Having three younger sisters to look out for was no simple matter when I was growing up (still isn't...!!!).  The oldest, Ellen (who is just a year younger than I am), decided to go to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  I had gone to the UofM for a year, still had several friends going to school there and I went up to the Twin Cities fairly often to visit them (3 1/2 hour drive each way).

During Ellen's freshmen year her dorm room-mate was a cute but shy, serious student type and we exchanged a few words when I'd stop by to visit my sister.  After their freshmen year Ellen moved out of the dorm to share a house with several other college friends of hers and I never saw her dorm room-mate again when visiting the Cities.

Several years later I wanted to go to the Twin Cities annual auto show, which is held in early March, and asked Ellen if I could crash at her place for the weekend.  She said that they were having a reunion party of the freshmen year dorm-mates at her house that weekend so it might be a little rowdy but I was welcome to stay there if I wanted to.  Since I planned to be at the auto show most of the day on Saturday I decided what the heck.

When I got back to my Ellen's place after the auto show the party was still in full swing.  Since I already knew quite a few of the folks there it was easy to mix in.  Then who do I bump into - Ellen's dorm room-mate Patty!  We spent most of the rest of the evening together talking and by the time the party dies out it is pretty late.  Since there had been quite a large quantity of liquid refreshments consumed by everyone Ellen convinces Patty to stay over and drive back to her place in the morning - and much to my delight she AGREES!  So Patty and I ended up talking some more before crashing in separate parts of the house in the wee hours of the morning.

By the time I surfaced later Sunday morning Patty had already left for her place.  And like a dummy I didn't get her address or phone number so I pumped my sister for it.  Lots of telephone time and gasoline was burned up over the next 5 months (in 1977 the internet wasn't born yet - at least for 'common folk' anyway) before I popped the question in August.  And she said "Yes!". 

We were married in March of 1978 and have spent 21 of the past 28 years in our current home (aka "The Ranch").  I've been blessed.

It was 1973, I was a Police Officer and she was speeding. Didn't write the ticket. Met her again about 6 months later working a detail. 3 children and 1 grandchild and we are still together.

I hired my wife 32 years ago when she was 16.  I almost fired her twice before she settled in and became a good employee.  A year later I was transfered to Ohio.  That was in March.  Several weeks later I started recieving phone calls from her.  They quickly became 3 times a week every week lasting between 1 and 2 hours each.  In July I had to make a business trip back East and when I finished I swung down to RI to visit old friends and see Margaret.  Weeelllll--I stayed there for 3 days and the only time we were apart was about 4 hours a nite.  She said we were getting married.  In December I returned to RI to get married.  We never even went out on a date but had become great friends.  Now 29 years 3 kids later we are better friends and more in love then ever.  (I always included a yellow rose with the red ones when I bought her roses--Red for love and Yellow for friendship.)  Best move I ever made.  I couldn't imagine life without Margaret. 

Walking across the campus at the Univ of Miss trying to find the law school and see about entering (I was so dumb I thought you just enrolled w/o any application process) I asked a lady walking across the campus where the school was. We got married a year later. We have two children and I inherited one. Great life (After law school!)