The START of US...

Chuck and I got “married” at Knott’s Berry Farm before we ever went on our first date.

And I still had a boyfriend.

Maybe I should back up a little… HAHA!

I was 15, a sophomore in high school, standing in our front yard with a few friends. We were having a good old-fashioned “poor me” pity party because NONE of us had been asked to prom.

Well… technically, two guys had asked me. But my BOYFRIEND hadn’t asked me, so apparently I still qualified for the pity party. HAHA!

While we were out there, Chuck drove by on his way to pick up his date.

According to him, after he saw me, he had to drive back by and meet me.

I’m so glad he did.

Of course, standing in that front yard, I had NO idea I had just met the man I would marry. I was still concerned about the boyfriend who hadn’t asked me to prom!

A week or so later, I was invited to go to Christian Night at Knott’s Berry Farm with Chuck’s church group. I said yes! This would be a chance to spend a little time with him.

Except… Chuck put me in someone ELSE’S car.

HAHA! So much for that plan!

Then our driver got lost. We arrived really late, and once we finally got there, we couldn’t find the rest of the group.

There were no iPhones. No quick text saying, “Where ARE you?”

We just had to look.

When we finally caught up with everyone, I did get to hang out with Chuck. And somewhere along the way, he took me to the Justice of the Peace at Knott’s, where we got “married.”

You know… the usual thing you do before you’ve even asked a girl out. HAHA!

I was still dating my boyfriend at that point. But sometime after our Knott’s adventure, Chuck asked me on a real date.

I said YES!

Then came the part I wasn’t looking forward to: breaking up with my boyfriend.

YIKES.

I cried. My boyfriend cried. It was hard, even though I knew I wanted to go out with Chuck.

Chuck was the life of the party. He made me laugh all the time, and I loved being around him.

He still makes me laugh. That part hasn’t changed. ❤️

Our first date was at the drive-in to see The Sting. And while Chuck had plenty of questions to keep the conversation going, I apparently had a very limited supply of words.

He would ask a question.

I would give a one-word answer.

HAHA! Oh, my goodness.

I was such a nervous introvert! I appreciated him keeping the conversation going, but I’m not sure my answers gave him much help.

By the time he took me home, I honestly thought, “Well… he is NEVER going to ask me out again.”

Then he dropped me off…

And asked me out again.

I was SHOCKED!

Apparently, he wanted to give me another chance to use a complete sentence. HAHA!

There was something else about Chuck that caught my attention, too.

He had recently been baptized, and he was excited to tell me about Jesus. I had grown up Catholic, but I was intrigued by the way he talked about Him. I wanted to hear more.

My mom let me go with Chuck to some church functions, and I’m so thankful she did.

Because as I was getting to know this boy who made me laugh, those conversations about Jesus were becoming part of our story, too.

But that part comes next.

A few years later, during Chuck’s junior year of college, we got married for REAL.

And to think… the start of US was a front-yard pity party, a boy who drove back, and a pretend wedding at Knott’s Berry Farm.

I certainly didn’t see all of that coming when I was 15.

I’m just so glad he came back. ❤️