A friend introduced us. I needed a tutor & he could help. She was hoping I would help hook them up. I didn't think much of him at the time. He had come from swim headed to dance wearing ripped jeans, long hair & thin as a bean. We talked for hours everyday after. It didn't take long for me to realize he was my answer to prayer. Over the phone 2 weeks later, I told him I would marry him someday even though we were dating other people. Tomatō Tamatō. Here we are 40 yrs later.

Michael was a Submariner in the Navy for 20 years. We never knew when he was coming or going. But every once in awhile we would be encouraged to fly to a port like Hawaii on the chance that we would get to see them. He planned for us to go to a Luau at the Polynesian Center on Oahu. When he got up to dance to 'Love Me Tender' with the pro-dancers, he was the 1 to win the competition. Being our anniversary, of course I was tickled. He always makes me smile.

We would put it towards our trip to Europe for 40th anniv. next year. We would probably use some of it to do repairs around the house also. Life built on a firm foundation, with a roof over your head, food in your pantry, and a family to love is all we need. Both of us grew up in the Chicago area wearing hammy downs, with our parents working many jobs to provide for us and put us through good schools so we could maybe go to college. Guess where we met? College! NEIU! The rest to goes to charity.