Sep

1

The beginning of something wonderful




Twenty years ago this weekend I was starting my 2nd year of college. Fresh from a breakup, I was spending Labor Day weekend at my parents. All I wanted was to chill out, let my mom cook for me, and watch chick flicks to drown my sorrows. Ok, not really sorrows, because I was the one who initiated the breakup. But I just wanted to be alone.

My weekend was going according to plan, until my younger brother came home from his job on Friday night and said “Get ready, we’re going out for pizza”. Meaning he and his girlfriend, a guy he worked with, and me. Wait, that was absolutely not in my plan.

I said no, I don’t want to go out. But anyone who has a brother knows it’s impossible to argue. He wasn’t asking me if I wanted to go, he was informing me that I was going. Because he had already told his friend from work that I would go. Without asking me.

Needless to say, I was not a happy girl. I tried enlisting my mom to get me out of it, but she just laughed and said I should go have fun. Humph. Not happy, but I went.

We went out for pizza, then back home to watch a movie. I barely remember the movie, because I spent most of the time chatting with my brother’s friend. He had to be back at work at 7am, but stayed at my parents til after 1am, just talking. We saw each other again on Sunday and on Labor Day.

I went to college in a different town, but we made plans to go to the state fair together the following weekend. And that was the beginning of 4 years of traveling back and forth to see each other, not every weekend, but pretty often. When we both graduated and finally lived in the same zip code, we got married, 5 years after we met.

So here we are, 14 years of marriage later, 20 years since that Labor Day weekend when my brother had to force me to go out. Isn’t it funny how things work out? Thank goodness I didn’t dig my feet in and refuse to go out that weekend.

I don’t usually remember that our first date was on Labor Day weekend, and my husband never remembers. It just occurred to me that it had been 20 years since I met him. I’m amazed at how quickly those 20 years have flown by. And excited for the next 20.

 

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    Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

    2 Responses to “The beginning of something wonderful”

      1
        Karen R on September 2nd, 2008 9:38 pm

        I met dh on New Year’s Day. It’s so easy to remember. We were married the same year. I knew he was the guy for me that night. We talked until the sun came up.

      2
        Sheri on September 2nd, 2008 11:07 pm

        Aww, that’s so sweet. I wasn’t that sure, that quick, but I knew right away he was a pretty special guy.