A Valentine's Day Story

So, in the spirit of the day, I decided to write a blog about how my husband and I met.  

October of 1992 (ah, those were the days) my friends wanted to go out dancing, but I didn't feel like going out.  They finally talked me into it, but I didn't get what I like to call "doodled up"  - just went with what I was wearing.  Back in the day, I normally made a decision at the beginning of the night.  Either I was going to dance and get sweaty and not really care about meeting anybody or I was not going to dance as much so I wouldn't look like a drowned rat if I happened to spot someone I liked.  Since I didn't put any great effort into getting ready, I decided that night I'd choose dancing.  The club was dark, as most clubs were as I remember, but I noticed this guy on the outskirts of the dance floor.  I couldn't get a good look because he was in the shadows, but something kept drawing my eye back.  Finally, I got up the courage to wave him out on to the dance floor and he came.  When he stepped into the light, I immediately got butterflies.  He was really good looking.  We had a blast dancing (a guy that dances - JACKPOT!)   Afterwards, we went to Denny's, where we met up with my brother who proceeded to make an ass of himself because he was pretty drunk.  Every other word was the f-bomb and all I could think about was what kind of impression this was making on Dave (my soon-to-be hubby). 

Dave drove me back to the club and a limo pulled up and asked if we were Mr. and Mrs. (don't remember - let's say Brown).  We said no, so he asked us if we wanted to go for a ride because the couple that hired him hadn't shown up.  Okay, I know what you are thinking - of course she is not going to be stupid enough to get into a limo with the total stranger she just met - not to mention the driver who shows up out of the blue.  I wasn't super smart in my early 20s, so we got in and the guy drove around for about 20 minutes (Dave and I used that time to introduce our lips to each other - I have to say making out in a limo is pretty hot.)    All of a sudden, the limo pulls over to the side of the highway.  Dave and I look at each other, suddenly realizing that this guy could murder us and nobody would ever know what happened.  Luckily, he had just stopped to take a call from the couple who had requested him in the first place, so he drove us back to the club.  Dave tipped him which I thought that was pretty classy. 

Our relationship was a little bumpy at first.  Dave had just come out of a long term relationship and wasn't looking for anything serious.  I, on the other hand, was looking for a relationship.  After about a year of dating and 6 months of living together, I gave him the ultimatum - either we get married or we're done.  Lucky for me, he picked curtain #1 and we went looking for a ring.  So, he never actually proposed and for our 15 years of marriage whenever I would see someone propose on tv or hear a great proposal story, I'd tease him saying that I wish I had a great story. 

Well. last year we went to New York with our girls and on top of the Empire State Building he pulled out a tiny box with a pair of diamond earrings and asked me to marry him.  It was so unexpected and romantic and our girls were there to see it.  The proposal was definitely worth the wait. 

So that's my story.  Below is a picture taken in Vegas about 5 years ago.  I wanted to scan in a wedding picture to show, but haven't quite mastered that yet.