Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Rules of Engagement

This post is in honor of Dane and Bridget. (For those of you reading this from the Johnson/McGiven clan, please see the Smith Family Blog link to your right.)

Thirteen years ago this week Harold and I got engaged. I say "this week" because neither Harold nor I can remember the exact date. Here is what we do know. On October 21, 1994 we attended the wedding of our friends Karen and Travis. We went to the Manti Temple, the luncheon, and the reception. We even remember that Harold got stopped by a policeman (the only reason I didn't use 'cop' was because of my Uncle Gary and my respect for policemen everywhere). Harold was able to talk his way out of a ticket for a moving violation (running a red light) by telling the officer that his birthday was only 5 days away and he was turning 25 and about to get his insurance rates dropped, so please, please, please have mercy. And the officer did.

So then, the next very concrete event we can remember was October 26, which is Harold's birthday.

Somewhere in between the 21st and the 26th we were engaged. This leaves Oct 22, 23, 24 and 25. I know it wasn't the 22nd because that would have been a Sunday and we got engaged at a restaurant so the 22nd is out. It wasn't the 25th because I distinctly remember telling someone that I had better make Harold's birthday decent on the 26th because he had given me the ultimate gift "a couple of days ago." So that narrows things down to the 23rd and 24th.

If I was forced at gunpoint to choose a date I would pick the 24th because it was a Tuesday, I had skipped class (my bad habits run deep) that night and I don't think they have night classes at BYU on Mondays, but I could be wrong. So there you go. Nothing too definite.

As for celebrating the day we got engaged, if it is today, Harold is currently sitting in his underwear eating a homemade sandwich and salt and vinegar chips while I sniff at it because I have already eaten my points for the day and can't have anything to eat right now.

If the blessed event is to be celebrated tomorrow I will be at quilt night with the ladies while Harold spends "quality" time with the kids.

Either way, I have no regrets. I would say yes all over again.

4 comments:

mom/Janet said...

How cute, Jeanna, that you would post something in honor of Dane and Bridget. I'm glad you like Bridget. Who wouldn't. Anyway, I'm glad you got your engagement date figured out and I can't say thanks for giving us an image of Harold eating his sandwich in his underwear, no less. Does he know you told us that? :) Congratulations on the anniversary of your engagement.

Holley said...

Isn't married life grand! Reminds me of my last anniversary. I had the flu and so Dane sat in bed with me, making me feel all the more nauseous because he was sitting there eating greasy Kentucky Fried Chicken. Though like you, I wouldn't trade him for anyone else in the world (except maybe that really handsome millionaire from my teenage fantasy who had a house in Hawaii).

Collette said...

Awesome Jeanna! We were all pretty young when you guys got married. You guys were so kind to humor the younger ones at family reunions. I couldn't tell you the day we got engaged either...and it's only been 4 years. Yikes!

Anonymous said...

My engagement day was November 18th. We had met on September 17th and since we decided to get married on January 17th, we wanted it to be November 17th. Don't rmember the reason we didn't. But we always celebrated the day we met as the big one. I still honor it in my own way every year though the other half of it is gone, gone, gone. It was an auspicious day! And if I had it to do over again knowing then what I do now that he would choose someone else and leave me, I would still think it was the best day ever. To have had the good years we did with the family and life we had, it was worth it. Like President Kimball said, "When I look back at the end of my life, I will be satisfied at the ways things turned out though they may have not have been what I would have chosen for myself."

As for the current state of affairs--um, matrimony--I neither remember the date we met or the date we got engaged. Hardly even remember the wedding itself, seems so unrelated to the life I am living now.

I assume that Dane and Bridget got engaged according to your tribute and Janet's comment. Guess I will have to peruse that blog and spend another hour online when I should be working on the October Newsletter--afterall, I only have one more day to work on it before I go bye-bye for four days into the wild blue yonder. Yon
"Friendly Skies" will call me soon.