Happy Valentine's Day

Since I will be out of town on Valentine’s Day, Friend-husband and I decided to celebrate last night. Our first choice, Hale Center Theater, was sold out, so we perused the current movie selection and came up dry. We opted for a cozy dinner at home followed by a game night. The games we enjoy are of the old-fashioned non-electronic type. You may find that boring, but we find it comfortable and relaxing. Incidentally, Friend-husband cooked my favorite dinner. Isn’t he sweet?

I love that Friend-husband and I still love spending time together after nearly 37 years together. When Friend-husband retired 2 years ago, we began spending 24/7 together and never got tired of it. Lately we have both filled up some of that together time with things we do separately. We both love what we are doing, but we miss our time together. Today’s softly falling snow reminded me of our first date.

Friend-husband and I were attending what was then called Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. We had met briefly just before Christmas break when my roommate had invited two handsome friends for dinner. She was leaving for good at semester break and wanted to say thank-you to them for their kindness to her. I was instantly attracted to you-know-who, but it would be a few weeks before we would see each other again.

When next we met, it was standing in long lines at registration. College registration at that time did not involve a computer, it involved standing in a line for every class you wanted to take. When you reached the head of the line, you took a card from the stack and that was what you turned in to register for the class. In one of those long lines I found myself face to face with …well, you know, and would you believe it, he didn’t even remember me. I was crushed.

Later that afternoon, he got his memory back and called me for a date. Whoopee!! He invited me to Church in Ashton, where his parents lived. He was singing a solo (Did I forget to mention that he has a wonderful tenor voice?) and I was delighted to join the congregation. Winters in Ashton, a few miles north of Rexburg, can be quite harsh. In January, there is always snow and when the wind blows interesting things happen. After church he took me home to meet his family and we spent a happy evening playing games. Yes, of course, the non-electronic kind. (This was 37 years ago, remember?)

That night, the softly falling snow connected with a not so gentle winter breeze and we were SNOWED IN on our first date. Yes, WE SPENT THE NIGHT TOGETHER on our very first date. Now if you’re thinking something naughty, you can think again, because it was all very clean. That night was the beginning of something wonderful. Friend-husband and I were married four months later. He is my sweetheart. He is my very best friend. He is wonderful to me and I am so happy that he is part of my life.

I hope that you are blessed to have a best friend like mine, and I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day with someone you love.

Linda Garner