MarytheKaytheBlog

Some Skunks, a Gun, and a Flashlight

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides; Part 5--One Fateful Boat Ride; Part 6--Waiting on our First Date to Happen; Part 7--Who's Sammy Lane?; Part 8--Okay, I'm Sure Now; Part 9--There was a lot of smiling, and honesty, and heart pounding...

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I bet you read the title and thought, "Huh?  I thought this was a love story."

And this is where I would answer you, "Oh honey.  Stick around.  This is the redneck part of our love story!"

I like to tell my Ozark friends, in my best hillbilly voice, "Dave and I fell in love SKUNK HUNTIN'"  And that's "huntin'" without the "g" at the end!

You see, that particular summer, there was a skunk problem around camp.  Staff and campers kept seeing skunks.  And smelling them occasionally.

A respectable summer camp just cannot have skunks wandering around.  Don't skunks carry rabies?  Or leprosy?  Or maybe they just carry STINK.

Our camp director found out (the hard way) that you cannot trap a skunk.  Well, I mean you can...but then what do you do with it?  Nope, the game warden told us the most humane thing to do in a summer camp situation is to shoot the skunk.

Shoot a bunch of skunks?  Yes, preferably at night.  When no one's around.  And each one with the first shot.  You know--so campers don't start writing letters home about the gunshots they're hearing at night. 

Gunshots are probably not good for publicity.

Neither are skunks.

So, the camp director pulled Dave into his office and asked Dave, master hunter and gun-toting man that he was, to help "take care" of the skunks.  And with a matchmaking gleam in his eye, Brawner told Dave he probably needed someone to help...hold the flashlight, perhaps.  He told Dave to take me along, in a camp truck (aka, old beat-up hundred-year-old truck with doors that didn't always close the first time), and drive around the bottom area of camp by the lake, to see if we couldn't find some skunks.  He told us to wait until after Taps--lights out bedtime--to start.

With the director's blessing, Dave loaded up his gun, and handed me the biggest flashlight I'd ever seen: The foot-long Mag Light. 

This is also where I introduce another main character into our love story.  Reader, I'd like for you to meet Otis.  Otis was the night watchman at our camp for years and years.  He's still living, and has only retired from camp in the last couple of years.  Oh, but for 20 or 30 years, Otis was a nighttime fixture at our camp--many times arriving a couple of hours early for duty, just so he could talk to many of the staff and campers during the evening activity.  Otis loved camp, and he loved the staff and campers.  And I bet if you asked any of the people from those 20 or 30 years at K-1 Kanakuk about Otis, you'd see that the feeling was mutual. 

One of my favorite things about Otis is his stories.  He's lived a long and interesting life, and is happy to tell about it, if you ask.  Even sometimes, when you don't ask.  The stories are even better--because he always tells them in the 3rd person.  Seems like he always starts one of his old stories like this, "Ole Otis, well...he helped build that Table Rock Dam, he sure did.  Back then, 'hit was nothing but farmland..."

Oh, but back to the story.  If ever you meet Otis, you ask him, and I'm sure he'll tell you..."Oh, I was there 'at summer when dat Dave and MurKay was huntin' skunks, I sure was.  Whoo, you'uhnses wouldn't believe how many skunks there was.  But, ole Otis, he was thar when they got to courtin'..."

And he was there.  Dave and I always knew when we'd see headlights slowly bumping across the football field through the dark--we knew Otis was coming to check on us...or to let us know of a skunk sighting.  Or, most likely, he was lonesome for company, and wanted to chat for a spell. 

Often, Dave would drive us to where Otis had last spotted a skunk, and sure enough, we'd see that fluffy black tail.  I would point the flashlight through the driver window, and Dave would jump out of the truck, aim, and shoot.

And doggone it, Dave hit the skunk every single time.  Always between the eyes--so it wouldn't spray when shot, he explained.  Well, usually it didn't spray...

Dave and I kept a tally of all the skunks we killed over a couple of weeks.  We called that tally sheet:  "Team Dave and Mary Kay."  I think we got to 14 or 15 skunk kills.

Can we pause for a moment, and ponder the fact that I just wrote "14 or 15 skunk kills" in my LOVE STORY.  Like I said--this is the redneck portion of my story.

