It is a truth universally acknowledged that every blogger or would be writer will pinch those opening words from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (damn she was good). So I did. Just to get it out of my system.
Anyway, according to our GP, (who is all too familiar with our history of woes, all of which are a gigantic saga of epic proportions, more weepy and melodramatic than a Danielle Steele novel) Mick and I are 'Two gentle souls who found each other.'
More like two mega dorks from hell who couldn't find anyone else, really. And clearly she hasn't heard some of the swearing around here. Or seen me throw things when I have a melt down. But perhaps she has a point.
As how we met is quite the touching love story. It goes like this. Cue the schmaltzy romantic music. Or not.
Around age 21, a long-time friendship and suddenly went pear shaped. Distressed, I confided in a work colleague.
"Don't worry about her, she sounds like a bitch," was her advice. "you've got other friends haven't you?" To which the answer was a resounding - No.
"Oh," she said "well, you'll just have to make some."
Right. Easy peasy. Especially for a painfully shy, quiet, introverted Aspie like me. (Not that I knew about the Aspie part at the time). Then Jeanette, the work colleague, suggested I should go to something called Rotaract. I had no idea what Rotaract was really, but she was quite persistent. She gave me a number and said "If you don't ring up, I will!"
So I made the phone call, hands shaking, voice a whisper. The cheerful sounding girl at the other end of the phone didn't seem to notice. It turned out that Rotaract was some sort of Community Service and Social Club for 18-30 year olds, which was sponsered by Rotary.
"We're all going to Studebakers Night Club this Saturday, " Cheerful Girl told me "you can come." Yay. I lurrrrve Night Clubs. Thumping 'music' and passive smoking are SUCH a thrilling way to spend a night out.
Subsequently, I ended up sitting there at Studebakers, the following Saturday night, with a bunch of strangers, passive smoking, feeling awkward and answering the usual polite questions. Among the strangers was Mick. The only impression he made on me was that I thought he was really serious. He was having a really intense, grown up conversation with some others about something really Accountant like, such as mortgages or the stock market. I glazed over.
I kept going to Rotaract, also known as Rootaract, due to the high number of marriages among our friends that resulted from it. Luckily, I made a good friend, Kim, and was constantly glued at her side at every Rotaract outing and function. So, for the first time in my life I actually had something resembling friends and a social life, even though in reality I was still painfully shy and quiet.
We had many outings and functions and I'm sure all those wine tasting weekends at the Hunter Valley and Priest and Pro's Dances we had were extremely *coughs*, erm...helpful for the community. At one such function Mick and I were chatting. I'd been going to Rotaract for possibly close to a year by now. During the conversation, Mick casually asked me out.
I have always been completely and totally clueless when it comes to flirting or catching on if somebody chats me up. Which is a shame, because it obviously happened ALL THE TIME in those days, in light of my striking resemblance to Nicole Kidman.
Consequently, when Mick asked me, I so wasn't expecting it, that it took a full minute to register that he'd even asked me. The moment passed and I didn't answer him. I felt quite upset that I hadn't answered him and might have hurt his feelings and left him pining away. I have since brought that up years later, and he doesn't even remember, so he obviously wasn't pining at all. Hmph.
I agonised over it like a herione in a Victorian novel. Like Lizzy Bennet did over Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Like Rachel McAdams and Ryan Goseling in The Notebook. Like Maria did over Captain Von Trapp. Kind of, sort of...
I gave it some thought and sent him a rather enigmatic letter indicating that I wished I'd answered him, like the dark and mysterious (ie. awkward and cowardly) person I am. He asked me again, and we embarked on a date. We went to the movies. Mick gallantly let me choose the film. So what did I choose for a first date?
Sleepless In Seattle. Save me.
You know. Tom Hanks. Meg Ryan.
One look and it was...magic. And all that crap.
Possibly just a tad over the top for a first date. Plus, it hadn't really happened like that for us. My first look at Mick, I glazed over. Oops.
A year later, he asked me to marry him in his usual blase fashion. Over an Italian meal in a restaurant. With my parents present. I said yes. We finished our Veal Tegame and he went home to his place and I went home with my parents. So romantic. I rang Kim and a few other Rotaractors and told them we were engaged.
The next day they rang Mick at work to congratulate him. He had yet to inform his parents and siblings.
We had our wedding a year or so later. Luckily I didn't know what was going to happen over the next 16 years or I might have run shrieking from the church. But I didn't. It was quite an eventful day, so that might be a whole other post.
Put it this way, over the last 16 years we have certainly been through it all... for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer...
Hang on. Wait.
We actually haven't been through the richer part. Even after Micky Blue Eyes promised me he would be millionaire by the time he was 40. And he is turning a big number with a zero in it next year, and the number isn't 40. Hmph. And a big snorty honking sound even.
So I can only hope the richer part will be along presently. And then we can live happily ever after in wedded stress....oops, I mean bliss.
Linking up with Cathy from The Camera Chronicles for Flashback Friday.
Linking up with Kirsty from My Home Truths for I Must Confess. One more time, for the good times.
Linking this up for I Must Confess AGAIN becauseI couldn't be bothered writing a new post it's SUCH a touching love story.
