13 Years Ago

13 is not a lucky number to most people but today it is for me.  13 years ago today, LuAnn and I had our first date at Geneva On The Lake State Park near Ashtabula, Ohio.  Looking back, it was my first real date as a mature man, or at least my most successful one.

We had decided to meet in September and she asked me to pick a spot.  It was a shorter drive for her than it was for me but for some reason I picked that spot.  I will never forget sitting on the tailgate of my two tone grey Dodge Dakota when she pulled up behind me.  She was in a shiny blue Ford Expedition and I happened to look at her New York license plates.  It said SOILH2O!  I had met my match and my destiny and somehow we both knew it.

She had offered to make us a picnic lunch and I remember the sandwiches made from some loaves of Italian bread with lunch meats we don't normally eat here in southern Ohio.  You could call them hero's, submarines or something like that but they were delicious.  I think I remember olives and some other foods but it was a beautiful lunch with a beautiful lady.

We hadn't told each other but we both brought albums of pictures of our children.  Little did those kids know they would be walking down our aisle less than 3 years later.  I do remember stopping to see my boys on Neil Avenue on the way home and seeing the puzzled look on their faces when I told them I had met someone I was going to date.  I had been officially divorced for 6 years but the marriage really ended 10 years before that.

We walked and sat and talked all afternoon before it was time to leave.  A cold wind blew off Lake Erie and I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a big kiss.  The sparks flew and the fireworks definitely went off.  Here we are 13 years later on our cozy little farm near Martinsville.

We have seen our children marry and awaiting our 11th grandchild.  We have seen the 50 states and Candian Provices and around 35 countries together.  We  have buried both our dads.  We have seen a lot happen together since we picked up on God's Plan for us.

It's been 13 years since that first date and I don't know how many emails or phone calls we have exchanged.  We haven't stopped talking long ever since October 10, 1999.

Ed