Once Upon a Time...

"Once upon a time, two people met and fell in love...They took every smile and every tear, a few differences of opinion, some major triumphs, and several minor miracles and turned them into something beautiful." (Hallmark)

Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of the day we met. Actually, we couldn't remember if we'd met on March 20th or 21st, so I googled a 1971 calendar of March. But after looking back at the 1971 calendar, it's now official, we met on March 21.

We had met on a Sunday at church. Bill was 22-1/2 years old, in the Air Force and stationed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane. I was 18 years old, attending college in LaMirada, California. I came home on spring break and went to church that Sunday with my family. Bill says that the moment he saw me walk in, he knew I was the girl he was going to marry. He still remembers my long blonde hair and flowered granny dress.... I remember a young man with an engaging smile and green eyes that caught my attention when he came up to me and introduced himself.

There are some unusual ingredients in our courtship:

• an old boyfriend (an emotional rollercoaster of a relationship)
• one pizza date -- Bill told me he was looking for a wife. Now that's boldness and initiative for you!
• a failed attempt to get Bill to kiss me using a Scripture verse - "Greet the brethren with a holy kiss", which just showed me what an honorable young man he was!
• my family's move from Spokane to Cheyenne
• cross-country correspondence by letter -- with Bill waiting for that first letter, wondering if he'd ever hear from me
• two marriage proposals on the same day via telephone -- one of which I turned down and the other I accepted :-)
• a pit stop in Cheyenne the weekend of July 11-13 for Bill on his way home to Iowa to visit his parents before being assigned to a base in Italy
• an "official" marriage proposal and our first kiss on July 11
• engaged on July 12
• "Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be home again..."
• more correspondence
• one long distance phone call from Bill on December 1st from Spain with instructions to be prepared to get married on December 18th

Pizza: $8

Engagement ring: $300

A five minute long distance call at $7 a minute: $35

Love of a lifetime: Priceless!

We could write a book!

Celebrating special days helps us look back and remember what drew us to one another. How thankful I am for God's hand in bringing us together!