Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

My husband ("DH" = 'dear husband') isn't "into" Valentine's Day (commercialism, etc...), but that's OK because he does so many things throughout the year that are special that the one day, Valentine's Day, really isn't important.

My DH is the best!  He's SO incredibly supportive...  No matter what is going on with me, I know I've got his support.  I know he's got my back.  I was working a lot.  I mean seriously - A LOT!  Finally, it came down to "do I really need/want to keep working 50-55 hours per week, EVERY week?"  Who helped me figure that out?  Who supported my decision to quit my job - or TRY to, and end up just drastically reducing my hours & accepting a different position at the same company?   Yep - my DH!  I love him more than words could ever say...

How did you meet your sweetheart?


At a Seattle Mariner's game - September 3, 2012

DH and I met in kind of a fun way.  I had recently moved to the area (Tulsa, OK...  Not where I live now).  DH's sister worked for my Dad.  Ok, those are two totally separate facts.  But, after a few months, my Dad called me at work one day and said "you need to get a hobby.  Carol (this is DH's sister) teaches quilting classes and something called a colors-class.  You should do it." Well, that's not word-for-word, but it's pretty darn close!  So, I reluctantly took a class (I was seriously poor and didn't tell Dad that I really shouldn't be spending $35 on a quilting class...).  Actually, I signed up for both the "colors" class and a beginning quilting class.  Who would've known that Carol and I would totally hit it off the first night.  It was as if we'd been friends for years!  At some point during the class, Carol says "my brother's coming into town for a few months.  You should meet him."  Well, the deal was that I had just moved up to Tulsa because I left a relationship in Louisiana that had not worked out.  I wasn't into the idea of meeting this guy, especially if he wasn't staying in Tulsa for long (he lived in Seattle)!!!

Dad & Carol, who I'd started having lunches with sometimes, both were determined that DH and I should meet.  I was becoming more willing to meet him (my willingness didn't take long, "but I'm not even going to hold his hand if he's not staying here - I've already moved for a guy and it didn't work out, so I'm not doing it again - unless I'm married!"), but Carol had already tried to play matchmaker (she ROCKS!) for him before, and it hadn't worked out, so DH was basically - "NO WAY!"

Cannon Beach, Oregon - Spring 2012

About three to four weeks after first taking the colors class, I was over at Carol's house looking through magazines so I could find a pattern to make a quilt.  She told me she had family coming for dinner that night (Mom & step-dad, Sister P, and..... DH was also going to be there!).  Later in the afternoon, she called and invited me to join them.  She was not going to tell DH, because he wouldn't show up if he knew....!!!!

So, DH and I met for the first time that night at a dinner with much of his family present!  The date was Sunday, September 17, 2000.  A couple days later, DH asked his sister to ask me if it was OK if he could call me.  I still didn't think I'd "date" him in the real sense because he was only in town temporarily.  Again, I wasn't moving for a man again - unless I was married!!  I don't remember specifically, but I believe our first date was the following Sunday.  The weekend after that, we went to the horse races with his Mom, Step-Dad, and I think Carol was there, too.  It was SO fun!  We continued to date "as friends" and finally held hands for the first time after about five weeks.  Ha!

To make a longer story short....  DH and I really clicked, and I think we each clicked with each other's family, too.  Now remember - we met on September 17th...  We became engaged January 16th of the following year (1 day short of 4 months), and were married April 21st (7 months & 4 days after meeting).  Not long after that, we were both back in Seattle!  HA!  He had intended on returning at the beginning of the year, and one of the sweetest things he's ever said to me was that he wanted me to go with him, but he knew how I felt and was not going to ask me to move before we were married.

We have now known each other three days shy of twelve years & five months, and we've been married 7 days shy of eleven years & ten months!!!

I still wonder how it was that DH wanted to marry ME....?  I feel like the most fortunate woman on Earth!  I LOVE my DH, and things are amazing!

Happy Valentine's day to you & yours, whether you "celebrate" or not!


At a RUSH concert - Summer 2011

























1 comment:

Lisa C said...

Love your story. I was part of my church's singles group and my husband was part of his. His group asked my group if anyone wanted to go snow skiing. They had one opening for a female. I went. My husband and I hit it off immediately. That was March. We got engaged in July and married in November. We've now been married for 25 years!