34 Years Together -- Oh My!

September 1, 2010
Some said it would never last. Granted marriage is an on-going experience in maintaining a relationship, and Karl and I have worked hard (for most of the 34 years) to make our marriage stronger and our family the focus of our lives together. It's actually been pretty fun!

I remember the first time I noticed Karl -- we were in 8th grade and he was friends with my cousin. They were in Spanish class together. He was really tall in junior high -- taller than me!

Karl fell off of my radar screen until we were juniors in high school. Then it was the platinum blond hair against a chambray blue shirt over a white turtleneck that caught my attention. He was on the football team (#81 I think) and the junior varsity basketball team and was inducted in the honor society that year. We had common friend groups and ended up in the same places, a lot. We got to be pretty good friends.

By the summer between our junior and senior year, Karl finally asked me out and our first date was the 4th of July Fireworks at Liberty Park. Eleven dates later, he finally kissed me (on the lips), it was the night of the Senior Ball (I can't share the details, sorry).

We graduated from high school in 1973, and Karl went to Europe with his friend Bart for 6 weeks and when he returned home, he made plans for a mission. Before leaving on his mission (January 1974), he gave me a very nice birthstone ring (an opal for October) for Christmas -- it wasn't really a promise ring, just a nice friendship ring. Our friendship grew while Karl was serving a mission through letters and more letters. I attended the "U" and dated some while he was gone, but there was never anything special about any of those dates.

A little over four months or so after returning from his mission in the Netherlands/Belgium-Antwerp, Karl proposed to me on May 28, 1976. We'd been to see the musical "1776" (based on events leading to the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence) at the old Promised Valley Playhouse on State Street. After the production, we walked down the west side of State Street between First and Second South past a Dee's Hamburger Drive-Inn (on the way to the car) to get my favorite snack -- fries and a coke. We waited until we got to the car to eat our snack. Karl politely opened the passenger door for me, carrying our fries and drinks with him to the driver's side. Little did I know that his mom had made a tiny pink velvet pouch for an engagement ring that Karl slipped into my package of fries. Once in the car, we talked about the musical and began eating. When I found the surprise in my fries, I knew something was up -- and yes, he asked me to marry him. And I accepted!

Yes, there is much more to the story of our courtship and our 34 years together -- I will save the details for another day (we could fill volumes). But know that we love each other very much. We are so blessed to have three intelligent, healthy, beautiful children; two amazing sons-in-law, and three grandchildren who are leaps and bounds above all other grandchildren in the universe, in every way. We live in a nice home, we go to church every Sunday, we try to be nice and kind to others, and serve together in whatever we're asked to do.