For our first Valentine’s Day, I took Julie to
The Joshua Wilton House. It was the
fanciest restaurant in Harrisonburg and boy did we feel fancy. I think it went a long way in impressing her, but
also set the bar a bit high for future Valentine’s Day’s.
Julie was a server at Chili’s for most of college. I would go in from time to time to sit in her
section. She would give me what she could
for free, dessert, drinks, maybe an appetizer.
But all the savings was lost for me because I would tip very
generously. Hey, I am not above a bit of
bribery to make sure a girl that I really liked, liked me in return.
Privacy was hard to come by when we both had roommates in
our efficiency type dorm rooms. I
remember once taking Julie out for ice cream and to watch the sun set. After we finished our ice cream, one thing
led to another and Julie and I stated to make out sitting on a hill by an
elementary school. I guess one of the
neighbors was suspicious of us being there, so our brief moment of privacy was interrupted
by a police siren.
I don’t remember exactly when it was, but there
was a weekend when we organized both of our parents to come to JMU for the
weekend. Unbeknownst to us, both sets of
parents, on their own, thought that we were going to announce an engagement. At the time, this seemed crazy to Julie and
I. We were young and having fun with the
leisure of college life. We loved each
other. We spent a ton of time together,
but marriage wasn't on our radar screen.
Looking back though, it would have made a lot of sense. If either of us stopped long enough to think
about it, we were made for one another.
Our relationship just seemed to fit.
That, added to the fact that my future Father in law passed away just 2
weeks before our wedding, makes hindsight on this clear as day.
Graduation
time came, and in a time in my life when all seemed gray and hazy, one thing
was clear ... whatever was to come, be it greatness or failure, pleasant
or somber, simple or foreboding ... I needed Julie by my side, in my corner,
cheering me on, each step of the way.
“May I have your blessing, to marry your daughter?” I know
… a bit old fashioned. But it was the
right thing to do and a direct request of my future bride. I knew Julie’s parents well and didn't expect
anything but full throated support … but still.
I was at Julie’s house for a weekend and I pulled John and Trudy aside
and asked if it would be OK if I would marry their daughter. Trudy actually jumped, clapped her hands and
cheered. John gave me a big smile and a
firm handshake. I felt so lucky to be
joining such a fun and loving family.
I am a rather impulsive person, for being so
introspective. I take my time in making
a decision, but when my mind is made up, I tend to leap right in to get it
done. This led to a small problem when
it came to the proposal. We were lounging
around my apartment, talking about the future.
This was after graduation and everyone had pretty much left school for
the summer or for good. It came to a
point in the conversation that I thought would be an appropriate time to ask Julie
to marry me. Now, I am going to pause
here to let you know that I was somewhat naive to importance that is placed on
the proposal. I want to make it clear, Julie
did not turn me down, but the stipulation was attached to the “Yes”, that the
proposal would be repeated. Turns out
that I ended up proposing about a dozen more times over the next year or so,
the last being delivered by roses to her changing room at the church on our wedding
day. I came to quite enjoy asking Julie
to marry me over and over, hearing her say “Yes” every time!
The first time I saw Julie on our wedding day was at the
back of the church, at the end of the isle, walking toward me to become my wife. That moment will forever be etched in my
memory as the first time I understood what it would be to see an angel coming
toward you. She was stunning in her
white dress and had a smile on her face that brought tears to my eyes. I am so lucky to have found Julie. I could not ask for better wife and friend to
spend the rest of my days with.
