After two or three weeks, Julianne started missing our study sessions, except for right before exams. That left Michelle and me alone, wondering whether or not Julianne was going to show up. Not wanting to start studying without Julianne, we found ourselves talking and talking and talking. It didn't take too many of those sessions before I decided that I really wanted to get to know her better. I got up the best courage I could muster, and in a light-hearted sort of way, asked her if she had ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Amazingly to me, she had never seen it. I had noted that it was at the midnight movie on the upcoming weekend and asked her if she would like to see it with me. Always hopeful of a "yes," but prepared to deal with a no, I had asked. She accepted!
I don't recall all of the details of the evening. I had worked that night at the dairy farm, so I had to get cleaned up before picking her up for the movie. The fact that I had to work is one of the things that pushed me to the midnight movie. I do recall we had a very good time and we had both agreed, that "we would have to do something together again the next week." And as they say, the rest is history.... We were married about seven months later, not uncommon by Utah standards at that place and time.
I remember in one of our very first conversations, I had mentioned that I worked at the USU dairy farm. Michelle had half-seriously asked me if I could get her a job there. Being a poor college student, she was looking for a way to possibly earn additional income. From there we talked about my history working for Rawl, and my desire to be a farmer. We discussed that I didn't think it was in the cards for me to be a full-time commercial farmer due to economic constraints and my view of the world at that point in time. We had discussed my hopes and dreams that I had had from the time I was a little child to be self-sufficient and raise as much of my own food as possible. We discussed many of the ideas that I had developed over time. To my happy amazement, she did not reject me or my pursuit of her, even with full-disclosure, sort of a confession if you will, about my farming hopes and dreams.
Michelle mentioned that her granparents had a farm where they grew beef and a big garden every year. She mentioned how she had loved to go there during the summer and eat the fresh food, and look out over the pasture from the deck and the backyard. She enjoyed her experiences there and seemed to be okay with my eccentric interests.
I became increasingly comfortable with my time with Michelle. She accepted me, warts and all, with my odd interests, and personality quirks. It wasn't too long before we noted how much we enjoyed spending time with each other. We also noted those "sparks" that were there between us. I soon found myself wanting to spend forever with her. At a moment of conversation, she had mentioned something to the effect that there were different things that we wanted to do together. In response, I said, "Well, then you will just have to marry me." She said something to the effect of, "I guess so..." Not wanting to unwind the moment, we moved on in conversation. It would take just a little more time for us to formalize our arrangement, but that was the beginning of the formalization.
I continued to want to be able to raise high quality food for the health of Michelle and the rest of our family as part of my core driver towards wanting to farm. Over time, I would learn more about why I would want to do that.
I consider myself to be supremely lucky and honored that Michelle would choose to spend her life with me. I am thankful she accepted me and continues to accept me today. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
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