Let me tell you about Carla. She is hands down the most magical woman in my life.
The story starts well over 30 years ago. She (and her family) moved in across the street during the summer between 5th and 6th grade. She was shooting basketball on her driveway, and my sister encouraged me to go talk to her. We "went steady" a little bit, but count the beginning of our relationship as our Sophomore year of High School. We dated throughout high school and College. In our junior year of college, I asked her father for his blessing to propose to her. He said the only thing he wanted was for us to finish school so that she always had a career she could fall back on. That was already something we had discussed, so I decided I would ask her on Christmas morning in front of her family. They did a BIG (and early) family Christmas with her immediate family and Aunt and Uncle.
Christmas Eve came, and we had a typical day celebrating with her extended family. That evening, I went home and did the things I usually did with my family. This included making cinnamon rolls, last-minute shopping (a family tradition!), and then I ended up staying up super late to help my Mother's boyfriend at the time bring in a new couch and chair that he had bought as a surprise for my mom. This turned into a hilarious time of laughing, discovering they were recliners, and other things that kept me up until almost 3 am. Did I mention that Carla's family celebrated early? We're talking 6 am early. On one of the biggest days of my life (probably the biggest at that point), I overslept. So, after finally waking up and getting to Carla's house around 7, I walked in and handed her a small tin.
You see, the day before, while shopping, I had found these little "tins of coal" that were meant to be gag gifts from Santa. You know, the whole Santa gives "the bad kids" just a piece of coal in their stocking? Well, since I was a bit exhausted, I walked in and just kind of handed (may even tossed) it to her. She looked at me with wide eyes and asked if she should open it. I said, "You can, yes, but it's just a piece of coal". She stared at me and opened the tin. Inside was a small piece of tissue paper. "Should I open it?" she inquired. I repeated "I mean you can, but it's just a piece of coal..." (did I mention I was tired?) Not understanding that I was being 100% serious, she unwrapped the tissue paper anyway. And found... You guessed it. A small black piece of coal. She was confused, I was tired, and we still had a couple of hours to go. Not really the best start to the day. However, I got some coffee, we opened presents, and by the time I ACTUALLY proposed (on one knee in front of her family) at the end of the presents, she had forgiven me for my poorly delivered gag and said Yes.
That was "the beginning" of our now almost 25-year marriage. We have been through a lot of stuff together. From raising two kids, a job that nearly killed me, a church experience that nearly killed us both, we have navigated so many changes in our lives side by side. You'll hear way more about this woman as the blog goes forward, but for now, know that she's astounding. She is a dancer, author, witch, educator, astrologer, and so many more things. But I get to call her "my" wife.