Anyway, according to our GP, (who is all too familiar with our history of woes, all of which are a gigantic saga of epic proportions, more weepy and melodramatic than a Danielle Steele novel) Mick and I are 'Two gentle souls who found each other.'
More like two mega dorks from hell who couldn't find anyone else, really. And clearly she hasn't heard some of the swearing around here. Or seen me throw things when I have a melt down. But perhaps she has a point.
As how we met is quite the touching love story. It goes like this. Cue the schmaltzy romantic music. Or not.
Around age 21, a long-time friendship and suddenly went pear shaped. Distressed, I confided in a work colleague.
"Don't worry about her, she sounds like a bitch," was her advice. "you've got other friends haven't you?" To which the answer was a resounding - No.
"Oh," she said "well, you'll just have to make some."
Right. Easy peasy. Especially for a painfully shy, quiet, introverted Aspie like me. (Not that I knew about the Aspie part at the time). Then Jeanette, the work colleague, suggested I should go to something called Rotaract. I had no idea what Rotaract was really, but she was quite persistent. She gave me a number and said "If you don't ring up, I will!"
So I made the phone call, hands shaking, voice a whisper. The cheerful sounding girl at the other end of the phone didn't seem to notice. It turned out that Rotaract was some sort of Community Service and Social Club for 18-30 year olds, which was sponsered by Rotary.
"We're all going to Studebakers Night Club this Saturday, " Cheerful Girl told me "you can come." Yay. I lurrrrve Night Clubs. Thumping 'music' and passive smoking are SUCH a thrilling way to spend a night out.
Subsequently, I ended up sitting there at Studebakers, the following Saturday night, with a bunch of strangers, passive smoking, feeling awkward and answering the usual polite questions. Among the strangers was Mick. The only impression he made on me was that I thought he was really serious. He was having a really intense, grown up conversation with some others about something really Accountant like, such as mortgages or the stock market. I glazed over.
I kept going to Rotaract, also known as Rootaract, due to the high number of marriages among our friends that resulted from it. Luckily, I made a good friend, Kim, and was constantly glued at her side at every Rotaract outing and function. So, for the first time in my life I actually had something resembling friends and a social life, even though in reality I was still painfully shy and quiet.
We had many outings and functions and I'm sure all those wine tasting weekends at the Hunter Valley and Priest and Pro's Dances we had were extremely *coughs*, erm...helpful for the community. At one such function Mick and I were chatting. I'd been going to Rotaract for possibly close to a year by now. During the conversation, Mick casually asked me out.
I have always been completely and totally clueless when it comes to flirting or catching on if somebody chats me up. Which is a shame, because it obviously happened ALL THE TIME in those days, in light of my striking resemblance to Nicole Kidman.
Consequently, when Mick asked me, I so wasn't expecting it, that it took a full minute to register that he'd even asked me. The moment passed and I didn't answer him. I felt quite upset that I hadn't answered him and might have hurt his feelings and left him pining away. I have since brought that up years later, and he doesn't even remember, so he obviously wasn't pining at all. Hmph.
I agonised over it like a herione in a Victorian novel. Like Lizzy Bennet did over Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Like Rachel McAdams and Ryan Goseling in The Notebook. Like Maria did over Captain Von Trapp. Kind of, sort of...
I gave it some thought and sent him a rather enigmatic letter indicating that I wished I'd answered him, like the dark and mysterious (ie. awkward and cowardly) person I am. He asked me again, and we embarked on a date. We went to the movies. Mick gallantly let me choose the film. So what did I choose for a first date?
Sleepless In Seattle. Save me.
You know. Tom Hanks. Meg Ryan.
One look and it was...magic. And all that crap.
Possibly just a tad over the top for a first date. Plus, it hadn't really happened like that for us. My first look at Mick, I glazed over. Oops.
A year later, he asked me to marry him in his usual blase fashion. Over an Italian meal in a restaurant. With my parents present. I said yes. We finished our Veal Tegame and he went home to his place and I went home with my parents. So romantic. I rang Kim and a few other Rotaractors and told them we were engaged.
The next day they rang Mick at work to congratulate him. He had yet to inform his parents and siblings.
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| We look slightly different now..sigh.. |
We had our wedding a year or so later. Luckily I didn't know what was going to happen over the next 16 years or I might have run shrieking from the church. But I didn't. It was quite an eventful day, so that might be a whole other post.
Put it this way, over the last 16 years we have certainly been through it all... for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer...
Hang on. Wait.
We actually haven't been through the richer part. Even after Micky Blue Eyes promised me he would be millionaire by the time he was 40. And he is turning a big number with a zero in it next year, and the number isn't 40. Hmph. And a big snorty honking sound even.
So I can only hope the richer part will be along presently. And then we can live happily ever after in wedded stress....oops, I mean bliss.
Linking up with Cathy from The Camera Chronicles for Flashback Friday.
Linking up with Kirsty from My Home Truths for I Must Confess. One more time, for the good times.
Linking this up for I Must Confess AGAIN because
Have you ever heard a more touching love story? I doubt it....
