37 years down... Eternity to go!

Happy Anniversary sweetheart! Yes, just a short 37 years ago today Paul and I were married and truly we have been living "happily ever after". Our courtship and engagement was quite the whirlwind but it seems to have worked out just fine. Paul was in the Army (Vietnam era) and he had come home for a 30-day leave when he came over to my house to visit my brother whom he knew from their mission days. Fortunately, my brother was not home.... but I was. For our first date my brother and Paul decided to take out each other's sisters so Kent went out with KJ and I went out with Paul. We continued seeing each other every day for 8 days before I left for a semester abroad in Salzburg, Austria but we did agree to keep in touch via letters. Our relationship progressed very quickly and actually became a little too intense for me after just 4 short months so I "wrote him off", as we used to say, about the time my semester was over and I was back home. Paul was stationed in the Philippines at Clark Airbase and unbeknownest to me, my letter arrived to him just as he was recovering from some surgery -- bad timing. By about September I had realized how much he really meant to me and I wrote him again and suggested we keep in touch but maybe take things a little more slowly. He was given another 30 day leave starting Memorial Day weekend and we anxiously anticipated spending some time together. I met him at the airport -- I can't even remember if his family was there, I think it was just me -- and flew into his open arms and it just felt right. When Paul had been home about 24 hours, he gave me his fraternity pin which being "pinned" in those days was a form of "being promised", a sort of pre-engagement step. Six days later on June 6th we were spending time at the cabin and he gave me a box of cracker jack and when I opened the surprise little packet that you always find in Cracker Jacks, I found a beautiful diamond ring. I immediately said yes!! Now, when should we get married? October? No way... we didn't want to be apart again. So we kicked it into gear and pulled off a beautiful, memorable wedding 23 days later!!! Amazingly enough we were able to get engraved invitations, a wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, the reception center, everything just fell into place. Our honeymoon was spent driving across country to his next Army assignment at Fort Holabird, Maryland. I have always marveled that my parents were so accepting of this seemingly crazy plan and when my children were getting married I couldn't imagine trying to pull their weddings off in 23 days. Our engagement was very short but very magical. We were spending every moment we could together -- Paul would come and pick me up in the early afternoon and we would do things and go places and just be together until he would drive home as the sun was coming up and he would sleep for a few hours and come over and start again. I had even taken 30 days off from my job at Walker Bank when I knew he was coming on leave and they were pretty surprised when I told them I wasn't coming back.

If I could have done anything differently, I wouldn't have. I have married the perfect man for me and it has been a wonderful 37 years. Paul is very talented and ambitious and grounded and fun and interesting and supportive and encouraging and accepting and hardworking and hardplaying and kind and considerate and loyal and faithful and responsible and dependable and generous and giving and wise and I could go on for ever. I am so happy for a seemingly impulsive decision made 37 years ago that has blessed my life ever since. So after all these years and our wonderful four children and three in-laws and 6 (soon to be 8) grandchildren and a successful accounting practice and a lovely home and lots of precious memories, we still love to hang out together. Here's to the next 37 years and beyond! I love you Paul!