Ahhh, dating. New guys, new outfits…all kinds of trial and error—and a beautiful long list of “firsts.”

The first (and I can’t even believe I am typing this, but here it goes…) Facebook message/text/phone call. You “chat.” If you’re interested, perhaps there’s some mild flirting involved. More chat usually leads up to the next first on the list.

The first date.

If it’s a blind date, you may need a back up plan, a diversion or a friend with an “emergency.” Sometimes it’s necessary. I had one blind date. We ended up in a relationship. I was fortunate to have a successful one, as were my parents. My parents met on a blind date and they have been together for 54 years.

It can go either way.

We all know that the first date can be an utter nightmare. Have you ever seen two or more women talking early morning in a coffee shop, and one looks completely haggard? She’s a mess. Her left eye is twitching. She did not just get back from war. It was a bad first date.

Trust me. I know the look.

I try never to have expectations of date number one, although I always secretly hope he opens my door. It slays me every time. First dates can be a whirlwind; the new attraction can leave you with a glimmer of something more, possible potential, perhaps a random butterfly. I could go on. But a great first date? It speaks for itself.

I prefer it when a first date goes well.

Let’s be honest—we should prefer that it goes well, unless you finally had to go out with the guy from *insert religious building here* that your mother has been nagging you about since last June. The guy who hasn’t been on a date for three years, unless his own mother has set him up on it.

The things you do to appease your mother.

The infamous first kiss. It can knock you off balance if it’s good. If it’s great, it can wreck your world and move others, or it can be a kiss that makes you want to end the date early. You can either call your friends for emotional support, or your dermatologist after your face has been ripped off.

The first time you laugh so hard with him, you actually cry, or snort. Don’t judge me. It’s happened. Fortunately, there has been no maniacal laughter or snort during a first kiss.

The first time his actions match his words. If this seems like it comes from a bad past experience, you’re right. It does. It still means the world to me. Why? Because this is when he starts to show that his word means something. His actions are the barometer for the sincerity behind those words. This first can mean more than the rest, even the kiss.

That first “moment.” The one where you think you may be having a feeling. I love this “first,” because you just never know when or why it happens. It could be something romantic he says. He could have said something stupid, or done some ridiculous dance move. Maybe he looked up at dinner and had food on his face, or it was breakfast and you heard him slurp his coffee. Maybe it was when you heard him snore. You never know what people find endearing.

There’s just no telling when that moment will be.

The first time you think, wow, he may actually be a good guy. This thought needs to occur more frequently with age, by the way. Sorry, true though.

The first time that he looks into your eyes and really sees you. This one is my very favorite. For me, there is nothing that compares to really seeing someone for the first time. It is the beginning of intimacy. A time where the layers can start to fade away because there is a developing sense of openness and honesty.

The first time you realize that neither of you mind being ridiculous in public. That being said, I must try on stupid hats of any kind; it’s like a weird form of OCD. Must..wear…pig…hat…seriously. If I walk into a store and there is a display of those animal hats with scarves attached? They are going on my head. Immediately. (They usually come home with me.) Fine—maybe it isn’t as romantic as the rest of the firsts on my list, but it sure is rad, and usually photo worthy.

The first time you are apart, when you feel your hands actually long for a close in distance. This always makes me wonder about that absence makes the heart growing fonder thing. Did someone across the world from another person say that one time because they were secretly cheating? Was he involved in some secret underground poker tournament, and had to appease her so he didn’t have to call for 36 hours? Did a dad say it to his inconsolable daughter?

I’m going to have to google that shit. Truth. Sue me.

The first time he says he wants you to be his. This also could be a rather lovely moment, or sheer disaster if you aren’t on the same page. But if you are? It’s a knee shaker.

Please don’t tell me it sounds primitive. (I know it does, but I’m a romantic.)

Now that there have been all those moments—those crazy, nerve wracking and beautiful— “firsts.”

The signs of trust and honesty, passion and longing, compatibility and laughter.

That is the first time I can finally say, “You. I want you.”

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Editor: Bryonie Wise