35 years ago...

donnie and i met just after i turned 17. he likes to tell people that we graduated the same year ~ he from 'high school' and me from 'primary' ~ which happens to be true.

first of all... let me tell you... i was never going to get married! in the family i came from, almost everyone had been married, divorced, married again, and divorced again. (why in the world, would any one want to get married, and live like that ?! :( he would always come in to the 'lehi cafe' where me and some of my friends worked, with his cousin 'fred' or his 'uncle ralph'. one day he happened to come in by himself, flirting (actually with my friend, rhonda southwick), he was saying that his truck was really dirty and really wished someone would help him wash it. well rhonda wasn't giving him much attention, and i reaalllly needed a ride home that day, so i told him that for a ride home, i would help him. so he took me home (he was quite insulted that i sat clear over next to the "other" door.) i helped him wash his truck and what can i say... "he fell in love with ME!"

a couple of days later asked me to go to the 'lehi roundup' with him. my friend, 'nancy raisor' was here from az. we lined her up with 'fred' (who was riding in the 'slack') well... we got tired of waiting for fred to get finished, so nancy went with us on our "first" official date. we spent that summer visiting rodeo's around the state, riding horses up american fork canyon and camping with his friends and family.

more and more as i was around his family, i was amazed at the way his dad treated his mom (they actually liked each other!) i wasn't familiar with that kind of love. then i noticed... that donnie treated me the same way... i liked it! after that, ( he says, that i asked him, but we know better) on october 12, 1973, he proposed. he had taken my high school ring and had it sized and had my ring made, ( i loved it because HE picked it out especially for me!). we were down stairs at his house waiting for his mom to call us up for dinner (immature, i know... i should have been up helping her). anyway he gave me my ring and asked me to marry him, just about the time mom called down that dinner was ready. they happened to be remodeling their kitchen at the time and had no lights yet, so we ate by candlelight ~ how romantic! just me, don and his whole fam damily! we got married march 1, 1974.

and ... we have lived happily ever after! Love ya to pieces 'donnie boy' !