Teach Me How to Dougie

It all started one night at a WTD-BQ. I joined the crew after going to a ladies night event at Dance Life, and Jacob became convinced that this was finally going to be his opportunity to learn the Dougie.

While Jacob still doesn't know how to Dougie, that started the first conversation that would eventually lead to true love. The night ended with our group hanging out at the dock on Lake Monona behind Jacob's apartment. Before leaving, I had accepted Jacob's friend request on Facebook.

Fast forward one week. I had just mixed up my infamous chocolate chip cookie dough and posted a pic on Facebook. Intrigued by the caption, Jacob commented on the post - thus starting our first, brief virtual conversation. Jacob was rewarded that Monday with one of the aforementioned cookies, left on his desk at work.

That cookie broke the ice, so to speak, and opened the door to an extremely lengthy Facebook Messenger conversation (sadly, still our preferred method of communication when not together). We learned that we had many surprising things in common - interests and past experiences that led us both to Madison, Wi, despite our very different backgrounds. A friendship blossomed.

Several weeks later, Jacob was gathering a group to go out on his canoe. We went for a lovely outing around the lake, and eventually the group was once again gathered on the dock. I had started to develop a crush on Jacob, and wanted to use the opportunity to see if there was any mutual interest. In the end, I found out he is allergic to cats, and assumed there would be no future for the two of us.

Disappointed, but still interested in developing our fledgling friendship, I invited Jacob to walk around the botanical gardens with me the following week. Still holding on to a shred of hope, I tried to assess our in-person chemistry. Prognosis: promising.

Jacob told me later that at this point, he still had no idea I was interested. I think we have Acro-Cats to thank for our eventual breakthrough.

We made plans to meet up at a paint bar post Acro-Cats (sidebar: this is a show where trained cats perform tricks, cannot recommend enough). Wine was enjoyed, masterpieces were created, and the realization was finally made that we both were attracted to each other. The evening ended with our first kiss.

And so our official love story began, thanks to a dance fad, some chocolate chip cookies, and a social media platform.

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