What I have not told you about yet, is how every night for about 2 weeks, I rarely got more than about 5 hours of sleep.  But, a girl sure can survive on love in times like that. 

Dave and I might have been heading toward love with those first dates, the roses, and the kiss.  But, truly, we fell in love while skunk hunting.  Like any kind of hunting, most of our time was spent doing the hunting part--in our case driving around, or sitting in the truck, waiting.  During those long hours, Dave and I just talked and talked.  I told Dave everything.  It seemed I couldn't keep any secrets or thoughts--embarrassing or not--from him. 

We talked about our childhoods, our friendships.  We talked about what we wanted in life, what was important.  And it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage.

Yes, I know.  It was a whirlwind romance.  Remember, I only worked 2 months that summer.  But, in those 2 months we knew.  We knew we had found "the one." 

And like young couples in love, we almost always held hands in that old truck.  Or, I'd scoot next to Dave and put my head on his shoulder.  But, don't you worry.  Ole' Otis was never far away, with his latest skunk sighting, or latest story to tell in those lonely night hours. 

Come to think of it...I wonder if our camp director asked Otis to keep an eye out for the skunk huntin' couple?  Because, sure enough, ole' Otis, he was never far away...

To be continued...

(Am I running anybody off yet with my crazy 10-part love story?  And I'm barely to the end of our 2 months at camp.  I hope to take a couple of days' break from the story, and pick it back up again soon.  Thanks for your encouraging comments so far!  This story has been SO FUN for me to tell.  I apologize that I cannot seem to tell a quick story to save my life...)

 Oh, there we were, the romantic Skunk Huntin' Couple!  Complete with our 1990s long denim shorts and white t-shirts, sleeves cuffed.

 And...the limousine to love...Ole Red, loyal camp truck and skunk huntin' bloodhound.
 
 

There was a lot of smiling, and honesty, and heart pounding...

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides; Part 5--One Fateful Boat Ride; Part 6--Waiting on our First Date to Happen; Part 7--Who's Sammy Lane?; Part 8--Okay, I'm Sure Now

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(Disclaimer:  This is the part of the story where I am hiding under my covers, hoping no one sees me while reading this...AAAHHHHHH.)

After being given my first-ever dozen long-stemmed roses on the trip to the airport, I could only imagine what our drive back from the airport would be like.  I was nervous, but excited to see Dave.

My heart did flip flops when I saw him standing at the airport curb.  As he got in the car, he was smiling at me with his blue eyes, and with a grin from ear to ear.  Of course, I was smiling back...and with what was becoming my style of communication with Dave, before thinking, I blurted out exactly what I was thinking,

"I missed you while you were gone!"

And in Dave's cute boyish way, with a shy grin, "You did?  Good.  'Cause I really missed you, too."

We talked about our weekends away from each other, and Dave told me all about the wedding.  I felt like I was getting to know all of his friends that were a part of the wedding, just from his stories.  Little did I know, I would get to know them later on--and really well!

After a while, Dave got serious, and said he wanted to talk to me about something.  He pulled the car off the road, and into a shaded parking lot. 

After he parked the car, he rolled down the windows, and turned to face me, "Listen.  I just want you to know that this is not a passing thing with me.  You know--you and me.  I'd like to keep getting to know you, if that's all right."

Quietly, and with my heart beating right out of my chest, I answered, "I feel the same way."

"Well, I want you to know that I will never hurt you.  I am making that promise right now.  And I'd like to take you on another date really soon."

Beaming, I answered shyly, "I would love that."

As we sat in the quiet car, a light breeze drifted in the windows.  A couple of people walked past, and got in their car.  During this quiet pause between talking, I guess I had a look that crossed my face, because Dave asked, "What?  What are you thinking?"

I was completely mortified, because I HAD been thinking something, and had no idea my face gave it away.  Embarrassed, I said, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I can tell.  Tell me.  What were you just thinking?"

Again--I found myself blurting out exactly what I was thinking with Dave...

Timidly, and with an embarassed grin I answered, "I was wondering...if you were going to kiss me?"

Without missing a beat, he said, "Well, I'd be crazy not to!!"

AND THEN--THEN, that boy went on to TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.  I have no idea WHAT he was talking about, because the whole time I kept thinking, "What just happened?  Didn't he just say he'd be crazy not to kiss me?  What did he mean...because now he changed the subject and is talking???

