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Friday, September 4, 2020

Back to where it all began

We were back in Ottawa again yesterday, first for a morning visit with my mom and older sister. After that, we were supposed to meet up with a guy to sell a little 12V Bosch drill that we used to travel with in the motorhome. But stupid me, we got half way to Ottawa when I realized that I hadn't put it in the car! Dummy. I hate when I do things like that.

So I managed to contact the guy and we are dropping it off on Saturday since we have to go back into Ottawa again anyhow to renew the little red car rental contract after the first month.

After that, we drove out to the east end to pick up a couple of used tires for the woodsplitter. Used 13" tires aren't that easy to find anymore. No new cars come with them anymore. But, I found a couple of older ones for $25 a piece that will do.

Next up, we were heading west again back towards Galetta when Ruth said she wouldn't mind stopping at a grocery store that sometimes has gluten free bread available. We took a detour through the neighbourhood that I grew up in, and when we exited that area we came out at the spot where it all began...

This is where it all began.

Ruth and I met on March 5th, 1983 when she was working as a stylist at First Choice Haircutters. We were both 21 years old.

I had been working long hours at an auto body repair shop, and it was a Saturday. I got off work and headed out to get a haircut. The shop was closing soon, and the receptionist said I was too late. But I begged her because I really needed a haircut! She went to check with the stylists, and the nice one named Ruth volunteered to stay and do the cut.

During the cut, we were making typical small talk, and at one point she asked what I was doing that evening. I said that I was really tired from working too much, and was just going to relax. I asked her the same question, and she said that she was supposed to be going to a house party but her ride had cancelled out. The small talk continued, and eventually the haircut was complete.

I was still living in my parents basement, in our house located only five minutes away. During that five minutes, I formulated a bold plan! I would get home and call that nice girl back and ask her out. After all, you don't know if you don't ask!

I looked up the phone number in the telephone book (remember those?) and dialed (yes, literally) the number. I figured the receptionist would answer, and I would have a moment to gather my thoughts while she went and got Ruth. But Ruth herself answered the phone! With my heart pounding, I told her who it was, and I said "since you aren't doing anything this evening, and either am I, maybe we should do something together."

And she agreed!

We ended up going to see a movie first. We tried to get into Tootsie, but it was sold out so our second choice was The Sting II. The original movie The Sting was a good movie. Part II? Not so much!

After the movie, we went to the Golden Palace, a popular Chinese Food restaurant that still operates today. We had egg rolls and won ton soup.

We had a great time together, and said goodnight. We did not see each other on the Sunday, but by Monday I think we saw each other every day for quite a while after that! 

Our first picture together, March 12, 1983.

A funny statistic... when we first met, we each weighed 145 lbs! Now, Ruth is about 130 and I am about 168.

And the rest is history. We married in the following May 1984, and had our children in 1986 and 1988.

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And in Canada...



34 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Temporarily, no. This past winter, he and his girlfriend bought a house about 300 kms (180 miles) from here and they are both allowed to work from home. They do plan to move back to Ottawa about a year from now, but of course that is yet to be seen. They are coming for a visit next weekend.

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  2. What a lovely story! Very sentimental, romantic and nostalgic! Love it!

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    1. Thank you very much! We always look back on this story and smile! :-)

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Peter, we think it is a sweet story too! :-)

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  4. Great photo!!
    What a great story!
    Not many husbands could still be alive after posting spouse weights to the world!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      Lol, this is true, good thing I am an understanding wife. :-)

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  5. Love the picture, she looks very happy and you look like you won the lottery!

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  6. What a great story! Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, we are glad that you enjoyed it. :-)

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  7. I love your story! What a bold move to call her right away. You are soul mates and have made such a wonderful life together and inspired so many people!

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    1. It is a fun story to tell!

      He is lucky he called right away otherwise I may not have said yes.

      I do believe that we are soulmates and we have made a wonderful life together. There were times when we did have to work at it though, just like most marriages but it was well worth it to get where we are today. :-)

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  8. Great Post! And the salon is still there!

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    1. Yep, the salon is still there, I doubt it has even changed much inside either except for the people working there, lol.

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  9. Replies
    1. Lol, I think that might be going a little too far! :-P

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  10. First time I've commented, that was a cool story! Are you going to stay in Canada this next year? Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy as you seem to enjoy life in general! The best to you both,Rawn Stone

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to comment. We are glad that you enjoyed our story. :-)

      We have tickets to fly to London, England on October 12th and hopefully visit family there but as it stands at the moment that is not going to happen because England as a mandatory 14 day quarantine in place for anyone arriving from Canada. Their list changes on a day to day basis and some countries are removed from the quarantine time and others are added each day so we really won't know until we leave so we bought tickets to fly straight from Gatwick to Berlin, German the same day and these tickets can be changed within a 14 day period at no extra charge so if we can't stay and visit in England then we will carry on to Germany. After that we really have no idea at the moment what will happen over the winter for us, it will be a wait and see game. And of course this is all dependent on whether things change between now and then as things are still constantly changing around the world due to the virus.

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    2. Sounds exciting! My wife has been to Europe, but I never have, so I believe we need to plan a trip soon! Being retired, we can do anything we please...within limits!

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    3. We think it will be exciting too! We have seen some of Europe but not a lot of it. There are so many different countries and different cultures there and traveling around in an RV is one of the best ways to see it, in our opinion of course.

      We hope that you can make it there soon. :-)

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  11. Always nice to remember where it all began. You both deserve the Sweet Memories.
    Be Safe and Enjoy your trip!

    It's about time.

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    Replies
    1. We will never forget where it all started and we often look back on it with a smile on our faces. :-)

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  12. What a great story. Thanks for sharing. Trish

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  13. Great love story! You guys are the best! My Jo Ann is a hairstylist ... 40 years.

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    1. Thank you!

      You better watch your wife and who's hair she is cutting, lol ;-)

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  14. That's a great story and the photo you shared....Thanks!

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  15. What a sweet and lovely story! You two were meant to meet and live this awesome life you have sharing your adventures around the globe. Hope plans materialize for the fall and winter. Stay safe and well.

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    1. Thank you Lynnette, we think we were meant to be together as well.

      We also hope that everything works out for our travels this fall and winter, whatever we do I am sure we will have a good time together. :-)

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  16. I love the story of how you two met. We also had a spark from the very night we met. I gave him my phone number at a dance spot after we'd shared a few dances, and when I got home and told my bestie about him, she said "you're going to marry that man". One year later, I did! We met the month you got married and got married a year later, in May 1985. Must have been a good time for meeting one's soulmate! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like a very similar story! Looks like we all picked the right partner for life. :-)

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