She asked me out 1st...& then I returned the favor!

1981. Sadie Hawkins Valentine's Day Banquet @ the Baptist Student Union on the campus of the University of Alabama. ("Sadie Hawkins" = ladies ask the guys; totally old-school concept dating back to those quaint, honorable times when guys actually did the asking...)

Aside from my excessive hotness (*grin*), there was pretty much nothing to commend me as a good Sadie Hawkins ask target. Really, I wasn't much of a catch back then. I'm not much of one now either, but I REALLY wasn't a catch then. Thus, I threw myself at her shamelessly, until she finally got tired of it & asked me to the banquet.

Oh, we had hung out a bit in group settings, and she had humored me by patiently enduring numerous requests along the lines of "hey, listen to this obscure hard rock CD nobody's ever heard & with good reason". She & her roommates were friends with my roommates. Plus, most conveniently, our apt. was downstairs & across the breezeway from their apt. (The Lord knew that while I'm pretty clueless now, I was REALLY clueless then; thus this little bit of gracious providence for which I am eternally grateful...)

But Valentine's Day, 1981 was our first official date. It must have gone OK. There were other dates. Then *lots* of other dates. Then a fraternity pin (speaking of old-school cool-ness...)...followed by a proposal.

There was a wedding in Gilbertown, AL on June 2, 1984.

A move to Terre Haute, IN. A house purchase & everything. A kid playing grownup, with a house, a job as a professor, debt,...the works!

Then a son.

A move to Hattiesburg, MS in August, 1989.

Followed shortly by a daughter.

Along the way, there have been triumphs, tragedies, job changes, illnesses, financial (& other) challenges, successes, failures, joys, sorrows...But through it all, dreams fulfilled & prayers answered beyond my wildest imaginations.

She still pretty much looks the same; I singularly do not. Oh, what a journey it's been! Can't wait for the next 29 years! And it all dates back to Valentine's Day 29 years ago.

I'll let some songwriters complete this one.

"In joy and sorrow my home's in your arms
In a world so hollow, It's breaking my heart
Oh girl we are the same; We are strong and blessed and so brave
With souls to be saved, And faith regained
All our tears wipe away
In joy and sorrow my home's in your arms..."
HIM, "In Joy & Sorrow"

"But, Baby, what will we do when it comes back to me & you? "
Wayne Watson, "Watercolor Ponies"
(note: Is yours a child-centered home? Might want to re-think that if so. I'm glad our children knew/know they are DEARLY loved and HUGELY missed...and I'm VERY glad Lisa & I have spent some time on our relationship these past 25 years of married life! As Wayne W. says, "the watercolor ponies will one day ride away...")

"I often dream of nights I'd sit and watch the rising sun, and I spoke to you of life, and of the battles I had won. A warm wind blowing memories makes me long for home, and a cold wind blows much harder and makes me wanna roam...I search to find the meaning of the path that I am on, and I hope that my direction will not make me walk alone..."
Axe, "Battles"
(One of my all-time favorite songs...pulled me through some very dark days/months/years by giving me hope. Plus, it just kicks booty as a great rock song w/ a great guitar solo...*smile*

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18
(One can almost imagine the Lord looking forward in time at me & going "and it's especially not good for that guy to be alone...")

"And now a smile, a face, a girl that shares my name,
Now I'm through with the game, this boy will never be the same.
Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey,
Everything will bring a chain of love.
In the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes,
And tell me everything is gonna be alright....
Loggins & Messina, "Danny's Song"

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh..."
Genesis 2:24

"And my lady is the softness in my world...And my lady hears every note I play..."
Mountain, "My Lady"
(Another favorite by a favorite group. I sang along w/ this for years, dreaming the whole time...and then the dreams came through in Tuscaloosa, AL. I *love* the line "my lady hears every note I play" even though I don't play music any more. Excellent description of Lisa...)


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO MY AWESOME, LOVELY BRIDE!!!

With more love than I could ever capture in words,
Mike

P.S. - thanks for asking me out! ;-{)}