Our Story

How We Met

On line, where else. 

Sibyl decided in the Fall of 2010 that she and her sister Gwyn should think about retirement in the near future, and what better place than Walla Walla. They found their dream house just north of Whitman College. It was a cozy little home with a beautiful creek running through the property and a small barn in the back. All it took was a few cosmetic upgrades and they'd be able to move to Walla Walla. It was to be their dream retirement home. More on that later.

About that time Sibyl decided that maybe her luck with men would be better on the East side of the state. A friend suggested a web site called SeniorPeopleMeet.com. After getting past her initial revulsion, being that she's anything but senior, she joined and started looking around. Glenn had also joined about the same time and things went from there. On March 25, 2011 they actually met for a first date and clicked. 

It was the second date that was really interesting. Glenn went to pick her up, the day after their first date, at the Creek House. Oh yes, she had found black mold under the wallpaper in the office and living room a week or two earlier. That meant 7 walls had to come out. Her contractor was there explaining the cost of all the cosmetic upgrades they wanted. He finished it by asking if she'd considered just having him tear it down and building what she wanted on the foundation. Ouch!

Glenn explained to Sibyl that "we" could do all this stuff for a whole lot less. That's right, less than 24 hours after they'd met for a first date, Glenn was volunteering to help Sibyl rebuild her house. Oh yes, Sibyl had never done anything like this before.

Against that beginning, they had a wonderful day wine tasting and dining. And it's been getting better and better every day since then. 

They've been working on the house since then. They tore down those walls and replaced the drywall. They tiled the kitchen together and Sibyl tiled the small bath all by herself! Really! They painted most of the house, replaced all the window moldings and added base molding, and had the house carpeted. It's like a new house, and for nothing like what the contractor was talking.

Proposal

So this is how I proposed:

For our first anniversary as a couple we went to Kingfisher Spa on Vancouver Island. We had a wonderful 3 days doing nothing except being pampered and eating great food. Our second night there we had a wonderful dessert with some kind of chocolate cake and lavender ice cream. It was then I  decided to propose, but I didn't know just when. 

So all day the last full day at the Spa I was thinking about what I would say. Certainly, having watched The Bachelor many times, I understood the importance of getting a proposal right. We went for dinner in town but it just wasn't the right setting. So I suggested dessert again, the same one with the Lavender Ice Cream. 

Every time I got ready to start, another server would stop by the table, over and over again. Sibyl was beginning to wonder why I was starting to look so anxious. Finally, they left us alone long enough.

I had planned on saying, "I love you. Will you marry me and let me spend the rest of our lives trying to be the man of your dreams?" But when it came right down to it I fumbled out, "I love you. Will you marry me and let me spend the rest of our lives trying to be the man you deserve?"

Okay, close. We were both crying by this time. What a wonderful memory. So yes, there will be lavender ice cream at the reception.

Engagement Ring:

We picked this out together, several weeks after I proposed: