Feb. 14, 2008 - My sneaky valentine
Sarah over at smallworld is hosting a love story contest. I won't be eligible to win, because AGAIN, I have not posted pictures (and I missed the deadline, and my story surely won't be as great as some of the other's I've read this week!) Anyhoo, although I'm not typically a mushy, romantic, valentine-loving gal, I thought it might be fun to share my story. It has definately been fun reading other's stories! Some made me laugh out loud!!!
Our love story began as a set up!
THE TRAP:
It was March 1992, and I was healing from a "broken" heart. I had joined a health club to keep my mind off of my sadness, and to keep myself from making those pathetic phone calls that humiliate you and make you want to unplug the telephone. So, every night after work I'd head for a work out. The fitness trainers who worked there were all young (and gorgeous) and it was a fun distraction getting to know them. Tim was an especially tall, hunky ex-football player type who quickly became a friend. He started coming to the salon where I worked to get his haircut, and after a few trims, I started to wonder if something romantic might be brewing. Then one day Tim invited me to a party.
I got gussied up, excitedly went to the party.... and then Tim completely ignored me! "HUH? Why the heck did he invite me here?", I wondered. It was all very strange! Well, I mingled and met some nice folks, played Jenga and did Jell-o shooters (ah! foolish youth!). One of the nicest people I met was a guy named Dennis....Tim's good friend. He was very attentive and interested in me. He was very polite and gentleman like. He had on cowboy boots and had a soft southern accent. He offered to refill my drinks, he asked great questions, he opened doors...he even gave me a shoulder rub when a migraine started to creep up the back of my head.
So, after a couple of hours at the party, Dennis asked for an official date. We went out a few evenings later and had a wonderful time. We ate dinner and listened to a local folk band perform. We discovered a mutual love of music, and a mutual desire for family and stability. My previously "broken" heart was patched and ready for true love. Neither of us were interested in a long drawn out relationship that may or may not work out. We were both at a place where we wanted to settle down and be commmited "for better or worse".
We saw each other almost every day after that. I could not believe how compatible we were! He was so easy to be with and made me feel so special! About a month into our relationship, Dennis let me in on a secret..... He had asked Tim to invite me to that party! Ah ha! Apparently, I had been spotted on several occasions at the gym. Dennis thought I was cute, and I seemed nice, so he asked Tim to set us up. Now it made all sense! I did feel a tiny bit like a fly caught in a spider's web, but I chose to ignore that feeling because it was all working out so nicely!
THE WEDDING:
We were married on New Year's Eve, just nine months later! Neither of us cared about the whole traditional wedding thing. We decided to just have our immediate family join us for a casual wedding at Dennis' condo. I wore a winter white wool suit and had my hair up in a french twist with big puffy bangs teased high. Dennis wore a dark green suit .
We had a roaring fire in the fireplace, our Christmas tree lit, and lots of candles and poinsettias. We were not Christians back then, so the ceremony was somewhat secular. The "minister" was a paid-by-the-hour guy we found in the yellow pages. He had already performed several weddings that day, so, by the time he made it to us, he seemed to have had several toasts under his belt. Our wedding video is hilarious! We were all roasting due to the lovely roaring fire; it was unfortunately about 70 degrees that day! Dennis' brother zoomed in on the preacher man at one point and asked, "Haven't I seen you on America's Most Wanted?"
NOW:
So, here we are 15 years, three kids, and a dog later. I'm no longer a young, hip, hairdresser. I'm a christian, stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. He is a sucessful buisness man, a great husband and daddy, and a worship leader.
I am very thankful for my sneaky husband! I believe that he is the perfect guy for me! I truly believe that God hand picked him for me, because I don't think I could've picked so well by myself. We have both grown and changed tremdously since 1992. But amazingly, we have grown in a way that has complimented and encouraged each other. It is amazing to me that we can be so different than who we were, but still like and love each other so much. I thank God for that, too!
Happy Valentine's Day to all you mushy romantics out there! I hope you had a lovely day!
Comments
Feb. 14, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
That is a wonderful story! I have loved reading all of these entries!
Feb. 15, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by StillHisGirl
Awww! I love it. :) Wish there WAS a photo of you in the suit. :)
Feb. 15, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Shelbelle7
What a FANTASTIC story!! I love it!! Thanks for sharing.
Feb. 17, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
Thank you for the birthday song! Oh, we're planning a high school roundtable/seminar for April. I'll let you know more as we finalize dates!
Feb. 20, 2008 - Hey!
Posted by dixiefiddler
What a charming story!!! I loved reading it! How romantic! ^_^
Have a blessed day,
Sarah
Feb. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by mycrazylife
Hey Deb!
I loved reading this story! It was so sweet! And very surprising that you found such a nice guy in a secular world. God was certainly working. And I applaud your husband for being sneaky!
P.S. I am loving Angela's book. It brought me to tears in the doctor's office! Thank you again!
Feb. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by OhPumpkinshellz
I enjoyed reading this post. That is too cute :) I understand the whole small wedding thing. We did the court house and then drove through Burger King for hamburgers!
