Just a Few Days Shy

October 10th marked the beginning of mrangelmeg and my 25th year together. I missed posting on that date because I was working on my final exam essays and didn't have time to post. Now that I have a few minutes here at gradual school before we all go out for the evening (mrangelmeg isn't here tonight but is driving down tomorrow so we can go out to dinner) I want to write something about how blessed I have been over the past 25 years.

The above picture is our engagement picture. We got engaged one month after our first date (those quiet engineer types work fast). We have a bit of disagreement over exactly when our time together begins. He counts from the night my mom made a big pot of chili for my sister's fiance's fraternity brothers to celebrate their college homecoming and he showed up for free food. I happened to be eating there that night as well because I wanted the free food.

We didn't say a word to each other that night. A week later I went to a party at my sister's fiance's fraternity and in an attempt to get away from the cigarette smoke (I had recently quit smoking and didn't need the temptation) I had ventured into the kitchen, where mrangelmeg was standing with a beer in his hand talking about, of all things, being a confirmation sponsor for a young kid from his home church. That led to a discussion about the merits (or lack thereof) of the local churches.

It turned out that we both hated the campus ministry parish, which I affectionately called "Our Lady of the Nuclear Winter". I told him that he should come to my parish for Mass the next Sunday. We hung around together the rest of the party and even went to the Midnight Movie (Rocky Horror Picture Show, good times) before I went home to my apartment alone.

On Sunday, I was coming down the stairs of the school (I taught 5th grade CCD) and he was standing at the bottom of the stairs. We went to Mass together (he liked my church as much as I did). Mom was at mass and asked us if we wanted to come to her house for breakfast. Being poor college kids we said uhm yes. After breakfast he drove me back to my place. On the way I asked him if he wanted to come to the party at my church that night in honor of the canonization of Maximilian Kolbe. (Franciscan parish, big deal). Even if it is a snore there will be free food, I added. He said yes and said he would pick me up in a few hours.

We went to the party which was decidedly not a snore, and the food was great. A week later we went on our first real date to a German Restaurant. The rest, as they say, is history (or our-story actually). One month later we were engaged. six months after that we were married.

I am complete because I am married to mrangelmeg. He is the only person who can keep me from going off the deep end. He loves me unconditionally, and challenges me to be the best person I can be (what God created me to be).

We are going to go out to dinner at a German Restaurant tomorrow night to honor our first date. Only this year he will decidedly have a better chance of getting more than a kiss goodnight (if you know what I mean - wink wink- nudge nudge).

Pax