Married after 9 months -- no I wasn't pregnant!

I got this from Joyce at from this side of the pond. Since I'm new to blogging, I thought I'd play along with Kelly's Korner and her Show Us Your Life -- How you met your husband. What a good way to get to know me. (Thanks, Joyce!)

I was working at my first "real" job. After about three months on the job, one of my co-workers said she had someone she wanted me to meet. Well, I was supposedly seeing someone at the time so I told her no. I say supposedly because he actually lived an hour away and we hadn't gone on too many dates. Plus he had stood me up one time--had a good excuse. After he stood me up the second time, I told her I was ready to meet this person.

I was working at a bank and L was working up the street for a CPA firm and did his banking business at my bank. One day my co-worker told me L was in the lobby doing some banking business, so I gathered up some papers that needed to be copied and walked through the lobby. I saw him and thought, "Is she kidding??!! He's so old!" (After we were married, L told me he thought I was too young when he was told I was 21...7 years younger.)

A few days later he and her husband (who also worked at the CPA firm and had known L in college), came to her work area (we didn't have offices) and she introduced us. I was polite but then went back to my desk. That weekend she talked me into meeting L at her house where we played cards. (I am not a good card player!) L walked me out to my car when I left and gave me a quick kiss. I asked him, "What was that for?" (Unfortunately I don't recall the answer.)

We saw each other the next week: a basketball game at UT one evening and lunch another day. We had our first date that next weekend. L asked me out to dinner and a movie. He made reservations for dinner at what was to become our favorite restaurant but is no longer in business, "Oysters on the Half Shell" or just the Half Shell. Reservations were for 8:00 so we didn't make it to a movie. He told me he owed me a movie.

L didn't call immediately after. He told me after we were married that I didn't say 12 words that whole first week. But I told my co-worker that he said he owed me a movie. She told me that he had been really busy. It was "tax season" after all...that time of year Jan. 1 to April 15. (Word to the wise...think twice before marrying a "tax man". Honestly, it hasn't been too bad. You just never know when he'll be home for dinner. Thank goodness for microwaves!) He did call to pay his debt. We saw a Diane Keaton movie (I just looked it up...it must have been "Shoot the Moon"). We went to his apartment afterwards. That's when I realized he was the one. I must have said more than 12 words that evening because he did ask me out again! (Duh!)

That was February, 1982. We started dating. We both like to watch TV. One evening at L's apartment, we were watching the mini-series "Centennial" one evening. The show had just talked about concubines. L asked me if I would be his concubine. I told him no, he would have to marry me. "Have you ever thought about it?" was his reply. Guess what I did? Clammed up! Instead of taking me straight home, we drove up through the mountains. I eventually said, "It really is quiet." (I was talking about the mountain night.) He said, "I tried to talk earlier."

A couple of weeks later, we were at my house (my parents' house). We were on the couch, talking, kissing. He moved my arm behind me. I felt something. I thought it was a toy left by one of my nephews so I pushed it back out of the way. L moved my arm again behind me. This time I grabbed the "toy" and took a look at it. It was a box, wrapped in gold paper. I looked at L and opened the box. Yep, it was a diamond ring! I looked at L...he said, "Don't tell anyone, we're getting married." Nope, he did not ask me...he told me! :)

It was a couple of weeks before we told anyone. We told my parents first. I remember sitting in the living room. Dad was sitting in "his" chair. L was sitting beside me. "Dad, L asked me to marry him." "He did?" "Yes, and I said yes." "You did?" That was it. (Wait a minute. I was right in the paragraph above. L did tell me and not ask. How was I going to tell my Dad that L told me we were getting married?)

When we were deciding on a wedding date, the first 5 months of the year were out of the question...tax season plus recuperation time. I didn't want June (too many weddings in June) or Nov/Dec because of the holidays. That left July, August, Sept, and October. My church required (I think they still do) 5 months notice and pre-marriage prep. Okay...it was May. L didn't want to wait another whole year. (What was his hurry?) That left October. Yes, October is a beautiful time of year in our neck of the woods. October it was. Since we were not UT Vol fans...no, not everyone is in TN...we didn't really check the football schedule. Our wedding was on the UT-Alabama weekend...1982...when UT won after a long dry spell!! Some of the guests were listening to the radio at the reception.
October 16, 1982...27 years ago. About 6 years ago, we each forgot. I got to work and saw the notation I wrote on my calendar and gave L a call. We both had a good laugh!