drive a midnight blue jetta? (I actually said midnight blue. Good one, Kelsey.)
Kley: Yes I do.
Me: Your aunt told me that, by the way. I also heard you're in the men's choir?
Kley: I was freshman year. I quit to have more time for golf.
Me: Oh neat. I've never golfed before.

There were a few silent pauses thrown in there as well, but then we got there. (Kley was/is actually really good at making conversation, aside from what that first conversation seems. He was very friendly, and has an uncanny ability to make friends with strangers very quickly.) We were supposed to have a scavenger hunt/picnic in the park, but it rained. Instead we went to my RA's house and played "group games." Group games are not ideal for situations where you are first meeting someone and the whole group doesn't know each other- remember that this was still only a month into school and I hadn't met very many people yet anyways. We played a game where one person is in the middle, with everyone else seated around them in a circle. Each person makes up a weird sign, but there is one sign that is the "special" sign that you pass around the circle secretly, and the person in the middle has to guess which sign is the real one. I was horrible at this game, and ended up in the middle for a very long time. I am not exaggerating; in the end you could tell people were feeling bad for me and going slower so I could guess it on purpose.

Then we ate lunch, which was pretty uneventful. We sat by each other within a group of people we didn't know, so we, again, made small talk. Kley rode back with me and walked me back to my dorm. There were a few big trees in front of my dorm, and he asked me if I had ever seen people tie ropes in between them and tightrope walk. I said no. (In my head I was thinking that was the weirdest thing ever.) He said one of his roommates did it once. I said thanks for going with me and that I had a good time. He said he did too, and we gave each other a weird hug. (Kley calls this first phase of our relationship the "A-frame hug" phase. He also admits that he was so nervous because he liked me and had no idea what to say, and knew he should say something, so he talked about the tightrope walkers because he saw the trees and it was the first thing that popped into his head.)

He walked away, and I honestly thought I would never talk to him again. What a first meeting. :)