How Stacie Met Audie

I actually met him AND his family when I was fourteen, as we attended the same church, but I never gave him more than a passing hello. I thought he was too old and too dorky.

I worked at a local supermarket and one morning when I was 19, business was slow and I was just hanging out at my cash register when I saw a handsome man in the bread aisle. I stood there admiring him, and then he looked up. I must have blushed. Oh my gosh, I can't be checking him out! I thought. That's Audie!

After that I paid more attention to him when he came through my line. I noticed for the first time that he was really funny, and not quite as dorky as I thought he was. Then we kept running into each other - at the ice cream place, at a mutual friend's house, at the grocery store.

One day our mutual friend and I were going to a local lake and we invited Audie to go too. By this time I really liked him. We had a chance to talk a lot that day. He told me that he was thinking about selling his cows and going into the peace corp. Someone was coming to his barn THAT evening to look at them. But I thought you liked farming, I said. He said he loved farming, and he loved his cows. He just didn't have anyone to farm with, and it was too much to do alone. I wanted to tell him, Pick me! Pick me! I'll help you farm!

But of course I couldn't say that. Instead, later that evening when I knew he'd be milking, I walked along the creek that ran in front of my parents house, following it for half a mile until I came close to Audie's barn. I saw a truck there that wasn't Audie's, so I hid down along the creek bed and waited. The sun began to set and I was still waiting. I was almost ready to leave when I heard a truck start up. I peered over the hill and saw the other truck leaving, so I crossed the creek and hiked across the hayfield.

I found Audie just finishing up the milking. I followed him around as he worked and asked him lots of questions. At that point I didn't even know why his cows were brown. I thought all cows were black and white! We talked until well after dark. As I was leaving I hugged him and told him I didn't want him to sell his cows.

The very next day after work I stopped by his barn, and nearly every day after that. We talked and worked and I learned a lot about farm life. A week later he told me he decided to keep the cows. When I asked him why, he said, You.

We dated for only ten months, although you couldn't really call what we did dating. We worked on the farm together every day - milking, feeding cows, making hay, cleaning stalls, etc. It wasn't until 3 months later that we hired someone to milk the cows and actually went out on a date - to dinner and a movie. I don't regret it at all though. I think working so closely together everyday, with a common goal, facing the good, the bad and the smelly, gave us a foundation that has carried us through some hard times.

So eleven years ago today, at the very inexperienced age of 20, I married a 28-year old farm boy. I'm not so naive anymore, and Audie is no longer a farm boy. And although we see nearly everything in a different way, have little in common and most people who know us would agree that we are an unlikely match - it works really well for us.

We both give each other room to grow, to change, and to be who we are. Neither of us tries to make the other into our ideal mate. We accept each other as we are, and love without condition. He is the best friend I've ever had.