Our Story ~ Chapter 1

Okay Luke, you ready for this? I’ve been promising the bloggy world (you know, like all 4 people who stop by on a regular basis) that you and I would tell the story of how we met. It's our anniversary...a good time to start, I think.

I'll type in regular text, and your words will be in italicized bold letters.

I’m trying to remember the very first time I laid my eyes on you. I can’t be certain, but I’m willing to bet that it was the summer before I even started up at UI. My mom and I drove up there to do a “preview” trip – check out the dorms, meet the dean of engineering, and to see what the town was like.

Oh…I have to digress for a second! How could I forget this story?! Oh, never mind. It’s a really long story. Hey, y’all – remind me to tell you the story of “the dream with the golden wheat fields” – I’ll know what you’re talking about.

So anyway, one night mom and I went out for pizza…I’ll bet you can guess where we ended up going.

I remember walking in the front door, looking to my right, and seeing a very attractive guy making pizzas. My heart…it went pitter patter, and my mom and I exchanged a very meaningful glance. Um yeah, can we get HIM to deliver the pizza to our table? We’re classy gals. I swear, it must have been you.

Please tell me you were working there, or I just made a fool of myself.

I was working there, just like I did for the next three years.

Oh good!

Okay, well…I know that I saw you FOR SURE in ME340 that fateful day. I’d been going to Mechanics of Materials (I know, super hot) every day since it started that day. On the first day of class, Dr. Odom told us to sit wherever we wanted, but to please keep sitting in that seat for the first few weeks so he could learn our names. Once we got settled, he had us fill in a seating chart so he could start putting names with faces. I sat the second row (maybe the 3rd), on the isle. A nice and very skinny Asian kid named Chris sat on my right.

That’s one thing about being in an engineering program (especially mechanical engineering), I got used to being surrounded by guys. In this class, I think there were two of us women in a class of 40 or so guys. My entire graduating class had only 3 women in it, I think.

A week or so into the semester, I showed up to class a bit early because my class before that one had been canceled. I walked in the door, and guess what I saw? I saw someone sitting in Chris’s seat. The entire rest of the classroom was empty…except for that one seat. The one you were sitting in. The one seat that was right next to mine.

Naturally, I thought you’d come early to try and, I don’t know, bully your way into sitting next to me? You must have really wanted to get to know me.

Oooo- totally hunky AND guts. I like!

So I gathered up my courage, and sat in my seat. The one right next to the one you were sitting in even though the rest of the room was empty. I didn’t think it was at all strange or bold. After all, it was MY seat.

As I pulled out the chair and got settled in, you glanced me over (stared at you) with your left eyeball (both eyeballs).

“Hi”

“Hi”

And then we sat. Silently. For what seemed like forever.

And then the rest of the class started filing in. One by one the other seats filled, and we just sat there quietly. Until Chris came in.

He shuffled over to you, sort of poked you in the shoulder with his bony finger

“Hey man, you’re in my seat.”

“Oh, sorry.”

You gathered up things…but I swear there was something going on with your skin. Your face turned red, and your ears…your ears practically glowed red…sort of like they do now when you have that strange allergic reaction to beer? Yeah, THAT red.

Not much of a fight, my friend. I sort of expected more ;-)

You found your way to the back row where there were seats available, and that’s where you stayed for the semester.

OK, my version is a little different.

I re-register late for Mechanics of Materials since I failed the first time. Since I was a couple days late starting the class, I wanted to be early to class so I didn’t stick out any more than I already did.

I took a seat a few rows back and pretty close to the door, and I was the first one in class. The second person in class was a very attractive woman.

I had never seen an attractive engineering student, so I was not sure I was in the right class.

Awww

I was even less sure when you sat right next to me in the open classroom. I immediately assumed you were as impressed with me as I was you. As the rest of the people piled into class, two things became apparent. First, I was in the right class…the rest of the students were the propeller-heads I was used to seeing in class. Second, they had assigned seats on the first day of class and this hot student was sitting next to me because you had to.

So, after the owner of the seat tapped me on the shoulder and told me I was in his seat, I crept to the back of the class to my new assigned seat, next to a buddy who worked in the pizza shop with me.

Oh, boy. That’s all I have in me for now. I’m going to dream ME340 now, and be plagued by the question of why Odom gave me a B in my senior design class even though I totally earned an A. Let’s do “chapter 2” another night, okay?

If you dream about ME340 and Ed Odom on our anniversary, I clearly have not treated you well enough the last 12 years.

Well, one thing is clear…I talk a LOT more than you do. You’re a good sport doing this with me. I appreciate it.

I know it is your blog, but do you always have to get the last word?

Um, yeah. You can have the last word next chapter (maybe). The end (for now). Oh, now I feel bad. Type a word, will ya?

No.

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Here we are at at after graduation party in 1997.  This is about 2 years after we started dating - just months away from our wedding day:

Another graduation shot:

Here we are - all three of us women who graduated the UI Mechanical Engineering program in 1997:

We had a great big graduation part with all of our friends at (where else but) Branegans: