The Ted and Colleen Story

Our time in NewYork.  We got engaged there.  He couldn't
even keep that a secret, he said to me before we left, "you
know I'm going to propose to you there, right?"

Last night we went to Ted's Civil Air Patrol Christmas Party.  I had a lot of memories flood back yesterday, as it was ten years ago at that very party that I decided that this was a man I could really love and spend more time with - maybe even spend my life with.

When my kids dad died, I found myself single.  I grew to love my single life.  I didn't have to answer to anyone - other than to tell my kids I'll be here or I'll be there.  My kids were my world and we enjoyed doing a lot of things together.  I had a lot of people telling me that I needed to move on - what they didn't realize was that I had moved on - and I enjoyed my new single lifestyle.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, I had been dating someone from my past and really stuck as to why this relationship was not the same as it was when I was in high school.  I kept trying to make it in my mind what I thought it should be and it just never was that - EVER.  It was a horrible mistake that was finally disintegrating.

Crystal and Brandon's wedding.  He was father of the
bride even then.  

By moving on, and meeting possible relationships, my friends meant I needed to go online and try online dating.  So, I finally went on Match.com and made a profile.  I chatted and met a couple of guys.  I went on a date with another guy from my past and decided then and there that wasn't going to happen.  Then came Ted.  He sent me a message and left his phone number.  I really wasn't sure about it - but, I decided to jump with both feet in and made the call.  When he answered, he said he was busy working on a carburetor and would call me back.  What the heck!

Ted and my beginning was quite tenuous. Our first meeting was in October.  I really did not like Ted when I first met him.  Not that I didn't like him - I didn't get him and I really didn't want a relationship with him. Our first meeting was to just meet up for "coffee" at a Denny's that was close to both of our locations.  We spent two hours together.  I didn't understand most of what he was talking

Our wedding.

about.  I didn't get him.  He would talk about radios, telephones, technology, and other geek speak and I was completely lost.  The words that were coming out of his mouth were floating well above my head.  They still do, but, I've learned that most of the time he says what I need to hear in the first couple of minutes when he starts gabbing about technology.  I block out the rest after that because I literally don't understand.  I finally made my excuses and headed home - going, what the heck??  I don't get this guy!!

My BFF, who remembers to this day and reminds Ted of it, said I needed to give him another chance if he offered.  Ted invited me to a movie the next weekend.  He said he would see what was playing at the "dollars".  Again I was saying to myself, "what the heck, don't I rate a full price movie?"  But, I agreed to go.  In the meantime, something that Ted doesn't know, the disintegrating relationship, someone I hadn't seen in a couple of months, reared his head and said he didn't want me dating anyone else.  I canceled on Ted.

When the disintegrating relationship was finally done, Ted and I went out again.  We went to that stupid dollar movie and breakfast.  This was now November.  I still wasn't feeling it.  Ted was awesome throughout this.  He would call me, he would ask me out.  Most of the time I made excuses.

In Hawaii.

What changed it??  I joke that I married my stalker.  Whenever I got online, Ted would see me on MSN messenger and start messaging me.  We started having conversations that didn't include geek speak.  He started to listen to me and ask about me.  I started to hear about him.  We spent a lot of time just chatting - online.  I started to really enjoy our conversations together.  We went out again and from that time we were pretty much inseparable.

It was December.  It was time for Ted's Civil Air Patrol banquet.  He asked me to be his date.  I was nervous about it.  We hadn't really spent any time in the others circles.    People were so grateful to Ted and the time he was spending there.  They truly appreciated him.  I was riveted by that.  I started to fall in love with the geeky part of Ted.  That part that made me crazy was adored by others.  I started to understand him better that night.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower

After that, he spent Christmas with us.  With my family.  Completely immersed in our crazy life.

We've been together for ten years now.  He can still make me crazy.  There were a couple of times that I didn't think we would make it.  Those were mostly in the early years.  Now we are a very comfortable old couple that enjoys being together.  I'm glad I finally started to listen.  I love that crazy geek that I married.  He's an amazing man, husband, dad, Papa and friend.

Pretty much the story of us.