Shannon here: Amy K. Rognlie shares her whirlwind romance with her husband plus a chance to win a PDF e-copy of Make Haste Slowly book one in her Short Creek Mysteries series. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated Oct 30st – Nov 2nd to enter the drawing. Deadline: Nov 10th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Amy:
A Surprise Visit
My husband and I met in Colorado while I was home from college on summer break, way back in 1987. We spent the summer taking drives in the mountains, going on bike rides, and eating ice cream. Then came the day In August when I had to travel back to Tennessee for my junior year. I would not see Greg again until I came home at Christmas, and since this was pre-cellphone era, we would have to content ourselves with writing letters and an occasional phone call on the shared dorm phone. My mom and I drove off to Tennessee, leaving a part of my heart back in Colorado. Somehow Greg and I made it through until Christmas, our budding romance confirmed when I met his parents over break.
In January, a few days before I returned for the second semester, Greg took me out for a romantic dinner, then popped the big question out by the lake. I said yes! We happily planned a wedding over the next few months with a flurry of phone calls and even more letters than during the first semester.
The months flew by, and it was time to drive home to Colorado. Except that neither my parents nor Greg wanted me to drive home across the country alone. My mother had purchased a round-trip ticket in August, intending to fly out in May to drive home with me. However, in light of the fact that Greg and I were now engaged, they decided that he should fly out to Tennessee and escort me back—using my mother’s airline ticket. You must remember that this was back in the day, way before the security measures we now have in place. Ha.
So… Greg packs a bag and my mother (who is always prepared for everything) puts her toothbrush and a pair of underwear in her purse just in case their little plan fails and she has to take the trip after all. Stunningly, he makes it through security and is sitting on the plane waiting for takeoff. It worked!
Until he hears my mother’s name over the intercom. “Will passenger Janice Smith please come speak with the
Giveaway
attendant at the front of the plane?”
According to Greg, he started sweating bullets at this point and decided his best course of action would be to ignore the page. Right.
They called again, and when he still didn’t respond, two flight attendants bustled back to the seating area and found him. He told me later that he was going to pretend that he didn’t speak English and hope they thought his name was “Yanice.” Keep in mind that Greg is not a small man. In fact, at that point, he was a body builder. Picture this.
So, the two flight attendants are standing there staring at him. One of them says, “Janice?”
He nods.
They look at each other again and shrug.
He doesn’t say anything.
Finally, the flight attendant says, “Could you please give us your ticket? The gate attendant took the wrong copy.”
He hands them the ticket, still silent.
They took it, said thank you, and walked away.
Can you imagine? Talk about Murphy’s Law, right? Out of all the folks who boarded that plane, his/my mother’s ticket is the one the attendant messed up on. And today, Greg probably would have been in handcuffs, foreign-language-speaking or not. Ah, the good old days, right?
Anyway, my fearless fiancée arrived in Tennessee that day to drive me home, and I should have known right then and there that life with this man would never be dull. Thirty years later, that’s proven to be true.
About Amy: Amy Rognlie writes inspirational fiction, including mysteries and historical novels. When not writing, she is teaching middle school language arts or leading a Bible study at the local jail. Amy lives in Central Texas with her husband, dogs (including a pug, of course), and a plethora of plants, yarn, and books. Learn more and connect:
Amy’s Website Amy’s Facebook Amy’s Twitter Amy’s Pinterest Amy’s Amazon Page
About Amy’s Latest Release – Where There’s a Will: A mysterious postcard, a decades-old mystery, and a cranky realtor
have suddenly thrown Callie Erickson’s plans into a tailspin. Callie, Todd and friends have their hearts set on building Hope House, a home for sex-trafficking victims. But before they can make much headway, Callie is confronted with the mysterious death of someone much closer to her than she’d like.
Was it murder? Callie isn’t so sure, but with Todd’s help, she’s doing her best to find out, even as she is drawn deeper into their relationship. Can she trust herself to love him? In the meantime, Aunt Dot and Harry are dealing with intrigue of their own. Will Harry’s missing relatives ever be found? As Callie delves deeper, she learns startling answers to these questions and to the questions of her own heart.
Question for Readers: Which of your loved one’s traits has become more endearing to you as the years have passed?
my father’s patience and stobborness was passed on to me thank goodness! lol
that should be stubbornness
My husband is as dependable as the sun coming up during the day and the moon & starts shining at night.
So if something bad were to happen to me, I would know just where to find him, right beside me.
That should be stars.
Sorry about that.
A very long day of a very long week.
That’s funny, Janet. I read it as stars and had to go back to see what you were talking about. I guess stars fit the context.
I’ve always loved my husband’s humor, but I appreciate it even more every year. He can always make me laugh.
My Mom’s love of Jesus. Even in her dementia, she remembered Jesus and would told others to depend on him.