And then.  Then, he reached across and gently lifted my chin, and he leaned down to kiss my lips.  It was the sweetest, gentlest kiss I could ever imagine.  It was perfect.  A perfect, magical first kiss.

He pulled back, looked into my eyes, and smiled.

I smiled back, totally lost in the moment.

And he leaned down to kiss me again.  This time longer, with his hand resting on my cheek.

I remember after, looking up into his eyes, and smiling.  Happy and content--and yet, with my heart pounding, pounding.

He grinned at me, turned the ignition back on and said, "Wow.  We had better get on back to camp now!" 

Breathless, and flushed, and heart racing, "Yeah.  I know."

We pulled into the camp parking lot, got out, and walked down the hill to camp.  Dave reached over and took my hand, smiling at me again.  Our hands finally slipped apart at the blue entrance gates, and we turned to go our separate ways.  Dave walked a few steps before turning back to call out--with a twinkle in his eye--"I'll come see you later, okay?"

I smiled back at him.  I didn't need to respond.  I knew my eyes said everything my words could have.

To be continued...

 There's that handsome fella--just 24 hours before...well, you know!

 Some of Dave's friends from the wedding he traveled to that weekend.  Boy, am I glad Todd and Shana got married that weekend, and needed Dave to fly there...

Okay, I'm Sure Now

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides; Part 5--One Fateful Boat Ride; Part 6--Waiting on our First Date to Happen; Part 7--Who's Sammy Lane?

..........

 

One of my favorite parts of this story, is that I can pinpoint the exact moment when I knew Dave felt the same about me as I felt about him.

And it was a moment when no words were even exchanged...

Dave needed to leave camp for a few days to be a groomsman for one of his closest friends.  He needed someone to drive him the hour to and from the airport--and guess who was assigned to that task?  One very lucky office girl, that's who!

Of course, on the way there, Dave drove us, old fashioned guy that he is.  Again, as we seemed to do every time we were together, we talked and talked the whole way there.  I still had so many questions I wanted to ask him.  As we got closer to the airport, Dave said he needed to make a quick detour.  He pulled into a little strip shopping center, and said he needed to run in, but that he wouldn't be long.

There were several stores there, and I have no idea why I didn't notice which one he entered.  But, I sat for what seemed like a long time.  At one point I wondered what I should do--because I had no idea what store he was in, and it felt like 10-15 minutes had passed. I was worried he would miss his flight.  And remember--no cell phones back then to check on him.

(Ha!! That paragraph right there could be a blueprint for our whole marriage!  Dave needing to make a surprise stop somewhere--the boy loves surprises.  And MK worrying about being late--because the girl does love to worry.)

Finally!  I saw someone walking toward our car.  But, oh my goodness, that someone was carrying a huge arm bouquet of the most beautiful long-stemmed pink roses I had ever seen!

Dave opened my car door, and with a big grin on his face, placed the dozen roses in my arms.  I am SURE I was speechless for a moment, and I am SURE my face turned bright red.

It was that instant, that I knew.  I knew Dave felt the same about me as I did him.  And I knew this was more than a couple of creative nights off together.  This was for real.

As Dave jumped out at the airport--with only minutes to spare--he told me that he'd like to call me while he was away...and especially since he "needed to tell me" the details about his return flight.  Since I was an office girl, and lived in an office girl cabin, lucky for me--we answered the phones at night.  So, of course, when Dave called later that night, I was right there to answer!

I remember looking across the cabin at my roses while I talked to Dave on the phone.  Surely, he could hear my big smile as we talked.  His voice sounded excited on the other end of the phone, and even though I was sure he was really busy with wedding activities, I could tell he really wanted to talk to me on the phone.  Like talking on the phone with me was his most important task of the day.

That kind of attention made me feel more special than I had felt in a really long time.  I couldn't wait to pick him up at the airport in two days!

Ah, and the ride back from the airport was even better...

To be continued...

Image credit: Flickr Satheesh k 

Who's Sammy Lane?

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides; Part 5--One Fateful Boat Ride; Part 6--Waiting on our First Date to Happen

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Before our 2nd date, Dave had sent me a camp goodie--a little camp note--telling me, "You remind me of Sammy Lane."

