Thursday, February 02, 2012

Happy Groundhog Day

Since I'm working to get through edits and revisions of my next Pine Hills Police book, and because today is a special occasion in our household, I'm repeating a very slightly modified version of last year's Groundhog Day post.

Groundhog Day isn't a major holiday for most folks. When I lived in Florida, I always thought six more weeks of winter (our kind of winter) would be nice. Very nice. Our first winter in Colorado was very mild, and so far our second hasn't been much different, so if we're getting six more weeks of the same, I can deal with it. But, significant or not, it's a special holiday for me and the Hubster.

Forty-three years ago, in the parking lot behind the Biology building at UCLA, he proposed. Now, I'm not sure if the one-knee thing was because I was sitting in my car and that was the only way he could make decent eye contact, but he asked. I said, "Yes." We even went to my parents' house and he did the formal, "I'd like to marry your daughter," thing. Survived the third degree -- "How will you support her?" (Remember, 43 years ago things were different--women were just beginning to be 'liberated.) He explained he had $2000 in a savings account, tied up as collateral for the loan on his truck, but he could pay off the truck at any time and untie the funds. And that was good enough for my dad. Then again, the dollar wasn't the same then, either.

I hadn't known him long--we'd met the first day of class when he was the lab TA for a course I had to take for part of my teaching certification. There were 2 other females in the lab section. One was engaged, and the other had a steady boyfriend. Then there was me. Our first "date" was a threesome. He was going to have to lead a field trip to the tidal flats and he wanted to scope it out first (being a non-California guy, he wasn't familiar with the inhabitants of the shore). He invited me and the girl with the steady boyfriend to tag along. I'm still not sure he knew about the guy at this point, but it was anything but a formal date. He dropped her off first. And there it began.

So, met in October, engaged in February, and married in August. Forty-three years ago. Happy Groundhog Day, Hubster. Wanna try for eighty-three?

Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.

9 comments:

Jane Wakely said...

Very sweet! Congrats Terry and Hubby! :)

~Jane~

Anonymous said...

Very sweet story. And congrats!

Terry Odell said...

Thanks to you both. Looks like the snow won't impair our trek down to have dinner out tonight. And there were flowers.

Kathy said...

Terry I love your story. I would have been married 41 years the 19th of this month. I'm sure you heard on a loop somewhere I lost my hubby on 30 Nov 2011. But I love it when sweet romance stories like yours are posted. Congratulations. You deserve a big hug for your accomplishments and congrats to your hubby as well.

Kathy said...

ALso wanted to post Terry's books are awesome :-).

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Nice story! Hope you had a nice dinner. :)

Wynter said...

Aw - happy proposal anniversary. That's sweet that you still celebrate that one!

Terry Odell said...

Kathy, yes I heard about your husband, and that was a tragic loss. My thoughts have been with you (and thanks for telling me you enjoy my books!)

Elizabeth - dinner was nice (and I have leftovers). We went to a favorite Mediterranean cafe, and were lucky that the snow wasn't heavy yet. Made it down and back without problems.

Wynter - thanks (confession: if the date hadn't been Groundhog Day, I'm not sure we'd remember)

Ms Life said...

A very happy anniversary to you! Wishing you forty more years as per your wish...