About Me and My Dear Hubbie and Our Dating Days

As I said in my Simple Woman's Daybook, Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the day my dear husband asked me to marry him. Yes, I remember the day well. Last night just before bed I told him about the significance of yesterday's date. He asked if I had recently looked in my old journal where I have the date marked and a diary entry for that day. I said no. He could not believe that I would remember the date so well. LOL

I remember the date of our first date. January 20th. YEP that is correct. On Jan 20th, 1984 we had our first date. On Feb 1st, 1984 he asked me to marry him and I said yes. Yes, he asked me 12 days after our first date and I still said YES! On Feb. 14th, 1984 he gave me my engagement ring. Yes, he asked me to marry him before he got the ring and I still said yes! The evening he asked me he said he felt the Lord speaking to his heart telling him to ask me to marry him. He argued that it was too soon. He felt the Holy Spirit say, "Ask her, she will say yes." He asked and I said Yes and the rest is, as they say, History. No, I do not recommend this to my dear daughters or sons, LOL!! They are planning on doing courtship and we did not know about courtship at the time.


Let me tell you a little more about the beginning of our story. It all started when I graduated from The Kings College in Briarcliff Manor, New York. I got a job at a new school that was opening in a church that was part of a group of churches that I attended. The church with the new school was located in Salisbury, MD. I met Court in a couple different ways over the first months in Salisbury. His older sister was the teacher's aid for my class and watched the Kindergarten children while they took naps in the afternoon. He, his sister, and I were also all in the church choir. He was also head of the sound recordings and other sound stuff at church. Well, the school was having a Valentine party and every one else that was going to be there was married. I would have been the only single one so I thought maybe I should take someone. We were at choir one night and I was talking to Evelyn, Court's sister, and she said, "Maybe you should ask Court." We both broke out laughing. Now, I am not sure what was so funny but it was at the time.


Well, I thought about it later and decided to ask him. I got my opportunity one evening soon after that. I had been invited by Evelyn to have dinner with her family. Court stopped by her house and she invited him to stay for dinner also. So, I got up the courage and asked Court if he would like to go with me to the party. He said he would. So that we would not feel strange in a group, with it being our first date, he asked me to go on a date before the Valentine party so we could get to know each other better.


On our first date we went bowling and then we stopped for something to eat at Burger King afterward. On the way home I started to feel sick and was looking at my watch trying to gauge how much longer it would be before we got there or if I would have to ask him to pull over. He thought I had had a terrible time on our date and could not wait to get home He thought that would be the end of that and that I would not even want to go to the party with him. I was just to embarrassed to tell a guy, on our first date, that I was sick to my stomach and afraid I was going to throw up. Well it turned out I had the flu and was out of school for almost a week. When he found out from his sister he called me to see how I was. I was better but still recuperating.

Well, we had more dates and by the time the Valentine party came we were already engaged. We never did get to go to that party though, because Court got sick with a sore throat and bad cold. Instead of going to the Valentine party, which was on the weekend before Valentines day, we went out Valentine night and he gave me the ring that night.


We got married that summer. July 14, 1984. We will be celebrating our 25th Wedding anniversary this year. We had the wedding as soon after school left out as we thought my mom and I could get my wedding dress done as my mom had agreed to make it for me. She is a great seamstress and I will post some Wedding pictures closer to our Wedding Anniversary.

A lot of people thought our marriage would not last. It has not been easy but I committed to love him in sickness and health and there has been a lot of "sickness" and some health too. I committed to love him for richer for poorer and there has been a lot of poorer. But, there has been a lot of love, and fun, and great times, and love, and adventure, and growth, and love. The secret to a lasting marriage is that it is not dependent on the circumstances or how you feel but on the promise and commitment you made to the Lord in front of many witnesses 'til death do you part. I love my husband, not necessarily more than I did on our wedding day, but differently, and with a deeper more settled way, not a love based more on feeling (not totally on feelings but more than now). He is a good man, strong in the Lord, wise and I admire him a lot. I am so glad God brought us together just over 25 years ago.


Hope you have a blessed week,
Hope you enjoyed our story,
Debbie