When people ask where we met, we can say with all
honesty, that we met in the nursery of the Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah,
on December 31, 1953. We don’t remember
that, but we know with surety that it is true.
Back in those days, mothers stayed in the hospital
for 10 days after having a baby. Gary
was born on December 27 and I on December 31.
There is even a great likelihood that we were right next to each other
if they placed us alphabetically.
Then we met up again in Mrs. Roberts 5th
grade class at Wasatch Elementary. And Look at that, we were right next to each
other then. Wow, I see so many of my
friends in this class picture!
We were friends within a group of boys and girls
for several years, but I distinctly remember being at the 4th of
July Carnival in Provo, in the summer of 1967, and making a decision. I decided that I was going to make Gary #1 on
my “list,” because “he was cute and didn’t drink and smoke.”
On October 31 of that year, as we were out trick
or treating with a group, he ripped off a part of the grocery sack he was
carrying his candy in, made it into a ring shape, and asked me to “go with him.”
We had some on and off moments. And, after reading through some of the
hilarious diary entries from those Jr. High years to Gary last night, there
were quite a few “off” moments where I said “he made me so mad” and he was
“ignorant.”
Our 2 Year Halloween Anniversary 1969 (16)
We dated almost exclusively through high school, with
a few break-ups here and there (Probably because he was being “ignorant.”)
But he is the only one I’ve ever had eyes for,
and that hasn’t changed to this day.