The Girl of My Dreams

Do you remember your one true love in high school?

Me too, she was so beautiful. We fell in love instantly. We spent every waking moment together. Let me start from the beginning though. There were some things that needed to align themselves in order for us to find that cute high school love.

In our freshman year we got two new girls to our little private school. This was great news because many of the other girls had thrown me into the friend zone over our time in elementary and junior high school. As these two new girls walked into homeroom on the first day of classes I was immediately smitten by a brown haired blue eyed babe.

As the weeks went by one of the girls in class became pretty good friends with the two of these girls. Doing the typical high school thing, I asked through another girl if the new beauty had any interest in me. Word came back that she thought I was funny (heard that before) but was not interested in me as a boyfriend. I found out later that this was actually not the case, she had no aversion to me as a boyfriend at all. I found that out way down the road, so I decided to concentrate on other prospects.

One Spring afternoon in gym class our group of fine students was learning to play golf. We were standing in a line along the school building swinging nine irons at little wiffle golf balls. I hate golf, I have no patience for it. As I followed through on one of my swings I heard a giant smack. I thought I hit the side of the building with the club. I turned around to find the dream girl on one knee holding her head and saying, "I'm okay." As she pulled her hand away, blood ran down the side of her head. I called for our teacher and they quickly took her off to the nurse and eventually to the hospital for stitches.

I felt horrible. What had I done? This girl literally was in modeling... I had ruined her career. Now how would I ever win her affections? She would probably never forgive me.

My remorse was eating me up inside, so I had a friends brother drive me to her house to apologize. I bought a basket with a bunch of stuffed animal kittens in it. When we got to her house, I was so nervous. I rang the doorbell and talked with her parents and apologized a million times. I gave her my peace offering and hoped for the best.

Fast forward to our junior year of high school (1988). This beautiful young lady and I were talking one day. As devious as this sounds, she and a friend were having a bit of a spat, so we decided to play a little trick on her. Her friend liked me (I had no interest) and we thought it would be funny if we pretended to date. Now, at this point in my high school career, I had given up on this beautiful woman and moved on to others. So we proceeded with our little plan. I gave her my varsity jacket to wear around school to make things look legit. We were eating lunch together and hanging out quite a bit.

One day in Bible class I looked across the room and remembered that amazing feeling that I had the first time I saw her. Little did I know, but she was looking back at me in the same class thinking there was something about me she really liked too. She mentioned this to a friend of hers who was dating one of my good friends. So back and forth it went until finally we both knew how the other was feeling. And that is where it all started. We had fallen for one another.

We had our ups and downs, just like any high school romance does. The disapproving father. The immaturity of the class clown she was dating. As well as all the other things that go along with men and women in a relationship. Somehow we made it.

Let's jump ahead again. August 14th, 1993. That is the day that I made that beautiful girl my wife. Of course I had to club her over the head with a golf club like a caveman, but she married me anyway.

Each year is better than the last. I love her more every day.

Happy 12th Anniversary Cheryl.

I love you.

"You're a Godsend. A blessing from above."