How I Met Your Mother

Garian has asked me to document some of my story's. This is one of the stories Garian wanted me to write.
By the time I had met your mother I had already worked in several repair shops while I was in high school. This paid for my cars, repair parts, gas and so on. If I had met you mother when I had graduated from high school, your mom would have been about eight years old. Not ready to meet her yet.
After returning from sea I went to work at Crown and Zellerback ,making frozen pea boxes. That lasted about a week. Then I went about a mile away to Montgomery Wards and got a job in the repair facility in San Leandro. I have some stories from there also. While working at Wards I received my call to serve in the Army.
After my hitch in the army, Your mom would be about fifteen. I still have a few years to wait before I'm supposed to meet your mother.
After the Army I went to work for the Navy as a fire equipment mechanic, then transferred to the fire department, and eventually a move to Cameron Park as the first fireman to be hired. The year is 1969, and your mom is now seventeen, soon to be eighteen. It's about time for us to meet.
I had a second job at the local Phillips 66 gas station, and we had several young men working with us. One such young man drove into the station with your mom sitting in his car. I said hi and leaned in through the drivers' window and asked the young lady why she was dating this guy. Your mom looked at him, then at me and couldn't answer the question. Your mom came back to the gas station a few days later in her little black V.W. bug. I did some service work on it and we started dating soon there after.
Your grandmother Barbara stopped in the gas station a few weeks later and invited me over for your mom's birthday. When I arrived and my soon to be mother-in-law was placing the candles and lighting them, I started counting. She had placed the eighteenth candle when I caught my breath. I think I said something like, you have to be kidding, right? Your mom just about had earned her AA at the local college.
I proposed about a year later, after I had asked your grandfather Tabor for her hand in marriage. Bill, Barbara and I had planned a dinner at Sam's' Town in the Lillian Russel room. Three of us knew I was going to propose, Your mom didn't. Three of us couldn't eat, your mom was eating like she hadn't eaten for the last few days.

When I dropped down on one knee and held her hand the restaurant got real quite. This could be a night to remember only if your mom will say yes. I think I thought to myself, what if she says maybe, or no. I held my breath, your mom didn't wait too long before accepting my proposal.

We were married in the Emmanuel Church in Coloma, February 7 ,1971. Your mom was nineteen and I was twenty eight. We waited five years before Karson was born and another two years for Garian. Almost to the day, two years, less two days apart. I have no regrets waiting for the right girl at the right time. Now we have four wonderful grandsons and thirty eight years together, with more to look foward to.