We Were Engaged Before We Had Our First Date.

When I was in college, I met this girl at a church function. She was a friend of my sister. We seemed to hit it off and over the next few months I would see her here and there. We would say hi and stuff but not much more. I was very shy. I went to see her at work once to ask her out but I couldn't get up enough courage. I told myself that I really didn't want to get involved because I would be moving away soon. A couple months later I moved back to Lake Tahoe. I say my life truly began this second time in Lake Tahoe because I couldn't get this girl out of my mind. I asked my sister how she was doing and she said she had moved to Texas and was not doing well. Her jobs weren't working out and she wasn't happy living in Texas. I asked my sister for her address.

This was sometime around January, 1987. I wrote her a letter. She wrote back. I wrote back, we exchanged phone numbers. We started talking on the phone for hours at a time. It was so easy talking to her. Our phone bills were $350- $400 a month. This went on for about four months when she came to San Diego for her sister's wedding. She decided to fly to Lake Tahoe to visit me.

Sometime during the previous months I had made up my mind. When she came to Tahoe I asked her to marry me. Well thankfully she said yes. So we went out to dinner and a movie. We were engaged before our first date. I always like telling people that.

And that was almost 21 years ago. Our children are our little treasures and they continue to give us gifts everyday. My daughter has a very kind heart and she just started her first job. She is very smart and I think she will be a famous person someday. My son is an adventurer. We have to watch him all the time. He is quiet and shy and loved to play baseball. He just turned 13 and has given up baseball for the skateboard. He and his friends get together and explore the neighborhoods on their skateboards.

Life has been good to us.