Lynn Baber… for love of God and horses

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone.

Today is a special day in my life. My first date with my husband was on St. Patrick’s Day. As he tells the story, it was a LONG day. More on that in a second…

The back of that RV, a month after our first date.

I have loved this holiday since high school, when I teased everyone that I had “Oscar” the leprechaun riding on my shoulder. Indeed, my dad has already called this morning to wish us Irish blessings. He reminds my that my mother was Irish (well, mostly.) It is a sweet thing that my father remembers how much St. Patrick’s Day has meant to me.

Do you celebrate all your special days?

If not, why not? We celebrate March 10th as well. That’s the day we met.

My husband loves to tell stories. When he starts talking about the day we met, or our first date, I (uncharacteristically) sit back quietly to just enjoy listening. He is, after all, a better story teller than I am. Last week (March 10th) he shared the details of our first meeting at Bible Study.

Tonight I fully expect him to relate at least part of our first date. Oh, just a minute, I think he added that to last week’s episode. Well, I’ll wait until tonight and be surprised.

A marathon event…

Our first date began with dinner at a Chinese restaurant; continued on to dancing at the top of the Red Lion Hotel – then on to a St. Patrick’s Day party with my church fellowship group.

The moment we walked in our host’s front door, Mr. Baber was accosted by one of my best friends, “Crazy” Arlene, and had a shamrock painted on his face, followed by a big kiss. Yes, one of my friends kissed him before I did!

After the formal events concluded, we reconvened in the back of an RV and headed to old town Omaha. The whole bunch of us enjoyed a mid-night (2 or3 am-ish) Mexican snack at Taco Garden. By the time we got home the sun was probably hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock. Yet, somehow we all managed to get to church that morning.

I was so impressed that Mr. Baber had been able to fit right into my wonderful, rambunctious crowd that I knew another date wasn’t far off…

Here we are today - wearing green!

The rest, as they say, is history. Make your own history. Celebrate each special day in your lives.