Forty Years Ago, Stan and I Met

Forty years ago this month, Stan and I met. I was twenty-three, getting ready to graduate from BYU and Stan was twenty-five . I had won a bet with another young man who in payment, had to wash my hair. As he was in process, in walked my roommate’s cousins, Stan and Sam, looking for dates for the next month financed by Sam’s military Per Diem. After some scrutinizing, Stan called his cousins and said he wanted to ask me out. Our first date was on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. He had a terrible cold, snotty nose and everything but I just really liked him. We went to the John Wayne movie, “Cowboys”, a wedding reception and to his parent’s home for homemade pie. I was normally very careful about affection with young men, but I would have let him kiss me good night, cold and all after that first date, something I had never done before. By the second date we were completely enthralled and started seeing each other every night financed by Sam’s military money. We owe a lot to Sam. By the third date, we started having prayers together after the kissing. In May, we were talking about our future and everything seemed to just fall into place. We became engaged June 4, 1972 and were married August 18, 1972 in the Salt Lake Temple. There were some worries and hesitations but every time I prayed about it, I felt like my answer was “well, duh, yes, marry this guy. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to you.” Forty years later, I still feel that way about him most of the time. We have learned so much from having to compromise, communicate and celebrate. He is giving me some really good smile wrinkles, something we talked about while we were dating. And I look forward to the future knowing he will be by my side for as long as the Lord allows us this sweet pleasure.