I knew our campers cheered every time the Sammy Lane boat passed by.  And I knew the boat was named after a girl--a local legend of sorts, named Sammy Lane.  I was really hoping I reminded him of the girl, and not the boat.

But, I really didn't know what Dave meant...until our next date.

He took me to see the Shepherd of the Hills play, which is performed at an outdoor ampitheatre, and tells the story of a pretty girl, and the guy she falls for.

All I could think about during the whole play was that I reminded Dave of the pretty heroine, who is smart and courageous and kind...and who is saved in the end by the handsome guy whom she loves.

I also couldn't help but think about the end of our date that night...I couldn't stop wondering if he would kiss me goodnight. He hadn't after our first date, but I was hoping he would after our 2nd.

Sadly, though, our date ended with a short hug. A nice hug, but still.  A hug made me wonder if I was imagining all of the signs.  Even though Dave and I had sent a few little goodies back and forth, nothing had specifically defined whether or not we were in a relationship.  I thought we were.  I hoped we were.  But, I still wasn't sure.  Especially with a quick hug to end both dates.  I knew that some camp guys planned elaborate nights off with girls just for fun...And I just wasn't sure if these were those kind of dates, or something more...

I was sure of one thing, though.  I was falling for Dave.

And I was worried he might not feel the same way about me.

To be continued...

Aye, matey!  This is the old sign for the old Sammy Lane boat...I would say this is the old pirate...but, actually, he was quite young back then.  *grin*

Waiting on our First Date to Happen

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides; Part 5--One Fateful Boat Ride

 ..........

 

Here is where I will insert some reality into our whirlwind romance and starry eyes.

I sat waiting on Dave, for our very first date.

I mean, I waited a long time. Uncomfortably long.

After our fateful boat ride, where Dave asked me on a night off, we headed to our respective cabins to get ready. I'm sure I ran straight to my friend Dawn, asking her to help me pick out what I was going to wear. I don't even remember what I wore. But, I do remember all the butterflies in my stomach, and hurrying so I could get the date started.

I grinned all the way over to the girls' side of camp. I sat down to wait on Dave on a bench in front of the office, as all the girls on their nights off crunched across the gravel toward their cars. Before long, all the girls on nights off had left, and I sat waiting. Looking back, I'm sure Dave tackled 27 1/2 jobs after our boat ride, and probably just started getting showered when he saw me walking over.

Or maybe he spent all that time planning out our date.

Because, it was an amazing first date.

(It was worth the wait.)

When Dave finally walked out of his cabin toward me, he was all clean and smelling good. He helped me into his open-air Jeep (so much for the time I spent getting my hair ready!) and we headed toward our first destination.

In true Dave form, he wanted to surprise me with each part of the date.

Our first stop was the top of the Shepherd of the Hills observation tower. Just in time to watch the sunset together. I almost didn't know how to act, or what to say. I'd never had a guy want to share the sunset. In a tower, no less.

Next, we drove to The Outback restaurant, new to Branson at the time. I don't remember what we ate, but I do remember that we talked and talked and talked. And when it was time to order dessert, Dave had me pick. Of course, I chose the key lime pie. But, Dave threw me off when he told the waiter that we'd like our dessert in a to-go box.

Because we had one last stop before the end of our date.

Dave drove me to the park overlooking Table Rock Dam. He helped me out of the Jeep, carrying the lime pie box in one hand, and holding my hand with his other. I didn't care where we were going. I was just following wherever he led me, captivated by my hand in his.

He led us to some large boulders at the edge of the water. Again, holding my hand, he gently helped me climb one of the rocks to sit down. Side by side we sat, the moonlight shining down, and with two forks we shared the piece of lime pie.

In the quiet of the evening, we talked some more. We didn't run out of things to say. There were comfortable silences between our talking, when we'd listen to the crickets or the rhythmic water splashing onto shore. In those silences, I knew. I knew we'd experienced something special that night. I was excited by the possibilities, but in that moment, I just felt content to be there.

And...as the metaphor of our whole life together--the night ended suddenly, as we hopped in the Jeep, racing back to camp before we were late for curfew.

I was a little nervous about being late. But, mostly, what I felt was safe. Being with Dave made me feel safe, and cared for. Even as the wind was wildly whipping through my hair and the Jeep sped through the dark night back toward camp, I knew Dave would make it okay. Even if we were late.

