Our sweet 16 ;-)

June 27th is my 16th anniversary with my hubby, Steve. We dated for 4 years before we got married, so we’ve actually been together for 20 years now! So, I thought I’d share a little about how we met, Steve's proposal and our wedding – the cheesiest one ever – seriously, it was…

A little background before I met Steve…As I look back now, it’s amazing to see God’s hand on our lives and how He worked situations out in His way for our good. When I was a sophomore at Putnam City High School in OKC, I started thinking about where I wanted to go to college and what field I wanted to study. I had been very involved with newspaper for the last few years, so I just knew I wanted to go into Journalism. And it was pretty much expected that I attend OU since my family had always gone there and they were huge OU fans.

But then my junior year, I got involved in DECA/Fashion Merchandising and loved it! Then I just “knew” I wanted to go into that field and, of course, still attend to OU. So I graduated from high school and was looking forward to going to college. Well, just a few weeks before I was supposed to start, I received a letter from OU saying they were no longer going to offer my degree. I was so disappointed! I really wanted to go to OU, but even more than that, I wanted to go into Fashion Merchandising. So, I quickly applied to OSU, because they offered Fashion Merchandising as a degree, and got accepted. And yes, I received a lot of grief from my family for being a “trader” and becoming a cowboy poke instead of a sooner. I think I’m still living that down today ;-)

The courtship: One of the first weekends in Stillwater, I went to a dance club, called Chances, with some of my friends. This guy came up to me and asked if I would dance with him. I politely told him “no thanks” and kept dancing with my girl friends. Well, this guy’s friend came after me and yelled, “What are you doing? You are making the biggest mistake of your life! You need to meet this guy!” So, I thought I’d give him a “chance” (ironic, huh?!), and went to meet him. We ended up dancing the rest of the night – which is funny as I look back now because he hates to dance. We also ended up dating all four years of college.

The engagement: When I finished my first semester finals of my senior year, Steve decided we should go out to eat to celebrate. He took me to TGI Friday’s in Tulsa (hey, we were cheap college students, okay?!). He somehow got me to go to the restroom before our dinner was served and while I was gone, he slipped my ring in my napkin. When I got back, I was about to put the napkin in my lap when I noticed the ring. He asked me to marry him and everyone around us started clapping. I was so thrilled and immediately said yes!

The wedding: Now mind you, I wanted to plan my own wedding, which I knew nothing about and I was trying to finish up my last semester of school at the same time. And the year was 1992 which just reeked of cheesiness – cheesy colors and flowers were “all the rage”. And, being a fashion merchandising major, I wanted to design my own dress. I found a lady in Stillwater to make my “creation” – which ended up costing even more than the wedding itself, I think! My bridesmaid’s dresses were made from this big, bold blue and pink floral fabric and my plan was to have them wear huge straw hats with a big flower on the front – but fortunately, one of my bridesmaids, Allana, refused to wear the hat and talked some sense into me!

We got married in a cute little chapel called Countryside Baptist Church and Pastor JB performed the ceremony. After the wedding, we did a few pictures then started the reception. Well, being the designer of my dress, I made it to where I could snap off the bottom of the dress and train so it would be a cute little dress for the reception. I’m horrified now as I look back in pictures to see just how “little” that dress was! What was I thinking?!

After the wedding: So the rest is history. We now have two precious girls and I feel SO blessed to have the family that God has given me. And just think, if I would have stuck with my first decision to go into Journalism at OU or if OU still offered Fashion Merchandising, I more than likely would have never met Steve. It’s funny how God works – even hooking up a couple at a dance club! And our love continues to grow more and more for each other every year. Love you, Steve, and thanks for the best 20 years of my life ;-)

P.S. - Warning about the wedding pics: The guys do NOT have long hair as it appears. That would be shadows!