52 Ancestors: Week 7 Valentine

From Amy's email: Week 7: Valentine

Is there a love story in your family tree? Maybe a couple was married on Valentine's Day or you have a valentine that one ancestor gave to another. Maybe you have an ancestor named Valentine.

Since I don't know any love stories of my ancestors, heck I don't even know how my parents meet. I decided I needed to write about how my husband and I meet. So here you go.

Richard and I meet on Saturday July 20th of 1991 at a 

LDS Singles church dance. I knew right off the bat that he was younger than myself. He is 8 years young. We danced and talked and he even laughed at a story I told.  I thought well at least he has a sense of humor and I will have someone to speak with at the dances. I was impressed with the fact that he wasn’t crazy about his job as a bank teller but he was doing something to change that situation. He was going to school to learn a new trade. He walked me out to my car and said good night and that was that. 

Most of the guys I meet told me I wasn’t their type, I was too strong, too intelligent, too independent, too intimidating and too everything else. I am not sure what is wrong with being intelligent, independent, or strong. So, it was nice to have a down to earth guy to speak with.

A month later, August 17th, I went back to the same dance, I saw him standing by himself so I went over to say hi. He said, “I have looked for you at every Friday and Saturday night dance and every Sunday night Fireside.” Well I wasn’t accustomed to guys looking for me most of them went the other way when I came by. So, I stood there in shock and thought to myself, OK, just let it in Mary. We dance some more and talked. 

He invited me out to eat after the dance. We planned to meet at Denny’s on Southern and Country Club. I arrived first and I was waiting. About 15 minutes went by and no Richard. I thought if he isn’t here in 5 more minutes I will leave. He made it before his time was up. I was actually getting up to walk out. He had run out of gas across the street from a gas station. He had to push his car to the gas station to fill up his tank. 

Where we meet for breakfast

I had met my share of strange guys and I decided I was going to lay it all out. I told him over breakfast that, “There wasn’t a man who walks on the face of the earth worth taking crap from.” I can’t remember if I said it or just thought it, “And I define crap.” That did not scare him off. He made sure he had my last name and my phone number this time.  He was upset with himself for not asking for it when we meet in July. 

He called on Wednesday evening while on break from his classes. After the first couple of weeks we were dating every Friday and Saturday night after that. He was working, managing apartments and going to school to be an airplane mechanic. So, we didn’t see each other every day, which I think was a good thing and allowed us some down time from each other. I didn’t meet his children until October though he wanted me to meet them sooner. They were cute and liked me right off the bat. Of course, that changed a little after we had been married for a while and they came to live with us in my 950 Square foot 2 bedroom two bath town home. 

Our engagement picture

He proposed in January after we had attended a relationship workshop, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. We both learned a lot about relationships and the difference between men and women. After the workshop he has taken me home and said he had to go run an errand and he would be right back. He came back with fresh flowers and a red I love you balloon. He got all serious, nervous and asked me to marry him.  Since we knew it was the right thing to do we set the date for March 13th a Friday. He wanted to marry on the 17th so he could remember the date of our first date but that was a Tuesday and I didn’t want to get married on a Tuesday. 

Our wedding day

We were married in the Mesa Arizona Temple. It was warm that day and I was very hot in that dress taking pictures.

He tells people the Lord put me right in his lap. I had sat down by someone I knew and Richard was on my other side. When I finished speaking to my friend, I turned to Richard and said, “Hi, what’s your name?” It was his first singles dance after his divorce that was 2 years earlier. I was only going to one dance a month because they were boring and painful. There is only so much rejection a person can take. I tell him I had to move to Arizona for him to find me. 

Our Wedding day with our kids

This March, 2018 will be our 26th Wedding anniversary. It hasn’t always been easy with blended families and all, his parents dying and two sisters, taking in and raising our great nieces and all that life brings but it has been worth it. 

Last year on our 25th Anniversary trip.