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Our Story ~ Part Three Or Why You Should Never Let Boys with Long Hair Take Your Daughters to the Airport

Do not read until you have read Part 1 and Part 2….

“Will You Marry Me?”

Are you shocked, because I was… after long-haired hippie spoke those words I rambled on and on about why he would not want to marry me. I mean here is the person who I had really only known for about six weeks asking me to marry him. Oh, and did I mention that the whole reason I was at the airport was to fly to see someone else!!! I can’t remember my exact words, but the words “high maintenance” were spoken many times.

I am not sure how much time passed before they started boarding the plane, but it seemed like forever. Time tends to slow down when someone you hardly know asks you to marry them in an airport. When it was time to board I said good-bye hurried to the gate. I then had two hours to contemplate what in the world had just happened. Did long-haired hippie really just ask me to marry him? Was he serious? Why in the world would he want to marry me?

The plane ride is a blur, except that it was the most turbulent flight I have ever been on. People were praying and crying and I think most people thought the plane would crash. I kept thinking that I was going to be the person that should have gotten off the plane, but didn’t. I mean I did have a good excuse to not board… did I miss my chance to escape death in a plane crash because I didn’t say yes to a marriage proposal from a someone I hardly knew?

Obviously the plane did not crash, because I am writing this 16 years later, but the flight did make me start to question the entire situation. When I landed and saw Pennsylvania boy he made the gigantic mistake of not commenting on the outfit I had worked so hard to pick out… I realize this sounds really petty and shallow, but I was 20… forgive me. PA boy then made the second gigantic mistake of telling me he had a great surprise for me… we were going on a camp out with all of his buddies.

I realize I speak highly of camping on this site, but 16 years ago camping was the last thing in the world I ever wanted to do. I didn’t like dirt, bugs, or not being able to take a shower every day, actually I still don’t like those things, but I have gained tolerance since God gave me three boys. The camping was miserable, and I spent the entire time wondering what on earth was I doing there in PA with someone who thought it would be a good idea to take me, camping.

As soon as I had access to a phone (remember life without cellphones) I called long-haired hippie. The conversation went something like this…

“Remember that thing you asked me in the airport?”

“Yes”

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes”

“Okay, well I’m in.”

Then I hung up the phone. Can you believe how incredibly romantic I am? This conversation continued on a daily basis for the rest of the week that I was in Pennsylvania. Although the subsequent conversations went more like…

“Still good to go?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, talk to you tomorrow.”

Finally the day before I was flying home I came to my senses (okay not really, does anyone actually believe I was operating at any level of sanity here?) I called him and said something like…

“When do you want to do this?”

“I don’t know?”

“Okay, well how about you pick me up from the airport and we can do it then?”

I realize by typing this I have lost all of my readers who think I am an example and want to learn anything from me and my life. I also know that my kids read this blog… so kids, NEVER DO THIS EVER! IF SO YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!!

Part 4 or How to Plan a Frugal Wedding has been published.

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Our Story ~ Part Two or Why I Should Have High Tailed it Out of the Apartment Complex

Do not read Part Two until you read Part 1…

I stood at the door contemplating whether I should start running or start talking. I decided to talk…. before I could say anything a figure appeared down the hall in a green plaid bathrobe and a green facial mask. I was taken aback at long-haired hippie’s new look, but relieved that I had arrived at the correct apartment.

Long-haired hippie invited me in and I sat on the couch nervously as tall, dark and strange continued to stare at me blankly. Finally long-haired hippie was presentable and I was ready to watch the movie and get the heck out of there. As soon as long-haired hippie started the movie and tall dark and strange had disappeared I started talking. “What is up with your roommate?” Long-haired hippie informed that his roommate was legally blind, which explained the strange blank stare. I mentioned something about it would have been nice if I you would have told me that before I showed up at your door… and then started to watch the movie.

