gmangsxr750

"Most likely to be behind..." This was the senior superlative I was given back in high school, yet it still surprises me how often it proves to be true. I am almost 39 and have never been married. I have been in the weddings of both my younger sisters and was engaged once for seven years until my ex-fiancé came home one day and announced, "I don't want to get married; I just didn't want someone else to have you." I was left with a mortgage that I couldn't afford and a 120 pound slobbery, albeit loving bull mastiff. To make ends meet, I got a new job where I met Gary who worked in the office next door. He was "odd", often working past one in the morning and blasting 1980's hair band music after people left for the day, but everyone liked him, including me. What struck me most was his extreme kindness, loyalty, and selflessness; there was nothing he wouldn't do for anyone, be it picking up a hitchhiking stranger and driving him from Northern Virginia to West Virginia (insane!) to paying his mother's mortgage for the past four years after she lost her job and both parents. We quickly became friends and our co-workers began scheming. There was a wedding coming up in October and everyone was determined that I should be Gary's date. Ten months went by filled with awkward interactions and shameless flirting, which I'm sure was quite entertaining gossip around the office. A week before the wedding, Gary walked me to my car and asked me to be his date. We have been together ever since. I know that Gary is THE ONE as he challenges me to be a better person and makes my life so much easier, rather than harder. Gary proposed last April under the cherry blossoms in DC (my favorite) and had my engagement ring engraved with cherry blossoms in the band. He secretly had dinner with my parents the week before to ask for their permission. My father's response was, "It's about time. You two are no spring chickens." We often talk about a wedding, but with two mortgages it seems more like fantasy than reality. Although I am not one who has been planning her wedding since childhood, I always pictured a beautiful dress, good food, and tons of DANCING! surrounded by people we love. But age has made me realize that time is once again leaving me behind. Our only remaining grandmothers are in their eighties, my parents are retiring and slowing down, and our two dogs have gone gray in their muzzles. I am all too often reminded that my biological clock is past its prime. I know that however Gary and I may decide to get married, it will be a day of celebration, joy, and lots of laughter. We thank you for the opportunity to share our story.