How we met (or who paid who and who is still paying)

Okay, okay I can take a hint. Tell the story, well here it goes.

For you that remember some years ago Chet(my little brother) became interested in honey bees, and after some concern and weird looks the fam started looking into them. Well word got out and a few well meaning ward members kept mentioning the Brinkworths who at that time were well into their 50's(remember that cause it will be important.) So out goes the Parents and Chet to do some "Bee talking."

Unfortunately, they the Brinkworths' still had an unclaimed son( a little shy, a little weird looking, and at that moment under a car so a little dirty). Well the "men" started talking bees, and the women started talking hopeless offspring. One thing led to another and one mother(mine) whipped out a picture of said child and then proceeded to shove said picture at poor dirty guy and proclaim "this is our oldest daughter you should meet her." and then they left.

That next Sunday I went to church and as I was still new in the ward did not think it too weird when introduced to the older couple known as Dick and Val. They seemed nice and they had just given Chet "bee boxes" so I was even nice and said nothing about the loud cowboy boots clomping as they sneaked late into Sacrament meeting( I now know that that is Dicks way of letting them all know that he made it another week) said hello and proceeded to Nursery.

Well, well, well, stupid me a few days later I was at work minding my own business and spending as much as I made, when the phone rang " Hello Casual Corner this is Dusty, how may I help you?" "Oh hey Dust this is your mom what time do you get off?" "about four why?" "Well Valerie Brinkworth called and invited you to their house for dinner tonight and I told her you would be there at about six." "Ahh, what the Hell, dinner with the old people, what are you talking about and why?" "Well they really liked you Sunday and thought you would like to come out, she raises Collies and I mentioned you really liked animals." "Uhm well okay." So being the smart person that I am it finally dawned on me that something more was going on(after all it had only been a few short years before that, that my darling Grandmother had mailed off a Valentine card to a complete stranger from me). So I went home and changed into a pair of old pants of Saiges(yes five kids ago we could share them) a t-shirt and an old sweatshirt that I think was Brooke's.

Well I was off to have dinner with the old folks and after a few missed roads, and a very interesting side trip to the middle of nowhere, I arrived to be met by four or five hairy collies, Mike, his brother Tom, and his fiance Christina who were out shooting pictures of her old boyfriends(how weird are these people). Well after pretending not to know how to shoot and the showing off a little it was time for dinner; fish, steam cooked potatoes with only butter, salt and pepper? and salad with chick peas(what). Nothing better than a strained dinner with people you don't know and food you don't like, and a guy you have so obviously been set up with who doesn't talk.

After a few uncomfortable hours okay 20 minutes or so it came out Mike was a helicopter pilot and had just applied for a job in Alaska, reallllly not such a loser after all, so smarty me said "well just date me I seem to be the good luck job charm(last two guys I dated got jobs in D.C. and Argentina). "Haa Haa." "Would you like to meet the horses? We have one named Dusty but we call him dust ball" uhm was that supposed to be funny? So off to meet the ornery assed horse who proceeded to bite my shoe and grab the sleeve of my shirt, Wow nice to meet you I am out of here.

That very next day okay 2 days later Mike called "would you like to go to the dance that the single ward is having?" (really you are kidding me people really go to those things) "well okay", so off to Denver we went, did I forget to mention that I don't dance? oh well I looked really good flat on the floor. An ice cream cone later both me and my two left feet were back home safe and sound.

Coincidentally just a few days later Mike was on his way to Alaska, am I good or am I good? Well the night he got there he called me was I ever surprised, not that he had called but that I missed him(hmmm something was up). Well we phoned every night and wrote or sent cards at least 3-4 times a week(I still have every letter and card, so does he.) And in July I went to Juneau for a week(it rains an awful lot up there) to visit. Well we did talk the bid "L" word a little and even the "M" word.

October finally rolled around and Mike was coming home(boy was I glad the phone bill was way up there), well I picked him up at the airport and then he left to go Elk hunting that same day with his brothers and dad, so he was gone for another week. The night they got home his mother again invited me out for dinner and a chance to meet the family.(Yes he got his elk) and that night I got my diamond. And two in a half months later(January 9, 1998) we were married in the Denver Colorado Temple.
And now ten years and five kids later we have yet to go on a "REAL DATE" but we are loving it!