“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.”

– Robert Quillen

Thanks for following along each week as I prepared for my ninth Falmouth Road Race. 

Thanks to those who donated to the cause and enabled me to exceed my fundraising goal of $2,000.

Thanks to Elijiah, a Real Trooper, for inspiring me to take more than 6 minutes off my time from last year. 6 minutes is a lot in a seven-mile race.

The faster pace let me finish in 7,782nd Place our of 9,246 finishers. In my age group, I finished 38th out of 65 other nuts who ran and were over 70 years of age.

My only disappointment is that four of the members of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity that I serve as the Advisor for, finished ahead of me, one by only 2 minutes and 11 seconds. It would have made my day to beat one of them. Next year.

Brothers of Phi Sigma Kappa at the Start Line of the Race. Not sure if they would live in infamy if I finished before them.

Three Miles in. Former Intern Sydnie and her family have a cheering section & sign for me every year at a house along the beach.

Four miles in. My friend Bill is on the left as I run by his house cheering me on as Ellen, the photographer, honors my request for an 'action photo.'

On August 24, 1972, my future wife and I had our first date. Tomorrow is the 51st Anniversary of the event that changed the world, or at least our world, and I share this story every year because of the impact it had on many lives.

We were just kids and of course had no idea what life had in store for us. I knew within a couple of weeks that she was the girl of my dreams, I think it took her a little longer to categorize me in a similar fashion.

If you haven't read the story of that first date, it might not sound true, but it is. If you are reading it again, you already know where we are going to dinner tomorrow night.

I’ve never been one to kiss and tell, and in this first date story, and there is no kiss involved.

However, the details of that date are more or less etched in stone, or at least the highlights are.

Act 1:

Bill was my Big Brother in the fraternity, and he went to work at the University Book Store after graduation. A year later, a new girl at the information desk, my future wife, started there as well. About a year after that, I also went to work in the bookstore, creating logoed and graphic t-shirts.

The day my first check was supposed to be there, I walked up to this hot chick behind the information desk, my future wife, and asked if the checks had come in. She curtly replied ‘no.’ 

Well then.

I went back to work and sometime later, I really don’t remember how long I waited, I went back to the information desk, looking for ‘information’ about my check. When I asked again, I got a fast answer like ‘I’ll let you know when they are here,’ which I translated as ‘don’t be a pest,’ or ‘don’t bother me again or else.’

Not a good start to the relationship.

Many months later, and after I left the job at the bookstore, I don’t remember exactly how long, my Big Brother decided to play matchmaker. He shared with me that, apparently, my future wife’s current boyfriend didn’t exactly have her on the pedestal he felt she deserved, and he thought I might be a better match.

He seized an opportunity to connect us when my future wife who, at the time, had a brother coaching soccer at a local high school, and wanted to get him a book on coaching. Bill offered my expertise to her, since I was a soccer player.

I came to the bookstore and helped her pick out a book for him. Pretty simple. Not sure when or how what happened next happened, but shortly after helping her pick out a great book, I made the big move and called her for a date.

She said "No."

I remember what I said, and so does she, when she said she couldn't go out with me. I said, ‘let me pick myself up off the floor.’ She always remembered that line.

I quickly turned the car around and we left. As we got closer to campus, both hungry, I pulled into McDonald’s on Route 9 in Hadley where we enjoyed some fries and burgers on our first date. (Years later, not 2 or 3 but 10 or 15, we ran across a story about the Delaney House fire and she finally believed me.)

I wish I had the cocktail napkins, but I still have the pedestal, and the hot chick.  We'll be at McDonald's tonight for this 50th Anniversary Date. I'm still a big spender.