How i met my hubby....how about you??

[ranchwife]

September, 1994...i was a newly divorced (after 7 years of the most violent physical abuse i can imagine), 25 year old mother of 2. I was brand new to ennis and was a new nurse...i thought i had the world by the short-hairs!! my only concerns were my 6 year old son and my 5 year old daughter...they were the very reason i lived and breathed!
ennis is a community of about 700 souls....the men outnumber the women by a great majority, so any single female is "fair-game"...therefore, i had gotten quite used to having to warn potential suitors of my children...funny to watch them hit the door at a dead run when you mention kids, huh??
i had been in ennis for about 8 months and was homesick for my folks 125 miles away....i put my 2 week notice in at the hospital and made plans to move "home". My boss at the time was also a single mother and had become a good friend in a short time. Her name was connie and she now lives in north dakota. When i turned in my notice, she replied, "but you and i have not been out partying" I agreed to be designated driver to her designated drinking. That night, we all went to the local saloon. Connie and another nurse played pool while i held down a bar stool, drinking diet pepsi...the bar was quiet and not much going on. The door opened and in walked this adorable 5'9" red-headed, green-eyed cowboy. I had seen him around town, but knew he had a reputation as a "heartbreaker". Connie introduced us and he sat beside me and struck up conversation. He had one of those smiles that was totally open and honest and said "this is me, this is who i am...take it or leave it!"...no phony pretenses, no fancy pick up lines...
i, of course, informed him of my two small children at home...not only did he NOT run, but he began to tell me about his own 7 year old daughter and then asked me all about my kids. He was genuinely interested....at the end of the evening, he shook my hand and told me he would "see me around"
when i awoke the next morning and went across the street from my apartment to get a container of milk, he was waiting in his truck outside the door....he took me to lunch, showed me the ranch he worked on and met my children....who immediately took to him and it was love at first sight....5 weeks later, this wonderful, gentle man proposed not only to me, but to my children!! the 3 of gladly accepted and 10 years later, we have been through heaven and hell and still going!!
Now, how about the rest of you??!! How did you meet your soul-mates??

 

[nr]

What a story Ranchwife- I love happy endings!

My future husband played a trick on me and I should have run then! We met at an unromantic water main break on campus. I was a freshman and he was a senior who showed up early during orientation week to check out the new girls. He was with a friend (two geeks studying the water pressure situation) who looked just like him and acted like him which was confusing, I could hardly tell them apart.
Freshmen had to wear dinks and a sign around the neck. One side told our name and the flip side gave the town and state we were from. He
said he bet he could tell from my name where I was from. I didn't believe him of course but he got it right. I learned later my Junior Counselor had told him to check me out and gave him the info.
I was very interested in him from the start but it was not mutual. (sigh) Until his friend started dating me. Then things got real interesting :lol:

We've been married since '65 and are still close to his look alike friend who also married someone with my name. And my husband still plays rediculous verbal tricks on me. His main characteristics: being easy to live with, an enjoyable sense of humor, pleasant and agreeable any hour day or night.

 

[Hanta Yo]

Well, nr, you "broke the ice" been waiting for someone to respond all day. Decided to do it tonight if no one else did...bet you'll get all kinds of responses now that we got things going....

I was divorced fall, 1987 was in grad school at MSU in Bozeman and went to a party at the foot of the "M" spring 1988. Some beer, a lot of BSing and really fun volleyball. I had my two young 'uns with me, 2 boys, aged 3 & 5. Had a man-hating attitude. My young 'uns were getting cranky, so started loading them in the jeep I had at the time, and "future" hubby comes up to me and introduces himself, offers to help and I was so RUDE! Didn't care at the time because I was in man-hating mode. The next fall HE was in grad school and his desk was in the same room as mine!! (Talk about embarassed). Come to find out, he was THE promising up-and-coming grad student. He had been involved in all sorts of experiments, did rumen divingand if any of you know about rumen cannulas and Polly, the cannulated cow who lived a good long life know what I'm talking about. Did work at Red Bluff, etc. etc. Got to know him, got to like him, got to love him. Got married July 3, 1989. We both graduated from grad school in early 90's. (We were both students over traditional age). Still married, it will be 16 yrs this July. Boy, never been married this long before!!!! 8)
He still is the light of my life, my anchor, and his great Indian principles have taught me a lot. He is a deep thinking man and sometimes I get so shallow (female thing) we butt heads. Oh, well. He is a good man.

 

[ranchwife]

hanta and nr....love happy endings and you two have given me a few!! in today's day and age where people get divorced because one of the snores, or one of them has nose hair or because they couldn't agree on the same color wallpaper, it is so refreshing to hear about 2 marriages who have stood the test of time!!! my mom and pappy were married 25 years at the time of her death and i have no doubt they would still be today!! i love it when i get an elderly patient in and his/her spouse comes in and tells me about their 60-70 year marriage!! really does give you hope that it is possible......

 

[Hanta Yo]

Ranchwife,

I meant to wish you a good trip, didn't get it posted on time. To me, you are the "mother hen" of Ranchers.net.