The movie was probably the strangest I had ever seen. It had subtitles (which I still dislike) and no plot which I could discern, and was exceptionally boring. I made sure long-haired hippie knew how much I disliked this movie by commenting throughout the movie on how ridiculous I thought it was. After the movie I left, grateful that I would never have to experience that sort of torture again.

Apparently, going to the apartment meant that now long-haired hippie and I were friends. Over the next few weeks there was small talk between the two of us before and after class, but I still couldn’t stand his political treatise with which he continued to monopolize my classes.

Around the beginning of April we were given our final assignment for the class. I can’t really remember what the assignment was, but I remember having no clue what the teacher wanted. I am a “rule” girl. I love rules, facts, deadlines, order, and goals! Since this class was called Post Modern Positions, it had none of those things. I needed an A in this class and I knew long-haired hippie and the teacher were buddies so I begged for his help on this project. He convinced me to create a photo collage and promised me it would secure an A for the class. Over the next few weeks long-haired hippie and I rode around town taking random pictures, I was still unsure how this would get me an A, but I trusted long-haired hippie’s judgment.

The more time I spent with long-haired hippie the less irritating he became to me. Under those crazy and completely misguided political beliefs was a nice guy who was insanely funny. I think I laughed harder during our rides around Orlando than I had in my entire life.

In the beginning of May I asked long-haired hippie to drive me to the airport. I planned on flying to Pennsylvania to visit an old boyfriend who had potential to become a new boyfriend. Both my parents worked and I needed a ride in the middle of the day. He agreed and the week before my trip hung out with me at the mall helping me pick out the perfect outfit to wear on the airplane.

The day of the flight I was nervous (not a big fan of airplanes). Long-haired hippie picked me up and we headed to the airport. During the ride long-haired hippie was talking a lot, and mentioned that he was planning on going back into the Navy. He said he didn’t feel like his life was going in the right direction and thought the Navy life had been good for him before and perhaps it would be good for him again. As he was talking I realized that this person, who I had judged way too quickly, was actually a really great guy that just needed a kick in the pants.

As we sat at the terminal (remember those days) we continued to talk and I told him that I thought it was a great idea to join the Navy, it would provide direction, and money, both of which he needed. This is where the story gets a bit fuzzy…. at some point during the Navy talk, long-haired hippie looked me straight in the eye and said…..

Can’t stand the suspense? Part 3 has been published!

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Our Story ~ Part One

Our Story (as I remember it)

In 1993  I was attending community college, living at home with my family, and working three jobs to save money and pay for school. I was on track to finish community college, move on to a university and continue my degree in Political Science with hopes of eventually going to Law School and becoming a lobbyist in D.C.

My political science classes were filled with many others who had similar goals, but very different opinions. There was one particular person in my classes who was extremely outspoken in his opinions and unfortunately for me was a teacher’s pet.

So I sat in the back of these classes, dreaming of moving out, going to a big school, and ignoring the long-haired hippie that monopolized the class with his personal political beliefs. I just wanted an A and a diploma so I could move on.

One day in February I walked into class feeling particularly down. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and was having a little pity party for myself. Long-haired hippie asked what was wrong (I think this was the first time we had spoken to each other) so I told him and he replied that he had also just broken up with his girlfriend too. He then jokingly mentioned something about us going out to which I thought, not in a million years buddy, but on the outside smiled politely and busied myself in a book.

February passed and some time in March I missed a class where we had watched a movie. Since we had to write up a commentary about the movie for a grade I needed to find a way to watch the movie on my own. It just so happened that long-haired hippie owned this movie so he offered to let me come over and watch it one day after school.

I arrived at long-haired hippie’s apartment and knocked on the door. I was a bit nervous being a twenty-year old female, alone in an apartment complex, going to someone’s house that I only knew casually in class, and I thought was extremely weird. I waited at the door and knocked again.

The door finally swung open and standing there was a tall thin stranger with dark mangled hair and a crazed stare. I stared at the stranger thinking I was at the wrong apartment and he stared at me, sort of….

Dying to know what happens next? Read part two here and part three here.