She's gonna marry a Marine!

You know you're a happy Dad when your baby is gonna marry someone you feel might just be a better man than you.

When I was 18 I was healthy enough to Join the military but didn't feel my calling yet. By the time I did, my health wouldn't allow me to serve so instead I served our country as an elected official instead. I served the local community in Local and State politics and as a Volunteer Firefighter training for a while.

My dad was a reserve cop or reserve officer and volunteer fire through most of my growing up and loved to tell me of how his 3 years in the Army kept him from spending much of his life in prison. He and I didn't always see eye to eye but we did see a common need to do something great even if we were not great at it.

Still I wasted the ages of 18-21 chasing small dollars, using neither brain or opportunity to get ahead preferring to work 2 hours to get the same pay one smart one was worth. At 21 I discovered booze, and women in the same night and my political voice over the next 6 months.

By 22 I was an elected official serving 3 offices, and raising hell like a teenager nearly every night as I tried to find love on a karakoe stage and barstool. I was working for the right people in the worng crowd and sadly I didn't accomplish all I could in part as a result but I made a decent sum of money until things started unraveling at age 24.

It was at that time I opened a short lived retail store in a bad locatio and later a seasonal restaurant on too short of term contract. I was left by my first love for the Husband I thought was an Ex. I was left by my 2nd love for the drug dealer I never knew existed. I gave up on the idea of finding love and transitioned to a minset of having as much sex as possible and letting others do the hard stuff.

Luck has it though one of my best friends introduced me to his sister nearly 20 years ago. What was the most poorly botched one night stand in history became 19 years and 7 children with a tron of time for growing added to my life. The oldest turned 18 this past January and she is every bit as pretty as her momma, and smarter than both of us.

Lisa is a Waitress at Denny's and now also a Cashier at Fry's Food, and is hell ben't on being the first of us in college with plans to be a nurse. She spent this weekend doing 3 weeks of Highschool lessons in 4 days time. Then I had to ask her a serious question this morning.

Lisa top Center like 4-5 years ago. You can tell all my girls have their own attitudes.

What did you tell your Marine?

See two weeks ago she let daddy know here boyfriend who had just shipped out for 2 weeks of Quarantine before enetering Basic Training asked her to marry him and she was considering it. Now, she is not one to come to either of us for advice, but you could tell she was really thinking things through and asked me what if it's too soon?

I reminded here that my mom was 19, my dad 36 when they went out. Mom fell sick before that first date and her appartment had very poor heating for Soiux Falls South Dakota Winters and my dad took her home, married her 2 weeks later and nearly 40 years later they were still a lovely couple when he died.

I said your mom and I met in June and married in December 2000. We will celebrate 20 years this year. Too early is that point you were saying yes in your head before he asked you. Just right is the point you are sitting there looking at him and can't imagine any other answer, and too late is when he is asking someone else. If it feels right, you have to act and be all in.

So when I asked today have you told your Marine if you will marry him she said yes, it will probably be a few months until he is ready for a stateside post but she's going to Marry that Marine. He's the one who brought her OJ when she was sick from across town each day. He called her twice daily until she was better even if she was letting him come over after work if she needed anything. His family adores her too.

If I hear her right he is looking at Information technology for a spcialist and that can ;ead to a range of IT and Computer retated careers, and she will come hell or high water be a top quality nurse. I am so damned proud of her and the lady she is becominging.

Lisa you are doing Amazing.

Andy "Proud Dad" Anderson