To be continued...

The Bachelor's Pad cabin--where Dave and the other Big Brothers on the girls' side of camp lived...and where certain newlyweds would live in all of its spartan (non-glorious) glory sometime in the future.

The Jeep. Evidently, in this picture it was the star of a camp party of some sort--maybe a 50's themed party. We still have that cute Jeep.  However, it has retired to South Dakota.

 

Ah, here we are--the young couple in love!  This picture was taken later that summer, at my home. Oh, and my bangs would like to ask your forgiveness...for being subjected to looking at their curly, cowlick mess.

One Fateful Boat Ride

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise; Part 4--Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides

..........

 

Dawn and I had our boat dock routine down.  We'd rush down, with just enough time to spread out a towel, lie down, and soak in several minutes of glorious sun before we'd hear the ski boat pull into the dock. 

One day, however, Dawn made other plans.  Earlier that morning, Dave had asked her in his classic evasive way...if he were to ask a certain girl out on a date, would she say "yes?"  Dawn answered him, I'm sure, in her Southern drawl, and always clear in her communication--"Oh, YES.  I am SURE she would!"

That was the day that Dawn wasn't able to join me on the dock.  I don't even know if I understood at the time why.  But, thankfully, I rushed down alone, waiting for a certain boat driver to appear.

After all the campers had rushed past me, Dave's shadow appeared over me and asked, "Hey!  Wanna take a boat ride?"

Squinting up, and I'm sure blushing, I answered, "Okay!"

We rode mostly in silence that day, enjoying the sun and breeze kissing our cheeks.  Dave pointed out some of his favorite sights along the ride.  I'm sure he pointed out the brown cows that often cooled off along the chilly-water shore--the chocolate milkshake cows, he called them.

After a while, it was getting time to head back.  Dave broke the silence with a question, "Hey.  Would you like to keep driving this way and see the dam, or would you like to turn around and go on a night off with me?"

I was so nervous, all I could answer was, "Yes!!"

Dave told me later, that he was really HOPING I was answering "yes" to the night off together...because he quickly turned that boat around, and headed for the dock.

We had a date to get ready for.

To be continued...

Wait a minute!!!  Not THIS kind of boat...  A regular ski boat 
 

Like THIS!  Dave and one of his ski classes...back in the day... 
 

Questions, Goodies, and Boat Rides

  With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side; Part 3--A Dance...with a Promise

...............

In following my "Carpe Diem" mantra that summer, I wrote Dave a goodie--a letter sent through inner-camp mail--the morning after our dance. My hand was practically shaking as I wrote the short note, thanking him for the dance. Goodness, I wouldn't fit in with today's girls that call boys first, and ask them on dates. I was old-fashioned about boys. Even writing that note felt overly-flirty to me. But, I wrote it, quickly folded it up, and put it in the mailbox before I could change my mind.

When he came by the office later in the day, smiling, and asking about my day, I knew the goodie had been a good idea.

Carpe Diem.

Even though his cowboy boots and slow dance sealed the deal for me, Dave says my questions sealed it for him. And I believe I know just the night he's talking about...

One night that week I was working on a project--putting the little metal jump-rings onto plastic crosses, and threading them with a leather cord. There were hundreds of these to complete, so I decided to take all of my supplies to a quiet office to tackle the tedious job. When Dave stopped in our office that evening to say hello, my dear, dear friend Dawn just-so-happened to mention where I was working on my project. And wouldn't you know it--minutes later, Dave stopped by my quiet office and sat down.

At first, I found it difficult to concentrate on my pliers and jump-rings. But, I did what I always seem to do in nervous situations: I asked lots of questions.

I asked Dave all about his family. I asked him about the intriguing jobs he'd had. He fascinated me. He'd run businesses, he'd created his own line of Spring Break t-shirts, and sold them right on the beach of South Padre. Then, when winter came, he picked up and moved to Breckenridge, to teach kids how to ski. He was smart and independent, and unlike any of the guys I'd ever known. I'd never known anyone who lived so far "outside the box." His life was easy to keep asking questions about. I was fascinated, and smitten.

And, before I knew it, my entire pile of hundreds of crosses was complete.

