First, a little background:
Michelle grew up in Pickering, but decided to attend the University of Windsor in the fall of 1994. It was an exciting year, but the best was yet to come....
Jerry grew up in Kingsville all his life, and we both live here together now. He works in the auto industry, and is also an artist, now into woodworking.
We met, by chance one evening on a night bitterly cold. It was March 9, 1995. We had both gone out with some friends to a local bar in Windsor, never knowing what was in store. The night dragged on, and Jerry spotted Michelle sitting at a table, and got the courage up to ask her to dance. We spent the rest of the evening together, talking about music, art, and just about everything else. It was closing time, so we parted ways, but not before exchanging phone number. Jerry promised to call the next day, and he did!
We set a date for that afternoon, and after a very stressful morning getting ready. I think we were both very anxious. Well, Jerry came by and we decided to take a drive around Windsor. At the time, I didn't have a car, so it was hard to get around the city, and see what it really was like. We drove and drove, then headed back to the University and took a nice long walk along the Detroit River. It was incredible how we just clicked, having so much in common, it's like we have known each other forever.
We spent almost every day together since, and decided to get our own apartment together. It was a hard decision for me, not moving back to Pickering, but something was telling me to stay.
A year later, March 10, 1996, we decided to celebrate our first anniversary. We were going to do it in style. We booked at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Windsor, overlooking the Detroit River and skyline. Little did I know, that Jerry was about to propose that night. We had taken a walk downtown, did some shopping, and headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. I was sitting near the window watching the sunset, when Jerry came beside me, got down on one knee, and I just started crying right then. He took a ring out of the box and placed it on my finger, then we had some champagne and stood quietly, arm and arm looking at the wonderful sight outside. We celebrated that evening at a local restaurant, and it was so hard to contain our excitement.
It's been a long time since then, but we finally started planning our wedding last May. It's been a tough year, many things to think about, but we just hope this will be a wonderful celebration for our family and friends to share in. |