I see a "niche" all you women fill on these forums, and it gladdens my heart.

Each one of you women who post here are leaders. My hope is that you are using that ability to the "nth" degree. I'm finding out (sad truth) that if we, as leaders don't speak out, who will??

Just something to think about.

Hanta Yo

 

[Casa Paloma]

Very interesting post. Got me to reflecting.
First wife - I had been in the Navy for a few years; came home for a visit and ended up on a 5-day drunk; woke up and she had a marriage license; left and went back to exotic lands; she had 3 boys over the years to testify as to my visits. Navy sent me to Univ of Neb to teach ROTC and shore duty. She found her a boyfriend and left me with 3 kids (all under 6 yoa). Said she just couldn't take the last minute deployments required of my job in the Navy.
Second wife - was my secretary at the university. Babysitter for my boys while I attended necessary functions at school. Got kinda fond of her as well. Married to her for about 16 years until she, too, got tired of the last minute deployments. Had another boy by that time. I retired from the Navy and started working at the county sheriff's office. She didn't like the idea of me being home either. I guess my dealing with dirtbags all day kinda' carried over into my personal life. Anyway, she threw me out.
Third wife - worked as a dispatcher for the sheriff's office. We would go have coffee after shift was over and eventually started dating. She was never married and had no desire to share her life with a hairy-legged old codger. Took me awhile but I convinced her and we both continued our work for a few years until we both decided to retire. I grew up in west Texas and decided to vacation there to get away from the big city for awhile. We visited west Texas, went to east Texas and fell in love with the place. We are selling the house in Arizona and moved here where we found a little place in the country loaded with trees. We are in the process of clearing the land, fixing the house up, putting up fences, and just enjoying life. We spend almost every evening sitting on the patio watching the birds, listening to the neighbor's cows and horses, talking and dreaming. Never realized life could be this enjoyable. Reckon we found our piece of heaven.

Golly, haven't talked this much about my life. See what you started.

 

[Saddletramp]

How 'bout the rest of you?

My wife lost a bet.

 

[Broke Cowboy]

Wife took pity on me - almost 30 years of togetherness. She still pities me I think.

BC

 

[Denny]

Mine came full circle.

I met here when she was 14 her cousin had a crush on me and I was hauling hay past their place.Every load they would walk down to say hi.

The following spring was calving season between checks I went to a teen dance I was 17.Well there she was we dated for2 1/2 years from there.

Then came this red head in college and I had a Brain spasm ended up getting married to the red head.We had one daughter then she split.

Debbie "my first love" had also gotten married had 2 kids and was divorced.

Then comes new years eve was at the same bar as the teen dance years before.At this time a friend of hers was there with her and asked me if I would dance with her.Well its been smooth sailing ever since that was 14 years ago we have 3 children together so for a total of 6.So her kids and my kids are fighting with our kids.

 

[Faster horses]

I asked ranchwife this question under another topic. I thought it would be interesting to hear how she met her husband...and I was right!! It was interesting. I'm glad she picked up on the subject and got some replies. It is always so interesting to me how people met.

We have a young rancher here that met his fiance at a friends wedding. She lives a long ways from here and the chances of their paths ever crossing was incredibly low. But they did cross...

As for us, we met in eighth grade. He was born and raised in Buffalo, Wyoming. My dad being in the construction business caused us to move around a bit, though not a lot. So we met in 8th grade, then my family moved to Lander, Wyoming for my freshman year and then back to Buffalo where I finished school. We were married right after graduation. I always KNEW I wanted to marry a rancher. That is all he has ever wanted to do. He is good, sweet, kind, funny, humble, handsome, (is 60 and looks 45-and I'm not kidding), loves animals more than anything, is an awesome caretaker of them. I have taught him patience. He has taught me to consider the other person's feelings, tried to teach me organization (I have failed on that), and has taught me the simple things in life. I have tried to teach him to tell time--he just WILL NOT wear a watch. He says animals don't tell time, and he gets along better with them if he doesn't worry about the time either.

I am a 'people person.' He thinks over three people is a crowd. I am a night person, he is a morning person. He is organized, I am UNorganized. (Drives me nuts about myself, but I just can't seem to get it together.) He is a good driver, I drive him nuts if he has to ride with me somewhere. (But I am much better than he thinks I am. LOL!!!)

So we have been married 42 years, will be 43 years in May. If I had to do it over, I would marry him again. I might wait a year or two, just so I knew myself better, but I would do it all over again. I hope and think he would say the same. We are a good team. His weak spots are my strong ones and vice-versa. Instead of being a bone of contention, we respect our differences and our marriage is strong because of that, IMO.

Someone asked me once what I thought was the most imortant thing in a marriage. After thinking it over, my answer then and still is: COMMUNICATION. Respect for the other person's views and talking things over gets you through a lot of rough spots. Has our marriage been perfect? N-O. But every day it is better. I can't imagine being married to someone that you have to argue and fight with. That would be a terrible way to share a life with someone.

