Josh and I went bowling last Friday for the first time in our relationship, and it might have been the last time as well.

His best friend and his wife invited us out bowling for a double date—their other best friend’s sister joined us too—and I was really looking forward to going. At the last moment, I texted my mom and asked if she could find my bowling ball and shoes downstairs, because, yes, I have my own bowling ball and shoes.

Growing up, I used to go bowling with my parents, and during the summers, I’d go to the local bowling alley with my dad on Tuesday nights. And somewhere along the way, I got my own ball. It’s hot pink and 10 pounds, and I think it glows in the dark. Maybe. The last time I can remember going bowling was in college, so like over 6 years ago, so it had been a really long time. (I had tried going with a friend about 4 years ago but we went on a Sunday night and it was all leagues, so there weren’t any open lanes.)

We all met at the local bowling alley—the one I’ve been going to for years—on Friday night for 7:30 p.m. About half of the lanes were taken, but we were easily able to get a lane for the 5 of us. Everyone was surprised that I rolled in with my own ball and shoes, but, hey, saved me $4.75 on shoe rental. (Josh was worried they wouldn’t have a size 14, but they did.)

I’m not a pro by any means, but it’s safe to say some of my bowling skills came back to me as we started the first game. And that’s maybe when Josh started to think I was hustling them.

My final score for the first game was 157, which included a turkey—3 strikes in a row. My reaction can be seen here, captured by Josh.

We bowled 3 games, and my scores for the second and third games were 106 and 87, respectively. By the third game, it was getting close to 10:00 p.m. and we were all getting tired. My body was definitely like, “Wow you haven’t done this in years.” (I was sore over the weekend—my arm, shoulder, and my knuckles 🙃) I didn’t win the last game, but my overall score of 350 was the highest.

I had so much fun with everyone, and it was great to hang out with Josh’s friends; they’ve been very welcoming to me since we started dating. (Even if his 2 best friends crashed our second date…) However, I’m pretty sure bowling is off the list for a next date idea. Regardless, it was a great way to spend a Friday night!