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The Kitchen Table

52 Years Ago, We Eloped

9 years ago

And we are celebrating with a prime rib dinner at our favorite restaurant tonight. He was on air at WLW and in graduate school in Cincinnati, and I was teaching and earning my masters in summer courses. It was spring break, and I planned to fly over from Illinois for the week. He called and proposed. He'd set up all the details. A co worker was a judge and waived the waiting period for the license. We had a two day honeymoon, one in Berea and one in Lexington. He only got one day off a week from work, but he traded his next week's day off so that we would have 2 whole days.

As we drove to Berea, we were almost killed on a mountain road by a speeding driver who lost control of his car and bounced off the mountain a few times, zig- zagging across the two lanes trying to avoid the steep drop off the edge and us too. The speeder banged up his car badly but lived to tell about it.

As we continued along empty roads, I found myself staring into the darkness saying to myself, "You've really done it now!" Eight years later we started our family with the birth of our daughter, followed by two sons. We are empty nesters and grandparents now.

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jkayd_il5

9 years ago

Happy anniversay. Today is ours too. 54 years. We didn't have a clue what we were doing. Lol

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Comments (22)

marilyn_c
9 years ago
Happy anniversary! Sounds like a life well lived. So glad you avoided that speeding driver.....when it all could have ended almost before it began, in tragedy.
rob333 (zone 7b)
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary! Sounds so wonderfully romantic.
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Snowdrops in full bloom all over town now. Ginny: Yes...the storm about 2 weeks before was indeed snow...everywhere. But there was a storm between that one and the Bilzzard of 78 which was rain in southern New England. That intervening storm is called the "Great Blizzard of 1978" in the Midwest. The link I provided describes the details. If you look closely at the weather map it shows southern New England in the warm sector---rain. That storm melted a lot of the snow from the 1st blizzard away--even in metro Boston. Most people just don't remember this one because it was rain. But it was a storm of historic magnitude in terms of barometric pressure and snowfall in the Midwest. That intervening storm was a blessing for us because it melted some (or all depending on your location) of the snow from that first blizzard....and then our Blizzard of 1978 happened about 1 week after that! Here is a link that might be useful: Great Blizzard of 1978
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Congratulations, I totally agree with "don't sweat the small stuff". We were those two kids getting married on Dec. 5th, 1959. I look back and see those first years, husband was drafted less than a year later and went to Korea for 13 months. That was the only time that we have ever been apart. You all have a wonderful day together,
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Patti, it wasn't exactly will power. You get real practical when you are married and have very little money. I finished up teaching the school year for two reasons. First, this was a rural high school 15 miles from the city, and they may well have not been able to find a teacher for the rest of the year as this was an era of teacher shortages. I did not want to do that to my students. Moreover, I would be finishing my masters with the summer classes at the university in the city, or I would have had to start over. I did not want to do that and we looked forward to the greater income I could earn with a graduate degree. We are both financially practical people. When I finally joined my DH, I had $10 in my savings account after all the summer tuition and a final visit to the family dentist!
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Comments (9)
Congratulations to both of you. Obviously you each made a good choice! My DH and I were married only seven months ahead of you. We're still going strong too. Actually, I think *strong-er* than some earlier years.
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chisue
9 years ago
It sounds like you got the curse part over and done with early: "May you live in exciting times." Wishing you many more *lovely* adventures together.
Anne
9 years ago
Congrats! I love to hear of a long marriage! And the focus on the marriage, not the huge wedding and 10 day trip to Europe! The horrors, you only had two days!!! Continued Blessings.
katlan
9 years ago
Very Happy Anniversary! I love your story. Many more happy, healthy years together.
yeonassky
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Happy 52nd! Good you knew a smart move when you saw one. :) All the best going forward.
happy2b…gw
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary.
stacey_mb
9 years ago
Happy anniversary, and wishing you many more years of happiness.
jewelisfabulous
9 years ago
The two of you chose well! Happy anniversary!
lucillle
9 years ago
So romantic!!!
glenda_al
9 years ago
May you have many more of togetherness!
eld6161
9 years ago
Congrats. Enjoy!
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary!
Kelly
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary!
PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
Awe, I love your story! Happy Anniversary!
ont_gal
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Happy Anniversary Sheila !!!

and a very Happy Anniversary to you too jkayd_il5 !!!
goldblush
9 years ago
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story! Happy Anniversary!
donna_loomis
9 years ago
Sorry I missed it, Sylvia. Hope your anniversary was spectacular!
evatx
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary!
lindaohnowga
9 years ago
Happy Anniversary and many more to come.
pekemom
9 years ago
Happy anniversary! (Our 47th is this month but you have us beat....)

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