I believe that if you make a good decision regarding who to marry, all the other decisions get easier. I have always felt like myself around Jayme, and we’ve always had fun together. It’s one reason that I’ve never, for one day, regretted marrying her.
I met Jayme the summer before my senior year of high school, when her brother Gregg called and asked me to play the drums in the back of his dad’s pickup for the El Dorado parade. Her dad was driving, Jayme was waving from the passenger seat, and Gregg, Brad Doggett and I were in the back playing. Gregg and I remained friends, the band stayed together, and for the next six years, when I was at Gregg’s house, she was the cute kid sister who would bring us popcorn.
After I graduated from KU, I accepted a job in Oklahoma City for accounting firm Peat Marwick. The day before I left, I called Gregg’s house and Jayme answered. She started to get Gregg, and I told her I had called to talk to her. I was moving to Oklahoma City, I explained, and I wouldn’t know anyone there, and I asked if she would mind being pen pals.
When Jayme arrived back at school at K-State, there was already a letter from me waiting for her there. We wrote letters for a few months. On our first date we went to see Superman! over the Christmas holiday when we were both back home.
When I got back to Oklahoma City, busy season hit in the accounting world. Since I was new to the working world, I had no idea what to expect. The hours were intense. I was driving to work before seven a.m. and returning around nine p.m., seven days a week, and I was miserable. I tried to get myself to call or write Jayme, but I couldn’t. I was exhausted, I didn’t think I had anything to offer. I hoped she would understand, but I knew she likely would move on.
This went on for four months. In late April, busy season finally ended. The first day I got to leave at five p.m., I stopped at the grocery store, got a steak, went home and went jogging, and after dinner I decided I was ready to call Jayme. It had been months since we had talked. I was prepared to hear that she was either dating someone, engaged, or maybe just mad at me for ignoring her for four months. I got up the nerve to call. She was still interested. I was relieved. We got married a year later.
Jayme and I always managed to have fun no matter the circumstances. When we lived in Whitewater, money was tight, but we still made a point of taking weekend trips to Oklahoma City or wherever we could afford. We had frequent get-togethers with friends, often at our house. On weekends, we would load the kids up, go to El Dorado lake, stop by Kentucky Fried Chicken, and get a bucket of chicken to take to the El Dorado Drive In.
When we lived in Minneapolis, we found a way to take several trips across the U.S. A friend told us about Mackinac Island, Michigan. It was quaint, had no cars, and a cool place to go. We were sold, and booked a trip to the Grand Hotel. We loved it. In the years since, we’ve been to numerous destinations in several countries, but the Grand is our favorite. In the ten years we lived in Michigan, we made it up there about every year. Once, we were able to take Alex, Tori, Lindsey and Jake. Of all the fun we’ve had, the Grand may be the funnest.
Our routine is pretty much the same every day. We get up, I go down to the world’s best breakfast about 30 minutes before Jayme. After breakfast, we rent bikes and ride the seven miles around the island. Next is bocce ball, then over to the golf course for a quick lunch before teeing off. After golf, we change clothes and head to the Esther Williams swimming pool. I then take a quick shower, put on my suit (required on the lower level of the Grand in the evenings) and head straight to the Cupola Bar. The Cupola Bar is located on the top floor, and has a spectacular view of Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and the Mackinac Bridge. I’ll have a Heineken, watch the ferry boats leave marks on the lakes, and think about life. Jayme walks in looking like a million bucks a little later, we stay and chat with the Cupola crowd, then we head down to the greatest evening meal in the world. Five courses, rotating menu. After dinner, we head to the ballroom and dance to the band. The dance floor is usually pretty empty when we get there. Not for long. Sometimes, we attract a crowd; other times, it’s just us. Before heading to the room, we walk the world’s longest porch and enjoy the terrific Northern Michigan summer evening. The next morning, it’s the same routine. If we’re there for three or four days, it’s the same thing every day. And we love it every day.
I think our marriage has worked so well because we really enjoy spending time together. On Mackinac Island, at the Grand, there are no cars, we never turn on the television. It’s just us. We take the time to reflect on how cool our lives together are and how much we love our family. It’s a special time.
