I Do ;)

35 Years ago today..... I married the love of my life. At precicely 7;15p.m. I became-

Mrs. Lovee :)

I met him at my front door. It was towards the end of June, 1973. I'm still not too sure of the actual day I met him....I was, at that time a wee bit on the 'flitey' side...flitting from boyfriend to boyfriend so the only dates on my mind were the ones that happened on Friday and Saturday nights. ;)
My BFF's boyfriend, brought him over to meet his girlfriends roomie. ( that would be me)We didn't want to answer the door because we had really bad sunburns from being at the lake all day. We were running around the apartment in our undies trying to stay cool and touch free. It was only after T ( the boyfriend) assured us that there really was someone else with him that we agreed to open the door. OMG!! there really is someone...and he's really cute I said.

After we dressed, quickly, we opened the door..
That's when my world changed....as he stepped inside our door....

I know there was conversation going on; returning from Ok city after taking tests necessary to join the USMC....T not having a ride back to Tulsa....Lovee giving him a ride....idle chitchat. But I don't really remember much of it. I remember thinking to myself...'OMG...he's the most handsome guy I've ever seen........look at those eyes.....and that sly grin....and those shoulders...'
Introductions were made....I'm sure...I don't really remember....I was concentrating on those eyes.
I didn't say much....just smiled. I didn't want to look like more of a fool than I already felt....sunburn and all, and I didn't want to risk saying something completely goofy. I tend to do that even now; when I'm in awe of someone. :)We all agreed to go play tennis the next day. Lovee was an accomplished tennis player and offered to help with our game...uh huh....I needed help alright! I was going on a date with Adonis and I couldn't even remember his name!!!!! When they left, I looked at my BFF and as I leaned against the door I said " Isn't he the most handsome man in the world?" She just shrugged and said " he's ok ". ( she was focused on her OWN guy!...thank goodness) :)


At one point, while we were changing sides on the court, Lovee put his arm around my shoulders. He gave me a squeeze, kissed my forehead and called me "punkin". My world went spinning out of control. A nickname...already?...no one ever did that before...squeezed me AND gave me a nickname and kissed my forehead!!! Uhhhh..........what just happened? Why is the ground spinning? It's who's serve??? Wha...?
After the tennis game; I don't remember who won....we all headed back to our apartment. Lovee and I decided to go for a walk to give my BFF and her fella some alone time. He was leaving for San Diego real soon.

We talked about everything you could imagine. His family and how he was the youngest of 5; his upbringing; How he'd married young; His divorce and how it effected him; his 2 young boys whom he missed more and more each day; his past jobs; what he wanted to do in the Marine Corps.....how he was just waiting for a waiver ( because of his kids ) so he could depart for San Diego. He had been on the Tulsa Police force...but left when he divorced....he needed a new direction for his life. He was 23.
An older guy...just my style!!!

We talked about how I grew up; my family of 1 sister and 1 brother (who died in Viet Nam in 1967 when I was 12);how I was almost 19....how I really didn't have a clear plan of what to do with my life...nursing school, maybe...who knew; my job at the Nursing home; my cool car ( 1967 Cougar )...we talked about how if he married again it'd have to last, especially if he had more kids, because not being with his kids hurt too much and divorces were painful....

I told him I'd never do that to him to him............Seriously.

I'm not sure where that came from but I remember he didn't flinch...just put his arms around my shoulders and squeezed me again.

We walked around for 4 hours! He kept switching sides I remember....I asked why and he said the man should always be on the outside, street side so he could protect the girl..... me.

I'd never heard such a thing...ever.
Wow...I remember thinking to myself....he's so different....so handsome, so funny, so sexy, so warm....so caring. Is he for real I wondered?

When we returned to my apt., we leaned against his car and he pulled me close and asked me why I was shaking. I don't know I tell him. he pulled me close and kissed me. Really kissed me. I was never the same after that. He walked me to my door. I wrote down his name because I still couldn't remember ...:)
I gave him my phone number.
He said he'd call. God, I hope so I thought..I hoped he didn't think I was silly and dumb.He didn't. He called me at work the next day! He tracked me down. How, I'll never know.
We became inseperable. He would leave only to go back to his apt. and sleep.

I went to visit my parents and was telling my Mom about this fabulously cool guy I'd met. She said " tt, you're talking different about this guy" I told her" Well, that's because I'm going to marry this one...he hasn't asked me yet, but he will."

Four days after our first meeting he showed up late at my apt.. He had a funny look on his face and swept me up in his arms, gave me the most loving kiss I'd ever had and we melted to the floor....just sat there staring at each other. Finally he pulled a box out of his pocket. I gasped. He said he knew we hadn't known each other very long but that he really didn't have a lot of time. His waiver had come through and he was set to leave in about 3 weeks for San Diego...

Looking straight into my eyes, he said " tt, will you marry me?" as he opened the box.
I gasped again...which I still do when I'm surprised :) and threw my arms around him and said simply.."yes".

So what -we thought....
So what if we haven't known each other very long....
So what if we don't really know a lot about each other.....
We both knew one thing for sure.
We both fell in love....completely in love....the moment he walked into my apartment and our eyes locked.
We'd have plenty of time to get to know one another after we were married. I ran to my BFF's room and tried to wake her and show her....I was ENGAGED!!! She slept through it all. She was really tired :) lol
He wrote a letter to my parents, telling them of his love for me and asking permission to marry me. He's always been a letter writer :)
They said ok. Stunned at the suddeness of it all...Daddy told him to treat me right.......
I met his parents. They were also stunned. Was this a rebound thing they wondered? NO. I was from a different side of the tracks than he was. Could he make me happy? YES!Could I made him happy? YES!
We spent every moment we could together. He baked me a cake and fixed me dinner for my birthday that July...earlier than the actual date, because he'd be gone by then. My BFF helped...it was to be a surprise.
It was.
He was to leave the next day.

I drove him to the bus station and waived goodbye. Tears streaming down my face. An ache in my heart I'd never known. Little did I know it would be the first of many.
We wrote each day. I planned our wedding.
We wrote of love and missing each other....of the hardships of Bootcamp and being separated...of the joys we'd have once we were married.
Bootcamp lasted 13 LONG weeks.
He graduated Honorman of his platoon. October 25, 1973.
No one was there to see it. (This is something I've always regretted.)
He flew home and found me dressed up in my little 'hot pants' outfit waiting and squealing and jumping around the airport waiting area. He walked off the plane in his Dress Blues...I cried and ran to him!!!!
He stayed at my parents house with me. I had moved back home, after he left, to save money. We would be poor for a while but I didn't care. Hadn't I heard somewhere that people could live on love?.....
We honeymooned in Washington,D.C.. Staying with his sister and BIL taking in the sites. 2 weeks later he left again. For his formal school in Georgia. He was an M.P.
We got to be together again,that Christmas of 73. He surprised me once more....catching the last flight out going to Tulsa before a snow storm would close down our airport. The Taxi, piled high with people took the soldier home first :)
I cried and ran to him again when I answered the doorbell. We had another week together.
He left after Christmas for Camp Pendleton.
On Valentines day 1974....we were able to move into our first apartment as husband and wife...because my Mom ( bless her heart)drove with me to California to join him.

We spent our first year getting to know each other. Some days were easy...some were harder than others. The one constant we had was LOVE.
No arguement or dissagreement was as bad as the thought of being apart.
Love can conquer all.
It did.
It continues to.
it always will...with us.
Our love, somehow, grows deeper and deeper each year. How that's possible I'm not sure. How do you love someone more than you ever thought was possible?
It is...........
Forever and Always...........
He's my heart.