CheriasChatter.com

Today is mine and Rick’s 4th Wedding Anniversary and I’m so proud to be his wife.  He is so loving along with having a lot of humor to mix in with our crazy life.  Life together has been rather interesting, but also very special.  I’m gonna tell you some things about our beginning.

First of all, Rick and I gew up as neighbors about a mile from each other.  However, I guess you could say, I grew up first since I’m fourteen years older than Rick.  He tells me that by the time he was old enough to date that I was already on my way to raising a family.  Then he got married and I was on my way to getting a divorce.  Even tho my marriage was not perfect, I have to say that my two daughters, Amy and Tami are the most perfect daughters any mother could ever ask for.

I was alone for several years and Rick was struggling to make his marriage work.  Finally it was plain that divorce was the only way for him to go also.  We both attended the same church and I knew his marriage was over, but I didn’t think he would be interested  in dating an ‘older woman’ like me.  But I was so wrong.  I had always thought he was good looking and so sweet and then one Saturday night it happened.

I was on my computer and I received a message from someone saying that he knew me and wanted to talk.  At first he didn’t tell me who he was, but he knew so much about me that I realized that he really did know me for sure.  After I finally figured out his idenity we talked for several hours and then he called me on the phone.  I finally had to tell him that it was time for me to get some sleep because I had to take Olivia to meet Amy for a visit.  He asked if I’d like to have his company on the trip.  Of course I said I would enjoy that very much.

So a three hour trip to meet Amy was the first of many dates.  That was a very different date than what most people have.  Olivia was seven years old and she could talk non-stop.  I didn’t know what Rick would think of a babbling youngster, so I told Olivia that she needed to be real quiet.  I certainly didn’t want that to be our first and only date.  Well, I think Rick fell in love with her from the beginning, but Olivia said she didn’t like him because she wasn’t allowed to talk.  But it didn’t take her long to change her mind.  Now the two of them are as happy as can be with each other.

Rick and I dated for a while and then decided we wanted to spend our lives together forever.  And on November 29, 2003 we said those two famous words “I Do” with our families and friends right there with us shivering in the cold.  You can read Rick’s thoughts on his website at www.RickRouse.com.  I have to agree that it was freezing with the snow flying, but warm in our hearts.

Now we have another granddaughter, Madison who is so much like her older sister Olivia and I’m thinking she will be just as talkative also. Rick, do you think there is any possibility we might get to go on their first dates?  Now, how much fun would that be?

Happy Anniversary my love!

Just had to show off my granddaughters.  This was Olivia’s 12th year, but Madison is just beginning her trick-or-treating.  Olivia enjoyed taking her little sis around for all to see and Madison enjoyed her older sis showing her to everyone.

Rick has always said that someday he wanted to take me to visit some places that he was in while he served our country during his Army days.  One of those places is Korea, and as much as I’d love to go there for a visit, there is a small problem: God did not give me wings to fly, and flying is the fastest way to get there.

I’m sure you are thinking ” just get into a plane and fly there”.  Well, with me it isn’t that simple.  You see, I’m afraid of heights or anything that gets off the ground.  And planes for sure get off the ground – way off the ground.

I wasn’t always so afraid.  When I was younger I loved to go to all the amusement parks and ride the highest and fastest rides in the parks.  Even as an adult I still enjoyed the rides.  Then I became a Mom to Amy and I’d take her on some of the rides that she came to enjoy also.

Then I became pregnant with Tami and we took a trip to a park in North Carolina, and the best way to get up on the mountain was on a chairlift.  So I sat down in the chair and began  the trip across the trees and valley.  About half way up I suddenly felt like I was going to loose my lunch, and from that day until this I cannot get off the ground and I’m terrified of anything that goes up in the air.

My girls do not have that same fear.  Amy skydives almost every weekend,  and Tami has also taken her turn at jumping out of an airplane.  And they enjoy it very much.   Even my granddaughter Olivia loves rollercoasters and I’m sure she will take her turn in the air when she is older.  And probably so will  my youngest granddaughter Madison.

 Well, this ole girl will just keep her feet planted on the ground.  I guess I’ll just have to visit those far away places through pictures and other media.  The only flying I’ll be doing is when God takes me to heaven and then I won’t have any fear of anything.