52 Photos Week 6: Romance
I love romance, and my husband has always been very romantic. Even back to when we were first engaged.
Momence (our hometown) has a beautiful Island Park. I have so many wonderful memories of things our family did when I was a kid at the island. Family reunions, my dad's company picnics, church picnics - it just seemed to be the place to go. There was a west side of the island, then you had to go under a railroad bridge to get to the east side of the island. During our gladiolus festival there is always a flea market on the west side and an old car show on the east side.
Michael and I met on February 15, 1987, and on April 15, 1987, we were on a date and he took me for a ride. We went to the Island Park over to the east side. When we reached a bench that looked like the picture above, he asked me to get out of the car, and to side on the bench. That was where he proposed to me.
After I accepted him, he told me that he father had proposed to his mother on that bench. I told him I thought that was very romantic. We got in the car and drove on a little bit - and low and behold - we saw another bench between 2 trees. He asked me to get out, and he proposed to me again. He said he wanted to make sure he proposed to me on the same bench that his father had proposed to his mother.
Well, I could make this long - but we ran across another five benches and went through the same process. He wanted to make sure he covered his tracks.
Then we went to his parents house and shared our good news. All of a sudden his dad stared laughing and couldn't stop. Mike's face turned a little red. He wasn't sure what had happened.
When his father could breathe again, Mike said "Father, didn't you say you proposed to mother on one of those benches?" His dad said, yes I did. Michael asked him what was so funny.
His dad said, "Well Michael, they cut the trees down with the bench on it several years ago, and covered it up to make a road". But your heart was in the right place.
We all laughed, but I knew that Michael was a little disappointed. He tried so hard to make it a romantic proposal.