Love...in a nutshell

Most 19 year olds would pay big money to be where I was when I was 19. I was single, thousands of miles away from home, with a decent job. Now you would think that I was living it up, dating, partying, and just having an all around good time. Well, I was having a good time, but not like most 19 year olds.

I had been in Pensacola, Florida, for less than 2 weeks, when I met "her." Who is "her?" "Her" was the most beautiful woman in the world, but she wouldn't give me the time of day, so I did what most 19 year old males do...I followed her around like a little lost puppy, until she spoke to me.

Once she spoke, I knew she was my angel. We talked most of the evening about our lives. She was just coming off a horrible relationship and I was single and probably a little home sick. Now she freely admits that I was just someone to hang out with that night, but I wouldn't go away. Who says persistence doesn't pay?

We spent the next evening (Saturday) together, but she couldn't hang out on Sunday, because she had to spend that day at her mom's. Sunday night we spent 4 hours on the phone and by the end of that phone call, we knew more about each other than we knew about ourselves.

The next week was a whirlwind, but the following Friday, 7 days after we met, I asked her to move to my next base with me, and she said yes. The next day, I asked her to marry me, she said yes and Monday we bought the rings. We set a wedding date for mid-February, we met in July.

In late August we moved to Memphis, and discovered that I was going to have to live on base, which meant she had to live by herself in an apartment in a strange city. Oh, and by the way, she didn't have a job yet. There we were in love, broke, and apart. Something had to change!

We decided right then and there that we would get married as soon as possible by the Justice of the Peace. We got married September 4th, 6 weeks after we met, and will celebrate 14 years together this Labor Day.

Thanks for taking this detour with me. 'Til we meet again, I am...

Tim, your Tour Guide