The newly-engaged couple: Superman and Wonder Woman. October 2000.
Sailing in the San Juan islands, summer 2000.It was the fall of 1993. I was a junior at the University of Washington, and Tim was a senior at Oregon State University. I was just transitioning out of AFROTC, and Tim was getting ready to complete his last year of it before he headed off to nav school. Several of my friends talked me into getting involved in Silver Wings, the civilian component of Arnold Air Society, and we all headed down to Portland, Oregon, for ARCON (a meeting of all the AAS groups from the NW area schools). Tim was the public affairs officer for his AAS group, and I was heading up Silver Wings for the region. His job was to take pictures, and he managed to make sure I was in most of them. I was pretty flattered, and freely gave him my new email address I had at UW. We didn't talk much that weekend (even then there was a rivalry between UW and OSU), but I soon started receiving emails from that PA officer at Oregon State. My boyfriend was pretty ticked, but flirting over email was so fun.
The following spring was NATCON, a gathering of all the AAS groups around the country, and several of my friends and I headed to Scottsdale for a long weekend of riotous drinking, staying up until 5am, and roof-stomping a Colonel or two who had accompanied us to the convention. Tim was supposed to be there, too, and I spent the first night looking for him. Something about too much to drink and singing Take Me Home, Country Roads, and I couldn't find him. I did finally meet up with him the next day, and we spent a lot of time talking in person. I wish I remembered more of that weekend, but there was a bit of alcohol involved and it was 14 years ago.
We spent the next several years keeping in touch via email and the occasional phone call, with him moving to Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Idaho (in 1998 when we finally dated for the first time), back to Texas for pilot training and then to Arizona for the B course. I mostly stayed put in Seattle, with a short move to London in 95-96, and enjoyed my stable life. I loved Seattle and was pretty sure I wasn't going to love, say, Goldsboro or Wichita Falls, as much as I enjoyed the Emerald City. So, we kept talking, and finally in the summer of 2000, I flew down to Tucson to embark on a backpacking trip to the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the Grand Canyon with some friends. I stayed with Tim for a couple of days before we left for our trip, and that started me thinking. After some good reflection time in the Grand Canyon, I went back to see Tim again in Tucson for a couple of days before heading back to Seattle. He drove us back to his quarters, where he had a bottle of wine, all sorts of yummy bubble baths and lotions, and a nice dinner. I had never been so happy to take a shower, and while I was soaping all the dirt and grime off of me, it suddenly dawned on me that I had the most fabulous man in my life and what on earth was I thinking not doing something about it? We started dating then, got engaged like 6 weeks later, and here we are. Happy Anniversary, Tim!
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Okay. I know I have readers out there. You know who you are. Leave a comment and tell me how you met your spouse! I'm talking to you, Dad, Grandma, Jessica, Cheri, Carrie, and all others who are reading this right now! I want comments!
8 comments:
Ok, you got me, I am a huge fan of your blog! Let's see how did Mike and I meet? It was the fall of 1998 and Mike and I sat across from each other in the UA wind ensemble, we were both section leaders, Mike on sax and me on oboe. I honestly don't really remember him much at this point, apparently it was the other way around for him. But our conductor called all of the section leaders up after rehearsal and I guess he really noticed me then. He always likes to remind me that he fell in love when I let my hair down in the middle of rehearsal one day. He was also impressed that I had with me a copy of The Wall Street Journal and an 'I voted' sticker on. (Beauty AND Brains) I still didn't really take notice of him at this point either, not as anybody other than just an acquaintance. Mike and I were walking through the halls during break one day chatting and I came across a clarinet friend. I ditched Mike at this point, I really didn't think much of it. I carried on with this other guy who just happened to be gay. Mike wasn't very impressed when I did this and he reminds me of this often. And I fondly remind him that I married him and not the gay clarinetist. He says it took him 6 months to get the nerve to ask me for lunch. Our first date was the Frog & Firkin. We dated for 2 years to the day when I moved to Colorado for 8 months, not to get away from him I swear! At least that's what I tell him :) Then I flew to Seattle and met up with Mike and we drove down to Oregon for your wedding. At the reception I noticed that Mike had stolen Dad away for a few minutes. Then a little while later I noticed Mike getting the microphone from the DJ and calling me up to the stage. He got down on one knee and said "Jessica, you are my life, my love, my everything. Will you marry me?" To which I didn't have an immediate answer, I was in such shock. Eventually I must have said yes (I do remember that we got married 2 years later), to the great applause of 200 guests. Mike say's that when he sat back down a wedding guest said "That took Balls of Steel man" and that puts it lightly since the following day Mike drove back to Seattle (5 hours), alone with Dad. Going the speed limit. The rest is history. So not only is August 25 a very special day for you and Tim, but it has made it into our history book as well. So cheers to you for getting married 6 years ago today. Without you who knows where Mike and I would be. Happy Anniversary!
So, how many years have you been married? Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!
John and I met at a weekend church camp in high school and then were pen pals for a few years before we ever really dated. I know. You can throw up now.
