Our Courtship

How We Met

Michael and I met at a company dinner on June 23, 2000. Michael said he knew the minute I walked through the door. I had school girl butterflies in my stomach all night long.

After the dinner, we went over to the CEO's house. Michael and I went outside and sat on a stone bench under some trees in the yard. It was there that I knew he was the one. It was such a magical night that I wrote a poem about it, called A Stone Bench.

Dating

He called me the very next day, only I wasn't home. But Sunday, we talked on the phone until 3 A.M. The next evening we had our first date...pizza and a movie at my house.

On our first "official" date, Michael took me to dinner at Grady's and we went bowling. We heard a song in the car with the line "If good looks were minutes, you'd be an hour". The challenge was on. During our courtship, Michael told me a new "If Good Looks Were..." just about every day. I tried to write them all down, but I know I have missed a few.

The most signifcant Good Looks was the night Michael came home from being on vacation in Florida with his family. He told me "If good looks were feelings, I'd love you more every day...and I do love you!" Prior to this, we talked about love but never spoke those words. This inspired me to write the poem Saying it doesn't make it so.

Engagement

On October 7, 2000, Michael and I went to pick out a diamond. He bought me a 3/4 Carat Diamond Marquis. We went up on his family farm where he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I said yes (of course) and he put the ring on my finger. Some day we hope to build a house on that same hill exactly where we became engaged.

Wedding

We were married on March 3, 2001 at our church, New Union Baptist Church, in Dayton. To find out more about our ceremony, see pictures or hear music, visit our Wedding page.

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Now that we are married and have four children, it is a challenge to keep the romance alive and find time for each other. Our committment to each other has brought us to set goals. This allows us to express our love for each other and stay emotionally and spiritually connected. Some of the ways we do this are: Michael tries to brush my hair every night before bed, Michael and I try to go on a date once a month, and we try to have regular bible study and prayer with each other.

The Arnold Aerie and all content within are © Copyright 2005 by Michael and Connie Arnold.