Thursday, February 14, 2013

ONE DECADE with my stud muffin!



10 years ago today, Lowell asked me out and we began our glorious journey together. TEN YEARS???!!!?! Normally this could be a rather mundane detail... but don't forget that LOWELL was involved in this asking out business. That means, it was anything but humdrum. For starters, he secretly asked my parents' permission... MY PARENTS' PERMISSION! To DATE me!! As most of you know, Lowell is legally blind, and knowing that his visual impairment would inevitably effect his future wife and family, it was important to him to consult the potential in-laws first. Awwwww. He's always had such depth, sensitivity, and foresight.

My parents were thrilled and gave their approval without hesitation. They knew Lowell before I did, and they had no doubt that he would make a quality son-in-law should the relationship result in marriage. (In fact, I'm still convinced that my parents actually paid Lowell to date me!)

Okay, moving right along.

It was Valentines Day, and we were planning on hanging out. Yes, I know I know... we weren't dating, but planning on spending Valentines evening together- there's everyone's first clue something was about to happen.

We had planned to have supper at his house then see a play at the University with some friends. When I first arrived at Lowell's place, he showed me a book that he won. SIDE STORY! A couple months earlier while we were walking around the university, there was a lady manning a table of kiddie books. She had this one book called 'The Amazing Magic Fact Machine".


Each set of pages included several sciencey questions formed in a circle on the left side, and answers (also in a circle) on the right side. You put the accompanying hand in the questions circle, and spin it to select your question. You then place the hand in the centre of the answer circle, and it finds the right answer. Every. Time. Magic I tell you!


Anyhoo, we both entered our names in a draw to win the book, and win it he did. Only he didn't share that interesting tid bit with me until this particular Valentines evening.

We were flipping through the pages together learning some scientific facts, when he suggested I take a gander at the last page. It was a page made by Lowell to ask me out! The question side said, "Julie will you go out with me?" Well, actually, in his editing process, he overlooked the fact that the word 'go' was missing, so it actually read, "Julie, will you out with me?" His own little instructions then specified that I turn the hand to my answer ("yes", "no" or "gotta think") while he looked away, then Lowell would put the hand on the other side to reveal my answer. If I said "yes", it pointed to a picture of him giving a thumbs up; "no" was a devastated look; "gotta think" was one thumb up and one thumb down.


Well, obviously I chose yes!

But the evening was not over.

He then escorted me downstairs where the basement was candle-lit, Celine (MY FAVE) was playing, and my favourite foods awaited: pizza (in a heart shape to boot), salad, and apple slices. We then saw a play at the university (which was somewhat of a bust but I didn't care because of the handsome man beside me whom I could now call my BOYFRIEND). We then went back to his place and watched Princess Diaries (which is one of my classic favourites hehe).

We don't have a single picture of the occasion, but it's okay because the evening is blazed into my memory.

Here are some pictures of us in the EARLY early days. Look at these young fresh (and dorky) faces of barely 20!





 What my Mom remembers about the occasion is that he asked their permission, they heartily gave it to him, he asked me out in a ridiculously sweet way, then took off on an American road trip with his friend Dave while I made him an apron. Here's Lowell in the apron I made him- the floral side is for the days he's feeling more feminine, and the denim side is for his more masculine days...


I can't believe that 10 years has gone by. A LOT has happened in those years- marriage, masters degrees/careers, traveling, home-ownership, a doggy, almost two kids, and countless random crazy antics. To detail all that we've done in the past 10 years would require an encyclopedia-length novel. Or two. Have I mentioned the duct tape suits? Or cookies the size of large pizzas? Or the SPAM museum? Words do not exist to describe just how much I love this guy. We've had so much fun over the past 10 years, and I can hardly wait to see what the next 10 brings!

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