You never know what might happen at 12:30am.

It was 12:30 am on February 15th, 1961. As she worked on her students’ progress reports, June heard that (*****) inconsiderate young engineer dragging his golf clubs up the stairs again above her apartment. She had had enough. She went outside to give him a piece of her mind.

She used a few choice words to express her disdain for his inconsiderate actions. After listening to her rant, Raymond continued up to his apartment. He had just come home from his 4-12 shift from the nearby Mobil Oil refinery. And although he certainly wasn’t off to a good start, there was something about her fiery words that intrigued Raymond.

The next day he went out of his way to catch up with her and to apologize. As they talked, he helped her pick up some Valentine cards she had dropped on the ground from her students at nearby Oak Valley Elementary School. Not particularly known for his romantic ways, he asked her, “Do you want to come and see my turtles?” She said she was not interested, but he said “I have a really big one you might want to see.”

See agreed and went to his upstairs apartment to see a very large snapping turtle that Raymond had caught with his friend Bill. It would later become turtle soup. During her short visit, he asked her if she might be interested in going to a movie, to which she said, “I’ll think about it.” About two weeks later she agreed, and they saw their first movie together, 101 Dalmatians. In 1962 they began what would become 50 years of marriage until Raymond’s death in 2012.

I read Mom this story of her recollection of her first meeting with Dad yesterday, as a remembrance of the many years that they shared together, and as a sweet moment, very fitting for Valentines day!. Although this picture isn't of Dad, yet it does capture aspects of his personality, and the golf clubs that resulted in their first meeting. I hope this story makes you smile today, as you begin a new week.

You never know what might happen at 12:30 am.