Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Well, really it’s 2008 right now but I’m back-dating this post to the day I met Mark, who would become my future husband. When he walked in the front door at my parents home, it was love at first sight (it was a blind date). He was tall, tall, tall and handsome. He had on light brown corduroys and a yellow sweatshirt. I’ll post a picture of us – he has on the same sweatshirt – I want to remember it forever. I remember when he walked in I thought “he’s a basketball player” because he was so tall (but, as I later learned, he was not a basketball player – doesn’t like sports at all – yippee!!!). In the years to come, he related how he was afraid because Dad and at least one of my brothers, maybe both, were also in the living room. He knew he’d be in big trouble if he hurt me because they were all tall guys too. It was Labor Day, 1982, and it was a Monday night (obviously – Labor Day). We went to see ET. We were home by 8:30 or 9:00. We didn’t speak except he asked me if I wanted to see him again and he said it was fun. So sweet – we were sooooooooo shy. We went out again that next Saturday night (September 11) and the rest is history. By October 6 (one month) we knew we were getting married. He gave me a pre-engagement ring for Christmas that year (can’t call it a promise ring, he said, because those are for teenagers and the young kids). We were engaged on April 18, 1983, and got married on June 25, 1983. That will be my next post.