A little more than eight years ago, I very grudgingly went on a blind date with a friend of a co-worker.  Basically, I went so he would leave me alone.   I was not particularly happy when I found out that the co-worker and given the guy my phone number.  In fact, I was rather annoyed.  She hadn't asked if she could and she didn't really tell me that she'd done it.  She called and left a message on my cell phone.  I got the message when I was driving home on Labor Day from a family reunion in Selma, Alabama.  I remember muttering to myself something along the lines of, "Oh great....maybe he won't call and I won't have to deal with it."  I'd pretty much sworn off dating at that point in my life and I certainly didn't want to deal with going out with and trying to make conversation with a total stranger.  But, my wish that he wouldn't even call did not come true.  Call, he did.  A lot.  I didn't answer.  He left messages.  And then called again.  The guy was nothing if not persistent.  Finally, after about a week of his calls, I answered the phone in exasperation.  When I said hello, the first thing he said was, "You are a hard person to get a hold of."  And I replied, probably a little tersely, "And you are persistent."  And the guy laughed - a deep, loud laugh.   And it made me smile.  We talked for a few minutes and he asked me out.  While I wasn't exactly thrilled with the blind date thing, talking to him was actually kind of enjoyable, so I agreed.  

I didn't hear from him again until the night of the date.  And in those few days, I'd managed to convince myself that I really didn't want to go out with him.  So, I stood him up.  When he called to see what time I'd be over to our mutual friend's house, I told him I was tired and didn't feel well (which was at least partially true) and wasn't coming.  Most people would have probably cussed me out and hung up the phone.  Not this guy - he simply said, "I'm sorry you're tired.  Do you think you'll feel better tomorrow?  Maybe we can meet up at the Seafood Festival downtown."  I reluctantly agreed.  By this point, I was thinking that the only way I was going to get rid of this guy was to go out with him once so he could see for himself that we probably had nothing in common and that I wasn't the least bit interesting. 

The next afternoon, I met him and our friends downtown.  Honestly, I almost didn't show up again and probably wouldn't have except my friend Kate gave me a stern reprimand and told me that standing someone up once isn't particularly nice, but doing it twice was just beyond rude.  "And besides, " she said, "you might actually like the guy.  Just give him a chance."  I drove up and got out of the car and there were my friends and the date.  And, to say I liked what I saw would be an understatement.  The guy was good-looking in a warm and friendly way - not a pretty boy obviously stuck on himself, nor a muscle-ripped tough guy, just a handsome man with a friendly twinkle in his eye and a smile that seemed real and very contagious.  I told myself that looks can be deceiving and we still probably had nothing in common, but I felt myself relax a little.  As we walked through the exhibits and the food stands, I watched him with our friends' two daughters and realized how comfortable he seemed with kids.  We talked and when he asked me questions, he honestly seemed interested in my answers.  I started to relax some more and when he asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with him, just the two of us, later that evening, I said yes. 

At dinner that night we talked and laughed and talked some more over a really bad dinner (he jokingly told me that the next time we went out, he was picking the restaurant).  He talked about his family and his job and I found myself completely fascinated.  We came back to my house and talked for another hour or so.  When it was time for him to leave, I found myself hating to see the evening end.  He kissed my cheek as he walked out the door, and I realized that I wanted more and hoped I'd see him again. 

Yep, a little more than eight years ago, I went out on a blind date with that guy.  We went out again.  And then again.  And I began to look forward to his phone calls and his letters more and more.  And, within a few months, we didn't go longer than a day or so without talking to each other.  He worked out of town and was gone for weeks at a time, but when he was in town, we went to movies and restaurants and church together and I was the first one to admit that I  was in love (that, my friends is a story for another time - suffice it to say, he got even with me for standing him up our first date when I served my heart to him on a silver platter )  Six years ago today, I married him.  And today, I love him more than I ever have and thank my lucky stars that he was persistent and that I finally answered the phone.

Happy Anniversary, Steve!  Thank you for loving me and our girls and for doing all you do to support my wild and crazy dreams....