Seven years ago this evening I boldly ventured out on my own to meet a guy named Burl at the Springfield Brewing Co. Most of my friends know we had met online and corresponded briefly but December 13, 2001 was our first official face-to-face meeting. Fortunately he brought photos of his family and I recognized his daughter-in-law Annie since she had gone to Greenwood with Ralph. I reasoned that if she was good enough to marry his son, that he probably wasn’t out on parole or sleeping under a viaduct! She loves to remind Burl that he owes her big time!
The rest, as they say, is history! Each year on December 13th we return to the Brewco to have a beer and take a photo. When luck shines on us, we even get to sit in the same booth. Tonight we were seated right next to “our” booth but Lady Luck shined on us. We knew the couple in our special booth and they were more than happy to switch with us. Here’s the photo from this evening. 
Burl is wearing the same shirt and sweater that he wore that evening – he and Cindy had gone shopping earlier that day because he wanted to get something new to wear. Guess he knew how important this date was going to be for him. He told me in an email what he would be wearing and also that he’d be the guy with a red rose for me. So look what I got this afternoon! 
He splurged and gave me a dozen even though technically I was only supposed to get 7! They are shown here in my favorite vase that Tammy, Steve, Ralph and Blair gave us for a wedding gift. It’s from Springfield Pottery and I love that it’s locally made and something I never would have bought for myself. Thanks again, kids.
For the record, I’m wearing a replica of what I wore that evening – in 2001 I had on a red knit turtleneck and black cords. Tonight I had on a red cashmere sweater and black jeans.
We enjoyed a beer at the Brewco this evening and then treated ourselves to dinner at Houlihans which recently opened in the Doubletree Hotel. We had a special offer of appetizer, entree, dessert and wine and for us thrifty retirees, it’s hard to pass up a bargain. The food was great (we brought home half of the appetizer which we shared), the wine was excellent for a low-cost bottle and we both agreed the company was hard to beat!
We both feel very blessed to have this second chance at love. Here’s to many more celebrations with my Main Squeeze!
Happy Belated Anniversary, Anne and Burl! What a cute couple, and a great job at keeping the romance alive. What a great example for the rest of us. Happy Holidays!