Zim proposes....

 

My Grandmother's beautiful handwriting. I never tire of reading things that she has written.

I love this look back in time. When I look at these photos, I try to imagine myself there with them on this special day. I wonder what words my Grandpa chose to say. Did he rehearse how he planned to propose? Was he nervous? Did my Grandma suspect that date would be the day they became engaged? I continually hope that as I stare at these pictures, answers will come, that I will remember more details of the engagement stories that they told me.

My handsome Grandpa...Laguna Beach, California 1939

 I do know that my Grandma knew she would say yes if he ever did propose. She told me that it took him a while to have enough money to be able to support a wife, purchase a home and be independent. She was patient for the most part. I think they both knew fairly quickly after going on a few dates that their personalities meshed well, that there was a definite attraction between them. It is never difficult to imagine them being young and in love. Possibly because I've seen so many photos from their lives together, and listened to so many stories about their adventures. The word "adventurous," truly does describe the way they lived. Since they lived in Southern California, there were many places to visit and explore. And Grandma wasn't one to sit back and let the world go by. It's really no surprise that they became engaged at Laguna Beach and then spent the afternoon at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Any chance they had to see new things, experience something fun, or go for a drive, they were taking advantage of  it. Grandma often said, "Let's go on an adventure!" Sometimes, we would jump in the big gold Suburban that they had in the 70's and take a drive, with no specific destination in mind. We would end up in the desert, or pack a lunch and picnic in the local mountains, we might even find ourselves at the beach, and of course we'd have to put our feet in. It seemed that anytime we found ourselves near a body of water, Grandma would take of her shoes, roll up her pants and dip her feet in. She had an affinity for water.  I'm sure they also took spur of the moment trips when they were a young couple. Grandpa said that taking spontaneous little drives was how they saw many of the popular tourist destinations in California.

Young and beautiful...

 

Mission San Juan Capistrano

 I love the clothing from this time period. I think my Grandma did as well. She saved quite a few blouses and skirts for many years, even after they were out of style. Grandpa told me, on more than one occasion, that he loved her figure. She was gorgeous...about 5'2", barely 100 pounds when they got married, beautiful shoulder length brown hair, olive complexion, hazel eyes. He felt that he was a lucky man. Not only did she have outward beauty, she also had a fun personality. A perfect match for my handsome Grandpa, tall and slender, auburn hair, fair skin, piercing blue eyes and a stunning smile. Quite the catch! This photo of him with the birds brings to mind of one of his best qualities; his love of animals. Throughout his entire life, he had such a compassion and kindness for all animals. It was a great thing to witness. Cats, dogs, rabbits, even horses. He was always so gentle with any animal he came into contact with.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Seeing my grandma laugh in this photo brings a smile to my face. I miss her laughter. She had such a silly streak. She could be serious one minute, then find something funny and the seriousness would be gone instantly. I love the fountain and palm trees behind her, the birds, her smile. Everything about this photo makes me happy. I wish I could hear her tell me about this day again. 

Still enjoying life and having fun after more than fifty years together.

They never did lose their desire for adventure. Even well into their eighties, they were still driving 40 miles once a week to go to dinner and play cards with friends. They still enjoyed evening walks around their neighborhood. They even went to Disneyland by themselves for their anniversary one year. Knowing them as well as I do, I'm not sure why I was surprised when they told me about their trip to Disneyland. It wasn't out of character for them. They would also go to Palm Springs twice a year to stay in a friends' time share condo. I can only hope to be as active as they were.
I'm not sure where this last photo was taken but I do know that wherever there was a body of water....Grandma was sure to have her shoes off and her feet wet!