Happy to be back on campus after the summer, some girlfriends and I decided to go out and give it a try.
The cosmic stuff didn't start until 11:00 I think. We arrived at the bowling alley, put on our lovely bowling shoes, and took our place on the lane to which we had been assigned. A little bit later, a group of guys laid claim to the lane right beside us. They were obviously a little older than us - probably mid-twenties. Also obvious was the fact that they had had "a few" beers already.
Eventually, the laser lights went on, the music got loud, and the guys started making conversation. Now, I'm not a proficient bowler, but apparently I was having a good night and I had bowled a couple strikes. My "talent" caught the eye of one of the guys in the other lane. He was not bowling very well himself (maybe too many beers??) and he finally said that he wanted me to bowl for him when his turn came around again. I reluctantly agreed. Then, when his turn came, I bowled the most perfectly beautiful gutter ball you ever did see.
Of course, I was embarrassed, but "that guy" seized the opportunity and said that I owed him a date because of my faux pas. Well, I was not about to go out with an older, less than sober guy so I brushed it off. We continued to laugh about it while we finished our rounds of bowling. Then, my girlfriends and I left.
I thought that was the end of it. After all, I hadn't given him my number or anything more than my first name.
On Saturday, the phone in my dorm room rang. It was him. As it turned out, unbeknownst to me, some of my friends had given him my number and he was intrigued enough to call and formally ask me out.
We went out to lunch the next day, Sunday, and then headed to a local park for a walk. As the old saying goes, the rest is history. We dated for a year and a half before he proposed. Then, about 7 months later, we got married. That was 15 years ago today.
If anyone in that bowling alley had told me I would end up marrying the guy in the next lane, I would have surely laughed hysterically. I didn't even want to give him my number! I still remember going back to my dorm after our first date that Sunday and the first thing the girls wanted to know was how old he was. He was 25 and they proclaimed, "Wow! He's old!" I guess, compared to 19, he was old, but that just seems so funny now - to think that 25 was "old."
He quickly became my best friend. Since I was younger, he often had to choose between bar hopping with his buddies or hanging out with me. Fortunately, most of the time he chose me. I'm sure he took some ribbing from the guys for it, but just look at us now.
Somehow we went from this:
to this:
to this:
and this:
I love you David!! Thanks for 15 wonderful years! I'm looking forward to spending many, many more with you!