Congrats on the Anniversary!! I didn't realize!
We met at the O'club at Yokota Air Base in Japan after I had been in country 3 days. Ben sold me some goods about how he was going to fly the A-10 someday and live in Tucson (a city I have always loved). I was hooked and we were married 6 months later!!
Deixe me ver...
Encontramos no Brasil no ano 2001. Enough of the bad português! I met Simone ten days after I arrived in Brazil. My friend and mentor who had talked me into going to Brazil as a contract engineer, said he and a friend were going to dinner and were inviting a female friend and would I like to come along? Jokingly I asked, "What does she look like?", and he replied, "She's very petite and very beautiful." Turned out he was right. I found out very quickly she was also muito simpática e muito inteligente (very nice and very intelligent). She had founded her own successful company and was a very hard worker.
I told her I was moving from the hotel to my new apartment the next day, and she said, "I help you." I almost reflexively said, "No, thanks. I only have a couple of suitcases and a couple of boxes." (Dorky engineer). I recovered quickly enough to say, "That would be great, obrigado." We spent the next afternoon buying up WalMart to supply said apartment.
She has a wonderful family whom you've met. I've never seen so many aunts, uncles and cousins in my life! I still haven't met all of them. Brazilians are the nicest people in the world. We have a lot of great friends there. Not surprisingly, our best friends in San Diego are Brazilians, too. You can check out our sobrinha's (niece's) progress on the "Fabi's Brasilian Blog" link on this blog. Our niece, Rafaela, was born last October.
We had a wonderful two years before we were married. We were engaged on O Dia dos Namorados, the Brazilian Valentine's Day, which happens to be in June. It was touch and go on the March wedding date, however. We were assured by the city catório that handles wedding legalities that we had all of the papers filed and could make our wedding date. [I had found out that if we were married before Ana's (Simone's daughter) eighteenth birthday, Ana would be entitled to a U.S. green card as my stepdaughter, in case she ever wants to live in the U.S. So that put a constraint on our wedding date.] Then the cartório belatedly informed us we needed one more document from the U.S. We had to scramble to get the document from the appropriate American agency, have it certified as "legal" by the Brazilian consulate in the U.S. and forwarded to us in Brazil. We made it, thanks to FedEx. We got married two days before Ana's birthday. Whew!
It was a beautiful evening ceremony in the front yard at the house. The judge who married us really looked like a judge. Gray mustache, very dignified. I could claim I didn't know what I was really getting into, since the whole ceremony was in Portuguese. But my Portuguese teacher was there to translate for me, so I don't have that excuse. When it came time to give my answer, I said, "Sim e yes" just to be sure. When Simone gave her answer, she said, "Yes,...,uh,..., sim!". The judge smiled, so it was okay. We had a wonderful party with lots of food, music and dancing. They couldn't figure out my "YMCA" dance interpretation. But best of all, nobody fell in the pool.
We've had some great trips in South America, the U.S. and Europe. And we're looking forward to Kate's second birthday next month.
Coming up on five years for us next year. Graças a Deus! Six years for you two already! Feliz Aniversário!
Obrigado, Brasil. Eu te amo, Simone.
Beijos,
Dad
What a great story! Loved it! Sam and I met at USAFA, when he yelled at me in a hallway. :)
We have been married 6 years now. Only 6! It seems like longer, since we've known each other so long.
Dear Jennifer,
Here is the story of how I met your grandfather: I was taking a course at Baker Business University in Flint, MI after graduation from High School. It was a 2-year course and I was nearing graduation very soon. One day I was told to go to "F. J. Boutell Driveaway Co." for a job interview. They needed extra help getting ready for a "Hearing" of some sort. So I was shown what to do--making copies of some forms needed for that purpose. One day a very nice looking man came in the office and was chatting with the "bosses". I wondered who he was and kept working. When the project was done, I was kept busy with taking dictation, typing letters, etc. I found out he was the "Traffic Manager" in charge of the drivers of the big trucks hauling new cars to dealers around the country. I was called, now and then, to take dictation and type letters for him as well as the others. One day I was taking notes for letters and he said: "Dear Miss Gaines, would you please have dinner with me this evening?" I was so surprised--but said "yes." I was very excited that he noticed me. After that we started dating. This went on for 3 years before we got married. Your Uncle Gar was 3 years old when we first met. Harold was not sure he wanted to marry again, but finally asked my father if we could get married and I got my engagement ring. That was Christmas of 1938. We were married on July 22, 1939 in the living room of my parent's home. Gar was 6 years old at that time. We had 57 years and 4 days, altogether, when he died of a stroke on July 26, 1996 after 2 weeks in the hospital. You and Jessica were at our "50th Anniversary" luncheon in Dearborn, MI on July 22, 1989.
Bob and I met in high school. We were both in the school orchestra, he played in the drum section and I played the piano. The fellow I sometimes went with did'nt ask me to the dance as soon as I thought he should - so when Bob asked me to go to the Rosedale Clubhouse dance with another couple, I accepted. I guess I had really never noticed him before - but we had a great time and he was so nice to me.
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