I wanted to spend more time with Dave. But, remember--I worked on the boys' side of camp, and he worked on the girls' side of camp. He was a Big Brother at the girls' camp. Every term, there were a couple of guys who filled that position. I guess, like Dawn and me loving working around all those cute boys--Dave surely enjoyed working around all the cute college girls. Only, you know, the girls actually kept their shirts on.

One of Dave's jobs in the girls' camp was to drive boats for the ski class. Lucky for me--his ski class time coincided with my daily free-time out of the office. Most days, Dawn (my co-conspirator in the Carpe Diem department!) and I rushed down to the girls' boat dock to hang out during our free time. We understood that if we timed it just right, we would be able to soak in some sun, as well as greet the campers...and their boat driver as they finished up their skiing, and returned to the dock.

Some days we'd just chat with Dave as he put away skis and life jackets. Other days, he'd offer us a quick boat ride.

Always, my cheeks would be flushed with sun and excitement, smiling and savoring every single moment. But, not nearly as flushed as they were at the end of that one particular boat ride...

To be continued...

 A very young MarytheKay - as a Kanakuk camper herself! 

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A Dance...with a Promise

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell  A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List; Part 2--A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side

 

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I don't want to give you the wrong impression.  Even though Dawn and I were office girls on the boys' side of camp, there were very strict boundaries.  Yes, we interacted with cute shirtless guys all day long.  But, camp had very strict rules we followed.  Obviously, camp had to be careful with the kind of girl they put in that position.  Neither Dawn nor I were overly-flirty girls, and we were also rule-following kind of girls.

That's not to say we didn't thoroughly enjoy the location of our office, or the interaction with all the guys.  But, we did understand that we were there to do our jobs, and do them well.

So, how does a girl fall in love with a guy across a tall front countertop, in brief snatches of time?

Well, for starters, a shy, non-flirty girl who adopted the popular mantra "Carpe Diem," might speak up, when normally she would have remained quiet.  She probably smiled and looked into a cute guy's blue eyes, when normally she may have avoided embarassing eye contact. 

And, after her evening shift, when she arrived very late to the staff Country Western dance, she may have said "yes" to the handsome blue-eyed cowboy who asked her to dance.

Oh, yes.  This romance may have started with a list, and a first hug.  But, it was sealed with a two-steppin' dance. 

I'll never forget seeing Dave walk towards me that night.  He wore jeans and a white and blue long-sleeve shirt, sleeves rolled up his tanned arms.  And boots.  That boy stole my heart when I saw his tan roper boots.  Or maybe it was his strikingly blue eyes, that matched the blue of his shirt.  Either way, I was a goner.

He was the first guy to ask me to dance that night.  And the only guy I danced with after that.  I'll never forget how nervous I was.  I'd only just learned how to Western dance--how to Two-Step, and here I was with a cute guy wrapping his arms around my waist, the music starting.

As soon as the music started, I stopped being nervous.  I was lost in the moment.  The music, the blue eyes, the boyish grin, his hand at my waist leading me around the dance floor of the K-Kountry tennis court.  I know there were lots of others dancing beside us and around us in the evening air.  But, all I remember of that whole night was the dance with Dave, my cowboy in boots. 

We were too lost in the moment at the time, to realize that our dance was to be our fate, our promise.  As our feet shuffled one-two--one; one-two--one, Randy Travis' voice sang into the warm night air...

"I'm gonna love you, forever and ever,

Forever and ever, amen...."

 To be continued...
 

A Girl on the Boys' Side, and a Boy on the Girls' Side

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell A Summer Camp Love Story.

Need to catch up?  Part 1--Our Love Story Starts with: A List

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My other camp friend Dawn and I had the most enviable jobs of all the girls' staff at Kanakuk Kamps:  We worked in the boys' summer camp office.  Oh yes, all day long, our office looked out over the boys' camp.  All day long, good-looking college counselors came in and flirted with the only girls they saw every day--the office girls.

