Happy Father's Day!

In August of 1984 I wrote in my diary that I would probably never marry and have children. I had went on a lot of "first dates" but nothing past that. I had never met a man that I would consider being my husband and the father of my children. Now, take it, I was only 18...but I was the type of person that had been grown her entire life so 18 wasn't young for me...lol. About a week after my diary entry I received a call from my sister (I was away at college in the dorm). She tells me that her manager at the Sonic wanted to meet me. I was confused because I didn't remember ever seeing her manager at the Sonic! I tell her that I will be home the following weekend and I would come into the Sonic and meet him. Later I find out that she had told him that I wanted to meet him! She was a sneaky one!!

I go the the Sonic the following Friday evening, sit at a table for two, and order an onion ring and unsweetened iced tea. Out comes this man bringing me my order. He looked at me in the eyes and said: "Hi, my name is Randy." He sat with me and we talked for a while. I don't even remember the conversation, only that he was the first man I had ever met that sat with me and had a conversation with me. He was smart and funny and was genuinely interested in me as a person.

Because of his work schedule our first date was on a Sunday morning. My Daddy stayed home from church with me so I wouldn't be home alone when Randy got there. Randy was supposed to be there at nine in the morning. I am ready at nine. I am waiting at nine-thirty. I am getting annoyed at ten. I am getting irritated at ten-thirty. Then I get a phone call. He had worked until two that morning and didn't hear his alarm. He then asks me if I still want to go out. I told him I was dressed, he might as well come over. (Of course I let him off the hook for being late...he did work awfully late the night before.) We went for a great drive through Etowah county in his Chevy truck. He took me to eat at a dive that had the BEST hamburgers. We chatted the entire time, and I started falling in love.

We planned the wedding on our third date. He left for boot camp in the Navy on October 10, and I was miserable without him. I loved every letter I received from him...even though he writes horrible letters...lol. He tends to not only drop words in sentences, but entire phrases! I discover in November that we were going to have a child. I wrote him a letter telling him and he writes me back saying we would marry when he was home in December instead of waiting until April. We married on January 4, 1985 and welcomed our son into the world on May 31, 1985. Fifteen months later we welcomed our daughter. We were twenty and twenty-two, and our family was complete.

Even from the first Randy was wonderful with the children. He was always available to play with them, and love them. I think the most important thing Randy did for his children is to love their mother. We have had our ups and downs, but we have always come together and become all the stronger for it. Where I am weak, he is strong. We complement each other rather well, I think!

I love you, Randy Beck. Thank you for being my husband, the father of our children, and the wonderful man that you are. Heavenly Father knew from the beginning that we would be a perfect match.

Ann