A trip down memory lane...

13 years ago today, I married my friend. He is the one I can laugh with (or at), cry with, and talk to without hesitation. Well, except for the time he fell off the ladder, I hesitated, made sure he was okay and then I laughed, uncontrollably I might add.

So, for those of you who haven't heard the story before...

When I was 17, along with my friends Dana and Leslie, went to work at the local Shoney's. Really, we did. We were waitresses, and then I messed up my knee and had to have surgery and became the hostess at Shoneys, but that is another story. Anyway, I went to work one day about a week or so later, and noticed there was a new cook. A really cute one too... So, I walked up to the manager, Robin, and asked who the new cute cook was. She laughed and said, "Marty." I couldn't figure out what was so funny. So of course I asked. What is so funny about Marty? She replied, "He is my brother!"

Oh Crap I thought, You see, Marty is totally different from his sisters, He is the youngest of the 3 and he is 9 and 7 years younger than they are. Marty is very shy, (I know what you are thinking, and I will tell you in a minute how we ended up together) Robin, is not shy and Tammy can be shy sometimes. Naturally I didnt know this when she told me he was her brother. I thought he might be as outgoing as Robin. Boy was I wrong. But he was still cute. And since I had on my best outfit HA! Black wrap around skirt, button up Shoney's shirt, with the bowtie thing, not to mention my pantyhose and black reebok tennis shoes.. Why not flirt with him right??? Surely, if he is anything like his sister, he will flirt back. WRONG.

The first time I spoke to him, he was at the grill, and I was placing an order.(you have to call it over the microphone thing, then hang the order up in the window). He looked at me (so that he could hear the order) and when my eyes met his, I think I stopped talking... YES ME... I STOPPED TALKING.. Until he said something like, "Is that all?" Apparently I had not finished the order... Oops...

We became the kind of friends that aggrevate and pick back and forth. I would be placing an order sometimes, and a french fry would come sailing my way... and of course, I would send him nice hand gestures... If I ever ate anything from Shoney's that he prepared, he would always tell me he dropped it on the floor first. Thanks honey.. But all this was before we started dating, so to him I was still one of those stupid teenage girls.

We kept flirting back and forth for a few weeks, then I had knee surgery and was out of work for a week or two. Before I could drive again, my sister and I went to Shoneys for dessert one day. Marty happened to be working, and he came out to speak to me. We started going out on our days off, or after work. Marty introduced me to his family. He tricked me on this one though. I thought I was meeting his parents, his other sister, her husband and Marty's 4 nieces and nephews. WRONG AGAIN...It was them PLUS his aunt and uncle, Leon & Martha, and their daughter Tracy and her son Spencer.. I had Tammy and Tracy confused, Spencer and Aaron confused. I was a little overwhelmed to say the least, and that wasnt the half of them...

Anyway, fast forward....Marty proposed to me in July of 1995. We got married on July 20, 1996.