Did I mention that these college guys were also college athletes?  And maybe I should also mention that these college athletes rarely wore shirts.  Oh, but being immersed  into boy culture was not always what we expected.  Most days, those boys were sweaty and dirty.  They'd always leave behind their sweaty arm prints on our front counter.  They took great delight in not wearing deodorant during those 28 days.  Oh yes, we could always smell these boys even before we'd see them.  Even so, we felt protective over these boys we mostly treated like brothers.  Oh, sure.  There were good-looking boys who flirted.  But, more than just good-looking, these were good boys, kind boys, funny boys, smart boys, Christian boys with bright futures.  That boys' side of camp was a hand-picked gathering of some of the most godly, kid-loving, character-filled group of eligible bachelors any husband-seeking girl could want.  

 Like I said, Dawn and I had the sweetest office girl jobs at the whole camp!

And remember the list?  Sure, I saw every one of the guys on my list every single day.  I interacted with them many times daily as they came into the office.  Yes, I saw them in all kinds of situations every day... sweaty, and tired, and energetic, and laughing, and joking, and flirting, and yelling, and lonesome, and always--always looking for mail and packages from home.   And Dawn and I were the girls behind the counter.  The girls sorting and handing out their mail, answering their phone calls--offering them the necessary connection and encouragement from home.

There was one guy in particular, though, that had more work in our office than the others.  Or perhaps he pretended to have more work in our office than the others?  I saw him every day much more often than I saw the others.  Which is really interesting--because he actually lived and worked on the girls' side of camp.

Yes, Dave worked on the girls' side, and I worked on the boys' side.

And somehow, we met in the middle--literally--and fell in love.

To be continued...  (Part 3 coming later today!!)

 Here we are...the boys' office girls.  That's Dawn in the center, and a much younger me on the right

 There they are--the Big Brothers on the girls' side.  Travis, Dave, Jimmy

 See!  I wasn't kidding about the shirtless part!

Our Love Story Starts With: A List

With our 20th wedding anniversary coming up, I decided to write about our love story. Please join me in the upcoming days as I tell A Summer Camp Love Story.

 

Twenty-one years ago this summer, I packed my maroon Honda Accord trunk with everything a girl needs for two months at summer camp. I still can't believe my parents let their 20-year-old daughter, with a terrible sense of direction, drive herself eight hours--and across two states. However, I had cash in my wallet, gas in my tank, and the route on my map marked with a yellow sharpie, leading the way to Versailles, Missouri--home of a dear summer camp friend. The plan was to stay at her house a couple of days and drive down together to begin Staff Work Week at Kanakuk Kamps.

In between lying out at the pool, cooking Chinese food together, and meeting all of her family, Tracey and I talked non-stop about summer camp. Who we'd kept up with during the year, who we'd seen, and who we were looking forward to seeing.

Ah, and that is where this love story starts: A list. Tracey and I each made a list of who we'd like to get to know better that summer. Okay, more specifically--which guys we thought were cute and would love to date.

And, I know what you're thinking, and yes. Yes, I do remember who was on my list. Do I even dare to mention them now...after these twenty-one years? It's a nice list. I'm pretty everyone on my list has ended up a good guy. Oh, all right. I'll tell you the list. Anyone who knew me back then will surely know exactly who I am talking about. I'll just mention first names, though.

Scott, Ted, Britt, Shannon, and Dave.

I had met all of these guys the summer before, and each one intrigued me for different reasons. I had been dating a guy from home the summer before, so I never even thought about these guys back then. However, after a New Year's Eve broken heart, these guys were the ones I told Tracey I was looking forward to seeing at camp.

Oh, but what's a list, right? Girls always make mental lists of guys they think are cute. I certainly wasn't expecting any of those guys to pay me any special attention. I was never a flirty girl, and always felt like I just blended into the crowd. However. Because the movie The Dead Poets Society had been a popular movie that year, I was heading into summer with the theme "Carpe Diem" in the twinkle of my eye.

How fitting that the very first person I saw as I pulled my car into the Kanakuk driveway, was a guy on my list. Out of the fifty or so guys arriving that day, I first ran into the blond-headed, blue-eyed, tanned smiling face of Dave. Just outside the dining hall, just steps away from my car, Dave came over and hugged me.

Of course, it was a very quick, all-friendly hug...followed by lots and lots of other friends and "Hey, how was your year?" and other hugs.

But, Dave's was first.

From that very first moment, it was Dave.

I don't know if you believe in fate, or if you believe in God playing Matchmaker. I'll let you draw your own conclusions in this story.

But, just remember: Dave was first.

To be continued...