Twenty two years ago today Bill and I began our journey through life together.
I remember that evening distinctly. I had sang in my friends’ Jenny and Jeff’s wedding that afternoon. Jeff is Tina’s (my BFF) brother. It was a beautiful wedding. After the reception that evening, Tina and I went to the local bar/restaurant. In our small town, there wasn’t (and still isn’t) many places to go to socialize. It was, I guess, the place everyone went.
I was dressed up. Tina was in her peach-colored bridesmaid dress. The “regulars” were bellied up to the bar. We were in no doubt looking out of place. But in a small town, and in this small bar, nothing I guess was really out of place.
And then I spotted him. The guy whom six month’s prior, in this same establishment, I had a “run in” with. It was October at their Halloween party when my brother Marty introduced me to this guy named Bill. Bill was dressed up as Saddam Hussein. I thought that was distasteful. I learned he was Mike’s brother, and I was familiar with whom Mike was, but had never met Bill before. Bill had a squirt gun, which looked like a machine gun (you’d never be able to get away with that today). As soon as Marty finished introducing us, Bill lifted the squirt gun and squirted me in the face with the water that was inside! I couldn’t believe it!! I took the glass of water I had in my hand and threw it in his face. Tina was with me that night too. We ran to the bathroom, water dripping down my face, and all I could say to Tina was, “What a jerk!”
That was our first meeting and my first impression of Bill.
I would see him every now and then, and I would say to whomever was with me, “There’s that jerk that squirted water in my face.” And I would ignore him. (I know, I shouldn’t have been calling him a jerk. I just did not like him.)
But when I spotted him that evening after Jeff and Jenny’s wedding, something had changed. Instead of thinking, “There’s that jerk,” I thought, “Hmmm…he’s not so bad.” 🙂
We exchanged small talk, and I found myself not wanting to talk to anyone else. I didn’t want our conversation to end. How could this be? Had this guy changed or did my impression of him change? I guess it didn’t matter. I liked him. I liked him a lot.
Tina and I were living together at the time, and she convinced me to call Bill a few days later. I looked him up in the phone book, and found his number. With her prodding, I nervously called him. I got his answering machine and left a message with my number. He called me back the next day and he asked me out for a date.
Three months and eight days later we were engaged! 🙂 We exchanged wedding vows a year later on August 8. And now we are living out our “happily ever after.”
I’m thankful for the life we get to live out together. I still get butterflies when I see Bill coming to meet me at a soccer game, or when he’s walking towards me in the grocery aisle. I still love seeing his picture and name come up on my phone when he calls me. And I’m thankful that when I was praying 22+ years ago, asking God to bring me “someone to love who would love me back,” that He brought me Bill. God knew what He was doing! I am especially thankful for Bill today!
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
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