Once upon a time in the far off land of Tuscaloosa, Alabama I met my prince! To meet him I had to walk through prickly thorn forest, a dark scary cave, and thief ally. A night I tell almost no one about (especially not my mother)…

I was on a group date with my best friend in college at the University of Alabama and her date along with several others (it was a fairly large crowd). My date, Thad, wasn’t that interested in me because he kept forgetting I was there! I actually had a crush on someone else, a culinary major named Trent. He offered me a bite of asparagus while he held it…hmmm! My crush made us dinner: ravioli with white cream sauce, asparagus, and cocktails (lots of cocktails)! After a lovely dinner we all piled up in the car and I threw my keys on the floor board. I was the youngest one there and had not yet turned twenty-one. We were off to a karaoke bar and I was ready to have some fun!

Gallivanting up to the line of the club my date, forgetting me, left me behind. My best friend, in a love trance, only had eyes for her date. That left me alone to hear, “I’m sorry I can’t let you in!” Then I said with a very slow southern accent, “Oh noooo!”

I was alone in Tuscaloosa wearing a shiny purple jacket and glitter, lots of glitter! I was not far from Bruno’s grocery store and thought I could walk there and call my roommate (this was before everyone had cell phones). Off I went feeling very much like Snow White when she was scared and lost in the deep dark forest. This was my “always darkest before the dawn” moment. Entering a grocery store looking like a disco queen at nine-o-clock at night just didn’t feel right. I had no quarters for the pay phone and the cashier wouldn’t give me change. I finally got a ride home and remembered my keys were on the floor board of Thad’s car. My roommate was not home I sat on my doormat crying!

I decided I could not wait for my roommate and needed to find a phone! Wiping off my glitter I mustered up some courage and knocked on my neighbor’s door. My prince answers, “Hello! Are you alright?” He saved me and offered me a beer to go with my phone call. Of course I could not get my roommate because she was out having her own fun, so my prince (who happens to resemble Prince Charles in his younger days) and I waited together and talked getting to know each other. We were in a bubble my prince and I; there was no one but us. Everything felt right. Looking at him I felt I already knew him. It was instant attraction and then he kissed me! The Crystals played in my head…

He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before,
he kissed me in a way that I wanna be kissed forever more.
I knew that he was mine so I gave him all the love that I had
and one day he took me home to meet his mom and his dad.
Then he asked me to be his bride
and always be right by his side.
I felt so happy I almost cried
and then he kissed me.

The Crystals tell the rest of our story, but you never forget the beginning! Ahh, the beginning…magic, fireworks, a yellow brick road, and glitter (lots of glitter)!