Roswell, New Mexico

Went to Roswell, our hometown, to ask for her parents' permission to marry her. I wanted their blessing. little did I know, every time Lynda called home? "Momma"! "got a bruise"! and she would proudly display a bruise from skiing, and other high energy sports we were into, including boogie boarding. We were in Florida, heading for Roswell, boogie boarding and she got pile driven into the sand.

I mean bad. I got to the beach, and she looked at me and said, "I may have broken my shoulder". and she had this red scrape on her right eye that?

Turned into a legendary shiner.

So. here we are in the deep south and going up to a restaurant. "Lady? You need some help?" everyone would ask and look at me like I was a woman beater... and all I can do is say, "OMG no"! "not me"! so we get to her mom and dads, and she opens the door, and here is her daughter who ran off to Alaska to hook up with some schmuck from her past... and here is a shiner. I mean from cheek up... Black as night. and her mom looks at her and looks at me... (we had told them about it and how she got it, assuming they believed us).

Mom did not believe either of us.

So, when I asked for their blessing? Her response? "Just be nice to my daughter" and that comment?

Went right over my head.

2 years later, she finally realizes that "yes indeed", Lynda did get hurt playing... for the first time in years, she was playing hard enough to get hurt. We were living it up...

That aside, I have a plaque on my wall that they made for us. Giving me their blessing.Read more