I started with the Momma and the Poppa, and will hopefully get Grandma and Grandpa Huntington next. And after that...who knows. It could be you! So don't be surprised if you get a random phone call. Who doesn't want this goodness documented? So let's just say I'm doing some family history, along lines that are of interest to any girl. :)
So, without further adieu, let me introduce you to the love story that is my parents': Diane and Norman Dollahite.
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(Here is where I am just really wishing I had a copy of their engagement photo--with Dad and his giant, red-rimmed glasses that were absolutely humongous, and yet would totally [almost] be en vogue today.) :)
Diane quickly went on to say that she knew she was going to marry Norman from almost the very beginning, and that it was scary. Both Diane and Norman had been married before, both had kids (lucky them...I mean, we're awesome), and so both were a bit cautious about starting a new relationship. They both knew that it wasn't something to take lightly, and they knew there was a lot at stake.
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(Here is where I am just really wishing I had a copy of their engagement photo--with Dad and his giant, red-rimmed glasses that were absolutely humongous, and yet would totally [almost] be en vogue today.) :)
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| Christmas Day, 2011 |
My first question was what I initially thought I'd focus on for this post, and that was how Dad proposed. To which question Mom replied that they never really got officially engaged. “We just talked about it a lot….it wasn’t a big
dramatic thing.”
Dad romantically insists that: "there was an occasion, I don’t remember all of
it. But I did the get down on the knee routine and all that kind of stuff." :) So with that auspicious start, I decided I needed to ask more questions. ;) From here on out, let's just use their first names (just because it sounds more story-like). :)
"It was scary because I kept waiting for the
other shoe to drop… I was expecting that there
would be a negative side that would eventually show up.” However, that side didn't show up, and so Diane couldn't really hide it from herself that she was going to marry this man! Still, even though they both knew it, she told him that she still wanted to be engaged for at least six months... She was nervous! :)
"I told him after we’d only been dating
about a month not to ask me any questions because I didn’t want to answer them
yet. Because…we knew...we just both knew. And we talked about it and I said
‘Don’t ask me any questions--I don’t
want to answer you!' And then finally we
both just decided that was dumb and that we would… get married because we both
knew we were going to.” They got engaged in November, and were married in May.
But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's not forget that they had to meet first, and let's assume they went out on a few dates before all that. Right? Well, it just so happens that's correct, Alex. Meet they did, at a single's dance in California. That first dance didn't leave much of an impression, except that they both remember meeting and dancing once, and thinking the other person was nice. Luckily, first impressions don't actually need to be much more than that.
About a month later, some friend's convinced Diane to go to another dance with them down in the Bay Area (Dansville, Norman thinks), and Norman was there. She recognized him and he asked her to dance. They then proceeded to dance together and talk for the next half-hour to 45minutes. All was going well, when eventually another guy came and asked Diane to dance.
"I didn’t know what
to do because I thought: ‘I’m enjoying talking to him, but I’m so out of the
dating game—maybe he wants to leave, maybe he’s just staying here out of
obligation...’ So I just kind of looked at him like ‘say something! What do you want me to do?’ and he just said
‘Oh! Go ahead!’ so... I did. I went and
danced with the other guy and didn’t talk to him [Norman] the rest of the night. So that
was that.”
Speaking on the matter, Norman said "I didn’t want to appear like someone that was monopolizing
or being overbearing or pushy or anything like that. So I just wanted to give her some
space. I had different people I chatted
with and knew-- I had different friends that were ladies, ... and they’d always talk about how at some of these dances some of these guys would just, you know, latch onto
them and wouldn’t get the hint of ‘get lost’ or something. So I didn’t
want to be that way. So when this other guy came along, because
she didn’t say no to him I didn’t want to be that type that was
being... possessive, I guess would be the word.”
Turns out both were trying to be considerate of the other person's wishes, when all either really wanted was to just keep talking to the other! Sometimes we stymie ourselves. But luckily good love stories aren't made in just a day.
They didn't talk the rest of that night, but a few weeks later there was another dance, this time in Sacramento, which finally sealed the deal. Some friends had convinced Diane to come, but when they got there they found that there a mistake had been made and there was no one to DJ the dance! Norman stepped up--being a DJ himself, at the time--and volunteered to take over. He asked everyone to go out to their cars and get whatever CD's (he insists there were some CD's at the time, *ahem) or cassettes they had and he'd use them to DJ the dance.
This gesture of selflessness really impressed Diane. "I thought,
‘That is really nice of him. He came to
dance and instead he’s stuck doing the music the whole time. I’m going to go up and tell him that I
thought that was really nice.’” So up she went and as they talked he told her to save him a dance. "I thought, ‘how could you
possibly dance—you’re doing the music!’ and he said ‘Oh, I’ll find a way.’” [Here is where I want to insert a 'wink-wink'. But I'll refrain...and just do one. ;) ]
They proceeded to dance and talk in between Norman needing to change the music, and towards the end of the dance, a slow song came on and he came over and asked her to dance.
