How I Met Your Mother/Father

This fun little survey was conducted at Christmas 2008.

Grandma Jane and Grandpa Chuck

She says...

Dad (Chuck) and I met in our sophomore year of high school. It was late spring of the year and we had been in the same history class but I hadn't really given him a second look.

One night after a church meeting, a bunch of girls were hanging out when this 'fabulous' convertible car pulled up to the curb parking and some guys inside who we were vaguely familiar with talked us in to going for a short ride. I became a little more acquainted with the one named 'Chuck' and we 'hit it off'. A couple of days later during our class at school, he asked if I wanted to go for a ride in 'the car’ which his friend, Jack had let him drive to school. I agreed and he drove me home from school that day. Since he didn't have a car, we didn't really see each other except at school. When summer came, he got a job and bought a car which then made it easier for us to 'go on a date'. We continued to be a 'couple' through our next year in high school. He really did not like school but if he didn't go to school, he couldn't see me.

My friends, Deanna and Judy, who were part of that first ride began dating the other guys in the car, Jack and Jerry. We hung out together a lot and eventually all got married the same year.

Chuck lived about 5 miles from my house. Many times when his car was broke down, he would walk the couple miles from his job at the Center Drive Inn to my house at night, then back to the drive-in at 11P.M. and 'hitch' a ride home. He was always a very hard-working guy.

During the summer after our junior year and a year of going together, we began talking about getting married. Our parents were very much against the idea. We had to commit to finishing high school before we could get married. Chuck worked hard and again saved his money to buy my engagement/wedding rings. On Christmas Eve in 1954, we became engaged. It wasn't a real dramatic event, just 10 minutes to ourselves and the ring was on my finger and a few kisses exchanged. My father was not very gracious about the whole thing but he knew we were determined. We had to finish our senior year of high school. Several couples got engaged that Christmas; it wasn't anything unusual in our small town. We graduated high school together in May, 1955.

Our wedding was scheduled for Oct 20th, 1955. This date was decided because Chuck's mother was expecting a baby in mid-Sept. She said she would not come to our wedding pregnant.

We were married by a Mormon Bishop in a ceremony performed at the local 'hot spot' named the Avalon Ballroom. I worked hard for enough money to pay for this ‘dream’ wedding because my parents had very little money. My parents paid $250.00 for this wedding. We had about 250 guests in attendance, we had dancing music, and refreshments of cake/punch/mints were the normal for that time. It was a beautiful occasion. The wedding was on a Thursday evening because weekends cost more money in those days. Our wedding night was at a local motel called the 'Sandman'; very romantic! (And cheap).

We did not have a honeymoon. On Friday, (and I knew all this ahead of time) Chuck left with his brothers to go deer hunting for the weekend. We knew we needed to have the venison in our freezer to provide food for the winter. My sisters-in-law helped me move into the tiny apartment and put wedding gifts away while our men were out hunting.

People today think we were pretty 'dumb' but we were being realistic. In retrospect, Chuck thought I was upset, but I really wasn't. I knew marrying one of the Ainsworth Boys meant marrying a hunting/fishing fanatic. Some things never change.

Now, 53 years later, we get a great deal of humor from stories about our 'honeymoon'.

He says...

Mom and I originally met in an "American History" class when we were sophomores in high school.

Our versions of how we first dated are different but here is mine…

My friend, Jack Walker, had a dark blue 1948 Chevy convertible which he let me take to school one day. I asked mom if she wanted to go for a ride in it. I took her for a ride (spin) and then took her home. This was the beginning of our friendship. Mom had a friend, Deanna, who began dating my friend, Jack. Another friend, Judy went with my brother, Jerry. We all dated and hung out together during the summer between sophomore and junior year. All 3 couples eventually married.

I had a job working at the Center Drive Inn across the highway from our high school. My job was food preparation making french fries, meat patties and chopped onions. Mom worked there for a short time as a 'car-hop' but didn't get along with the night manager so she quit. Over the next year I worked, saved my money, bought a car and wedding rings.

We were engaged on Christmas Eve in 1954. We were high school seniors at the time.

We were married on October 20th, 1955, by a Mormon Bishop at a place called the Avalon Ballroom.

We didn't have a honeymoon. Our Wedding Day was a Thursday and 'Deer Hunting Season' opened on Saturday. I left on Friday afternoon with my brothers to set up our hunting camp and to this day can't figure out why she got mad.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it … 53Years later.