I was in graduate school. When I explained the situation and why I would be missing class to the 70 something year old professor, I told him that I has to go see if this guy was for real. He said "Go with God, girl." So I did.
Teaching at schools in opposite directions, we kind of met in the middle. Alan's Galley in Lamesa, Texas. We talked for a few more hours, but we both had to get home. He drove the morning school bus route and I had an hour commute to my school each morning. On my way home I called my friend and told her I thought I was in trouble, confessing that he might be "the one".
A day or two later he was going to be in Lubbock for his masters classes and we met up again. I invited him over to meet my roomates. I wanted a picture of him and I had a new point and shoot camera (Remember is was the prehistoric days). It had a timer on it and I told him I wanted to see how it worked. It worked. This was the picture. |
It was getting deep really quickly and it scared me. A few days in, I told him I couldn't date him unless he went to church with me. Thinking surely this would end things. He just asked what time to be there. We've been at church together nearly every week since. |
I had already made plans to live in the dorms on campus at Texas Tech and work for Upward Bound. We spend lots of time in the lobby that summer and met a new recruit on Bobby Knights basketball team. This 6'10" guy was sort of like a puppy for us. We enjoyed "taking care of him" together, watching him play ball, and learning so much about each other in the process.
He even survived a Chisum Family Renuion that summer, bunking with my grandfather.
Planning the wedding was easy, according to Billy. I had a notebook. I really did. I went to Bible College and I went to LOTS of weddings, so I started making notes. He says that when we popped the question, I wrote his name on the line next to Groom: _______ and slammed the book closed.
Since I had the groom locked down, we needed a date. Wanting a few extra days for our honeymoon, we planned our wedding just before Thanksgiving Break. The pastors son was on the Texas Tech football team, so we planned it around that too (They won that day - Guns Up!). I has just planned a high school prom so I went with the same colors - black and silver. Why not. The lady who owned the prom location was married to a man who owned a place that would host a perfect reception for folks who just got married in a barn!