Now, it's important to note that a most of the other dances she'd been do, Diane would get asked out by at least 4 or 5 different guys, and she'd always told them "no." When they'd ask her why she came to the dances if she didn't want to meet people to date she simply told them it was because she liked to dance. Now, back to the slow song.
During that slow song at the end of the dance, Norman asked Diane out on a date for the very next day, to which she replied "yes." When the song was over and he went back up to
DJ, she was petrified. “I went over to my
friends and they asked what was wrong and I said ‘I just told a guy I would go
out with him.’ And they were like ‘really?!’ and I was like ‘yeees.’ And I had
turned down three dates that night already.”
The date was for the next day and
it was going to be all day. Aunt DaNae was watching the kids (the adorable Tawna, Devon, and Amber), and since the date
was going to be an all day affair, Diane called and asked her if she’d just keep the kids until the end of the next day.
So the kids all stayed with Aunt DaNae, and the next day Diane and Norman went on their first date, to Great America. Norman had a gig doing a broadcast from the theme park, and so he'd invited Diane to join him at that. It was about a two-hour drive from Woodland to Great America, and the worry over whether or not they'd have enough to talk about was a legitimate concern, but ultimately unneeded, as the drive and conversation were easy and smooth, as they were the rest of the all-day long date.
“It was all day
long. It wasn’t weird. We talked the
whole time. And I was nervous, because it was a 2 hour drive and I thought
‘what are we going to talk about- I don’t know this guy. And then being there all day…’ but it was
just perfectly normal and wonderful."
The first ride they
went on wasn’t so wonderful, however, as Diane ended up putting a big gash in Norman's head--an inch and a half to two inches long--with
her finger nails. It was the log ride.
They had a chance to do a few rides before Norman had to DJ, and so they
chose the log ride first. The pain started about the time the log ride was making it's final decent. Diane was wearing a head band and also just so happened to have really long finger nails
at the time. As the log was beginning to plummet, her headband started to slip off and so she
reached back to catch it--at the same time Norman was ducking behind her to
avoid getting wet. "I didn’t want to get my hair wet and look all
ratty and stuff," he said, "so I kind of ducked behind her to be guarded from all the
water and stuff that was gonna be coming."
Now before you think that sounds too womanly or wimpy :), remember that Norman was going to be up on stage hosting an event in just a few hours time. Still, this then begs the question of "Then why the log ride?" Neither had an answer, and Diane insists the worry over his stage hair was just an excuse to avoid getting wet. Norman just laughs. :) Either way, he ended up with a large gash across his forehead "and he bled profusely." At least the hair looked good? Maybe. It seems that Diane could be assured of his love, because he kept asking her out after that. Who would ever have believed in love at first gouging? Well it's true, I tell you.
Now before you think that sounds too womanly or wimpy :), remember that Norman was going to be up on stage hosting an event in just a few hours time. Still, this then begs the question of "Then why the log ride?" Neither had an answer, and Diane insists the worry over his stage hair was just an excuse to avoid getting wet. Norman just laughs. :) Either way, he ended up with a large gash across his forehead "and he bled profusely." At least the hair looked good? Maybe. It seems that Diane could be assured of his love, because he kept asking her out after that. Who would ever have believed in love at first gouging? Well it's true, I tell you.
Date number three was to the beloved Fairy Tale town in Sacramento, and dates with the five of them--four lovely ladies and Norman, continued after that.
Once he had the
ring, he was nervous to give it to her, and according to Diane he probably had
the ring for several weeks. “We’d
already decided to get married and we’d already picked out a ring…but he was
nervous to give it to me. And you kids kept saying ‘when are you going
to give her her ring? When are you going to give her her ring?’ And I finally
said,…'Yeah? When are you going to give
me my ring?'"
When asked why he was so nervous, Norman explains that he just knew what all it entailed, and he wanted to be sure it was really the right thing. He knew that twitterpation and affection weren't enough--that you couldn't just "live on love," and he knew that there were five other people's lives involved in this too (Aaron, Melinda, Tawna, Devon, and Amber--the kids). "There were two different families, two different dynamics." He knew he loved her, and the care and affection was there, but he was just a little nervous and wanted to think a little more about all that this marriage really would mean and entail. They both knew what marriage really should be about and wanted to be sure they got it right.
Well, eventually the two took a leap of love and faith and were married in May of...well let's guess 1990. :) It's been 20+ years and the love and marriage has just continued to grow. I, for one, am grateful for the examples of service, patience, and love I see in these two. We sure are all blessed!
And here are a few pictures of the love birds that I had on my computer, from Christmas Day 2011. Up American Fork Canyon.
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| Still making her laugh. |
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| Love me, my padres! |
1 comment:
Love this! S glad you posted this - it made me smile.
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