Wonder Daddy

Have I ever told you about Wonder Daddy? Settle in, guys- this is going to be good.

So I'm called "I Wonder Woman" because I ask questions. WAAAY too many questions. But Wonder Daddy? He's the real deal.

I met Wonder Daddy just days after he returned from a two-year mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was playing prelude on the organ when he walked in to church and he thought "Oh, it's her." I looked around the organ when his name was announced and thought "Oh, it's him."

We formally met the following Wednesday at choir. My sister, Aunt LoLo, decided that he was the best singer there (he was) and would he please demonstrate to the altos how to sing their part. Poor guy, he DID do it better than the altos. I wore braided pigtails, baggy jeans, and a gray sweatshirt that night...and he asked me out on a date. Now ladies, THIS fellow is a keeper! I assure you, I was not looking at all dapper that night. And, for reasons we won't get into, I was MAD. It was a whole MAD PERIOD for me. I was mad at a lot of things, but mostly I was mad at MEN. Over the next few weeks I repeatedly explained this to him...and he just laughed. And invited me over to see his guitars.



It's a good thing Wonder Daddy has a sense of humor, because I think I might have actually laughed out loud when he answered the door that day. Here was my dapper, tall, blond, handsome friend...wearing holey jeans and a tie-dye concert tee. I kid you not. Tie-dye. It was awesome to behold.

Three months later, we went for a hike on a trail that I thought would be pretty. He seemed really excited to go when he called me that afternoon, so I couldn't figure out why he was so silent once we got out. I thought he was mad because I said there would be a waterfall, and so far all we found was a creek. "Whatever. He can be mad if he wants, I'm going to hike." So, snotty me, I just forged ahead. I waited for him when I got to a little bridge across the creek, still feeling a little snippy. I leaned on the railing, staring into the water, and noticed there were a few handfuls of red rose petals in the pooled water beneath me. When he caught up, he joined me on the bridge, arms on the railing. I started to wonder if he was ready to turn back, when he pulled something small out of his coat pocket and asked me a question. And ladies, he's a trooper. I latched on to his neck in a ten-minute, silent, hug, I kid you not. My mind was racing. Mentally, I was ten years down the road- we were married, had kids, everything. It was beautiful, I couldn't believe it was happening. Then I remembered the poor guy was still in my death grip, and all I could think of to say when I raised my head was "I guess I should say yes, huh?"


Six months later, we were sealed together. And then the fun began. I was already working at a large company as an inventory accountant, and he was just starting out at community college full-time, with a job at a timeshare company call center. 18 months later, Ernie came along, and I stopped working. He's still working at the timeshare company, and going to University now. Life can't get much busier for him, and then he's elected president of the accounting fraternity. This is a Big Deal. And a lot of work. He's teaching Sunday School at church, schooling, working, studying. He's swamped. And then Masters program starts. He's working at an accounting firm part-time now, and we purchase our first house, across the street from Aunt LoLo.



Masters program ends, he's working full-time at the accounting firm, and he starts studying for the CPA exam. And along comes Mimi.

He's our Wonder Daddy. He's always there when we need him, and always full-steam-ahead working on the next big thing. (Just don't let him try and study in bed on April 16th. We need a few days to recover after Tax Day!)