I have been blessed to have him for my life's partner.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I lived 4 miles from my wife and didn't know she was alive. Had heard stories about her dad when my uncle and a old half breed fellow went to help cut a white stallion but I thought he was a old bachleor. Heck he had 8 kids,4 boys,4 girls. we ran into each other in Plentywood Mt at the Golden Wheel. A neighbour of mine intoduced us and year and abit later we were married. That was 26 years ago. Funny how that barb wire fence on the international boundry kept us apart for so long . 3 kids and 26 years and we are still going strong. Oh yea my wife move 4 miles between yards to a different country but we still have to drive 40 miles to get to her folks place.
You can go out to the east of our yard and look west into our yard and south into where she used to live. :cowboy:

 

[Anonymous]

I lived 4 miles from my wife and didn't know she was alive. Had heard stories about her dad when my uncle and a old half breed fellow went to help cut a white stallion but I thought he was a old bachleor. Heck he had 8 kids,4 boys,4 girls. we ran into each other in Plentywood Mt at the Golden Wheel. A neighbour of mine intoduced us and year and abit later we were married. That was 26 years ago. Funny how that barb wire fence on the international boundry kept us apart for so long . 3 kids and 26 years and we are still going strong. Oh yea my wife move 4 miles between yards to a different country but we still have to drive 40 miles to get to her folks place.
You can go out to the east of our yard and look west into our yard and south into where she used to live. :cowboy:

Big Muddy- 26 years ago when you went to cut that stud, did you go around and use the port? The old joke around here years ago was that the back roads across the line were in better shape and heavier used than the hiway was............

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I lived 4 miles from my wife and didn't know she was alive. Had heard stories about her dad when my uncle and a old half breed fellow went to help cut a white stallion but I thought he was a old bachleor. Heck he had 8 kids,4 boys,4 girls. we ran into each other in Plentywood Mt at the Golden Wheel. A neighbour of mine intoduced us and year and abit later we were married. That was 26 years ago. Funny how that barb wire fence on the international boundry kept us apart for so long . 3 kids and 26 years and we are still going strong. Oh yea my wife move 4 miles between yards to a different country but we still have to drive 40 miles to get to her folks place.
You can go out to the east of our yard and look west into our yard and south into where she used to live. :cowboy:

Big Muddy- 26 years ago when you went to cut that stud, did you go around and use the port? The old joke around here years ago was that the back roads across the line were in better shape and heavier used than the hiway was............

That wasn't me that went to cut the stud ,it was my uncle and it was about 50 years ago that he did it. Yea their were lots of trails across but I think Homeland Security has put a stop to most of it.

 

[jodywy]

well I was in Dads Bar (not my Dad, thats the name of the place) and I asked a gal I knew to dance she said she had a date and to ask her friend. Well this 5'10" long legged blond stood up and we went and danced. Asked her for a date the next day to go horse back riding, well it was a rainy horse back ride and coming back off the forest we rode by the hose and my Grand Dad was there,teased her a bit and smiled at me.
Well Sue was born a valley girl in Sunnyvail Ca. But she grew up in Truckee, did her high school sports in Nevada because Ca didn't have that many small schools.
She laugh at me when I compaline about feeding cows in 4 feet of snow. Says I don't know what snow is. But for a valley girl she got more stock sence then alot of old farmers and ranchers here. She van and will reach into a old ewe and untangle a set of tripplet lambs, she harrnessed the team most of one winter after my shoulder surgery.When she rides in the moutains for cows ...its for cow not a joy ride.... now this short fat old boy sure lucked out that night at Dads

 

[ranchwife]

Wife took pity on me - almost 30 years of togetherness. She still pities me I think.

BC

BC...pity or true love?? after 30 years, maybe she still thinks you hung the moon...just for her, too :wink: here's to 30 more!!

 

[ranchwife]

i drew night calving duty lastnight and slept most of the morning away...awoke to find it snowing and logged on to read some absolutely INCREDIBLE stories of love, heartache and second chances!! to all of you who posted, thank you!!!
Reader (the second)....wow...31 years of beautiful memories...so sorry for your loss and i pray that the warmth of the love you shared keeps you smiling through the hard, cold times :wink:
Denny....you are living proof in FATE, my friend!! you and your wife were destined for each other and years later fate intervened and look what you have now!! Congrats!!
BMR....your story is proof that true love knows no man-made boundaries!! we humans drew those lines...not love!!
FH....43 years and going strong...proof that opposites not only attract but can make for some interesting stories of true happiness...my jesse and i are opposites, too...he's always late and i am anal about being early....he is country through and through and i was a raised "town girl"...he loves his beer and his football and i like my white russians and basketball ...he has never used a time clock and i run by one...i look forward to my days off and he does not know what one is :shock: ...he is steak and potatoes and i like some variety once in a while (taco salad, chicken, pork..), but for all of our differences, we have even more in common and cannot imagine life without him!
again, thank you all for the incredible "reality checks"...look forward to hearing some more....

kris