How I Met My Honey

On Tues, Barb of A New Chelsea Morning, asked the question How Did You Meet Your Honey. We've known each other for 17 or 18 years; I don't remember if we actually knew each other in 1988 or 1989, but anyway, here's our story!

We both went to the same high school in Zweibrucken, Germany. I don't remember having any classes together, but I know he was in ROTC and my brother was in ROTC too, we also had some mutual friends so we would see each other around school.

We were at the July 4th festivities on the base in 1989. We ended up hanging out with each other for a while and then standing next to each other during the fireworks (I think he actually was trying to plan it this way!)

During the fireworks show he leaned over and said, "what would a beautiful girl say if I asked her out?" Sweet and romantic wasn't he? I felt my face get all flushed and I was nervous, but inside I was thinking, "oh please don't let him be asking me out!" I mumbled something like "I don't know" and then he said, "well I'm asking one out now." (My thoughts - "oh darn darn darn! He IS asking me out! Oh man, how do I get out of this? How do I say no without hurting his feelings?")

Yes you can say "aaaahhhh" and feel sorry for Joe now, but hear my side of it first! I'm a year older than him (well technically only 9 months); I know, I know...but really...it was a month before I turned 16, when school started I was going to be a junior and he would be a sophomore (not that big of a deal now I know!) but remember when you were 16? Did you want to date a younger guy? LOL

But that wasn't the only thing - I actually liked someone else and was hoping this someone else would ask me out. So somehow I told Joe no, but I think I went easy on him! I think I just admitted that I liked someone else. He got over it pretty easily because before long he was dating someone else - so I guess it all worked out!

I think after that I had a "soft spot" for him. When I left Zweibrucken the summer after my junior year I didn't have my yearbook - they were delayed with printing. I had a friend of mine pick up my yearbook and get those all important signatures! I remember when I finally got that yearbook and flipping through to read all the messages; when I came across Joe's message I got a huge smile on my face and thinking, "aww he got Joe to sign it!"

About 7 or 8 years after I left Germany I got back in touch with Joe. Internet is a wonderful thing isn't it? I happened to come across an alumni site someone started for our high school and was reading the names of former students who had registered. There was Joe's name! I smiled upon reading his name and quickly sent him off an email. In the email I wrote, "not sure if you'll remember me, but this is so-and-so, blah blah blah."

He emailed me back writing, "of course I remember you! The girl I had such a crush on but wouldn't give me the time of day!" We emailed back and forth a few times and then lost touch again. (I found out later he had been deployed to Saudi Arabia a couple times and it just made keeping in touch hard).

Probably about a year later I was working at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and decided to call the base operator at Hill AFB in UT to see if he was still stationed there. He was. I got his work number and called him (I couldn't believe I had butterflies in my stomach waiting for him to come to the phone). When he found out I was in Colorado he told me he was a mentor with a high school honor guard and they were going to be at the Air Force Academy that weekend for a competition! Was I meant to call him when I did or what? If I hadn't called him then I would have never known he was at the Academy!

He arrived and met me at work and we went out for lunch. This was the first time we had seen each other in about 9-10 years. I remember he paid for lunch and when I protested he said, "oh just let me do this since you never let me take you out in high school!" He just wouldn't let me live that down huh?

This time we stayed in touch via emails and phone calls and an occasional visit. He then got orders to go to Korea for a year. Before he left we realized there was something between us and we wanted to see where it would lead, so we had a "long-distance" relationship the best we could. He came to visit me when he was on his mid-tour from Korea. When he returned stateside for good he was stationed in NM, about an 8 hr drive from where I was. We managed to visit each other about every other month.

In April of 2000 he showed up at my apartment for a surprise visit...I was not expecting him. We became engaged during that visit and were married later that year. And it didn't even matter that I was a year older than him! :)

So there you have it - the story of how we met!