Forty years ago , I said “I do” and married my husband Mark. He is my real-life romance, and you’ll find bits and pieces of him in my books. Here’s how our love story started:
The beginning:
We met in 1982 in a physics class at Baylor University, and although Mark asked me out our sophomore year (and I turned him down), we didn’t start dating until our senior year (long story short, there were a few obstacles . . . other guys in the picture!)
But by 1984 as graduation approached, I didn’t want Mark to “feel bad toward me forever,” so I asked him out during Corrigan Week, a girls-ask-guys-out Baylor tradition around Valentine’s Day. (I know – that’s a dumb reason for asking a guy out!) But he said yes, and on Feb. 17, we went out on our first date to a Chinese restaurant. He drove since I didn’t have a car.
The Proposal:
We continued dating for some time. He would often say, “If you ever make chicken and dumplings, I’ll have to propose to you.” I thought he was kidding, but one day he announced that he was ready for chicken and dumplings! I started panicking. I’d never made chicken and dumplings! However, on Nov. 30 after three solid hours of cooking, I sat a bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings before him. He said they were really good, and then he proposed. Strangely enough, I’ve never been able to make them “really good” since.
The Big Day:
Six months later on May 18, 1985, we got married in Aztec, NM, and left the church under a shower of rain and birdseed. It was the beginning of a grand adventure!
Making our getaway!
In honor of our 40th Anniversary, I wanted to do something for my readers. And what could be better than giving away a romance book? How about FIVE? Please click the link below to enter my Hearts in Bloom: May Romance Giveaway. The winner will be announced on May 21.
https://kingsumo.com/g/mpj5rvm/hearts-in-bloom-may-romance-giveaway
Here’s to love and romance and happily-ever-afters!
Many Blessings!
Joy
Until next time. . .
