She told me tonight. I never realized...Sad isn't it. Nice to not be out shopping on Saturdays
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As a big Irish fan? How’d you manage that?
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It usually ends up with a story about the pool boy.
It was always pretty obvious to my wife. She's not from the States and doesn't like sports. It only took one ND game experience though (98 LSU) and she was hooked for life. It's the only sporting event she will watch and actually enjoy.
I was born in South Bend and she grew up in Ann Arbor. We knew it was a mixed marriage, but ND won easily. She even went to school with Harbaugh (which didn't help their case).
She knew what she was in for from the get go.
My wife is reminded the most of my ND love during our bad seasons.
I was always coaching and never spent the time because they weren't "in it'. Now that I have the time and they are good. She said "I always knew you were a fan" but not like this..I found it funny
I had a little stretch like that when I was coaching for a few years, luckily it was during the Davie's' "era" (lol) so I wasn't missing too much, but I still watched every game I could if I could work them in around their games.
The only time in my life I consciously choose to not watch games was the second half of ty's last year...I couldn't do it, it was just too painful watching and feeling there was literally no hope.
Between coaching Friday night and Saturday - now that I am done and can watch - she never knew...
My wife an I have been married over 32 years and dated a year and a half before that. When we met, my wife was actually a different faith. When it became obvious, even to a lunk-head like me, that she was the right girl for me, I told her I was going to taker her out on a very 'special' date. Her family told her that since she wasn't Catholic, that she would have to agree to raise any children in the Catholic faith. Well the big dinner date came, at a very romantic setting, and after some small talk, I told her that we had to talk over something VERY important and agree if we wanted to go any further in our relationship. My girlfriend then//wife now, being forewarned about the 'raising the kids Catholic' requirement by her family, quickly interjected that she had no problem raising our kids Catholic. Apparently she wanted me to know that the differences in our religious faith(s) would not be a problem regarding raising any children, and that the child upbringing issue was behind us. I am sure she was hoping I could then get-on with asking her to marry me and produce a ring that I must have had hidden somewhere on me.
Well I was stunned for a moment, but then I went on. I explained that we could discuss the raising of the children at another time, but at that moment I was going to explain what would be expected of her as the wife of a rabid ND football fan. As I explained to her about Saturdays in the fall, and bowl games, and how we wouldn't be making any plans for those days, her eyes got wider and wider. I further explained that I would not be attending any events on those days so if someone in her family was getting married, baptized, or buried, that she would be going without me. When she ashed what I would do if someone on my side of the family had something going on a ND football Saturday, I quickly explained that we would't be going and that everyone on my side accepted this. After I was done speaking she thought quietly for a few moments and said that she could make it work.
I was relieved that 'the talk' had gone better for me than it did for one of my brothers. However, my girlfriend (then) / wife (now) seemed fine. After the dinner ended and the check was paid, I stood up to leave. I am sure she thought the moment had arrived for me getting down on one knee and popping the question. Instead, I went over and pulled out her chair so she could get up. At this moment she realized that night she wasn't coming home with an engagement ring. A few moments later, in the car, she got up the nerve to ask me what was up. She said she had to confess that she was expecting a proposal. I apologized for any confusion but explained that I wasn't going forward until I knew she had first agreed to 'the talk' about ND football. Heck, since I didn't know for sure she would be OK with my feelings about ND, that I hadn't even begun to look for a ring.
It all worked out though, as I said we've been married over 32 years. I can tell you though that after my girlfriend (then) / wife (now) heard that I hadn't bought the ring (because I was waiting for her answer on ND Football), she said that she would go with me to pick it out. She said if she could agree to all that would be expected of her, that I should have no problem with her 'helping me' to select her ring. Yeah, she got back at me good ($$$$), but I still got the better bargain: I got the best wife and in 32+ years of marriage, I've never had any issues with her over watching ND. Incidentally, not only did we raise our kids Catholic, but my wife converted a few years after we got married.