A Love Story

I am beginning a new series of posts that will tell a story. It is the story of my life with my wife. How we met, dated, chose to love, got engaged and married, and then 35+ years of marriage with 3 children, 2 children who have joined us (daughter and son-in-law) and 6 grandkids and the waiting for a 7th who will join us through adoption. It will tell some of the difficult times and the wonderful times that far outweigh all other times. It will be a story that is not finished. My motivations are to honor my beautiful wife, to remind my children of some stories, to let my grandchildren know a little more about our life together and if it encourages others that would be a bonus.

Near the end of my freshman year of college is when I met the beautiful young woman who would become my wife. We actually met while I was on a date with another girl, one who she knew. My date and I had walked several blocks to a restaurant (hey I was a poor college student) and while we were there it began raining. Looking for a way not to walk back to campus in the rain she spotted some girls she knew from our school and asked if we could get a ride. In the process I was introduced and we rode back with them to campus. The relationship (and I use that term loosely) with the girl I had been with ended shortly after this incident. (Wonder if it had anything to do with all that walking)

In the meantime I had begun to pay attention to, and frequently notice, that beautiful girl I met while on my date. I liked what I saw, I liked it a lot. I began to find occasions to be near her and talk occasionally. The big problem was that she was regularly dating someone else. But I have always enjoyed challenges so I wasn’t about to give up. I continued to have other dates during this time and also had a girl back home who I had dated exclusively until going to college. We kept in touch occasionally but were both dating other people.

In the last couple of weeks of my freshman year I decided to go for it and called her up to ask her out. Her roommate told me she was on a date with that guy and wasn’t in yet. Don’t get the wrong impression, I was not in my dorm room sipping a Dr. Pepper counting the minutes for her to get in from her date. I called after I got in from my date that night. When I finally got a hold of her I asked her out for the next night, actually I guess it was for that night considering the time when I finally got a hold of her. Much to my delight she said yes, actually it might have “okay, whatever”, but no matter the specific words she agreed.

The next night came and we …