20 years ago, my wife agreed to put up with me permanently

This fall, my wonderful wife, Cecelia, and I will celebrate our 20-year wedding anniversary, but Tuesday marked another special date in our relationship.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

It marked the 20^th anniversary of me popping the question and asking her to marry me. We had been dating for about seven months at the time.

Cecelia knew that a few weeks earlier I had been out looking at engagement rings, but somehow it never dawned on her that I was planning to pop the question. (Go figure.)

I asked her to marry me on the same day that I bought the ring. I left work early on a Friday to drive up to this jewelry store in London to get the ring, which I had seen a few weeks earlier.

I actually bought it at a jewelry store that was going out of business believe it or not. Is that confidence or what? (Not sure what I would have done if she had said no…LOL.)

After getting the ring I drove over to a church for a wedding rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner as one of Cecelia’s two best friends, Diana, was getting married the next day. Cecelia was the maid of honor and I was an usher at the wedding.

I carried the engagement ring around in my pocket during the entire rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

My buddy, Eddie Arnold, was taking the wedding pictures, and was at the rehearsal dinner. I showed him the ring while we were in the parking lot.

After the rehearsal dinner, Cecelia and I went back to my place, which was only a few miles from the church. We were sitting on the couch watching television when the conversation turned to what we should tell people, if they asked about our relationship status.

I told Cecelia that I guessed this would depend on her answer to a question. Then she asked what question.

At that point I pulled the ring out of my pocket and got down on my knees to propose. I couldn’t tell you exactly what I said after that, but, suffice it to say, she said yes.

Needless to say that this was one of the best decisions of my life.

About three months later, we got married on Sept. 25.

(9/11 was on a Saturday that year and I tried to get her to get married on that date so that I wouldn’t ever be able to forget out anniversary date, but she wouldn’t go for it. Go figure…LOL.)

We got married by her preacher, who was actually a longtime family friend of mine, at my church.

We had decided to have a joint bank account, and I was running low on checks so I actually added her onto my checking account and ordered checks in the name of Mark White and Cecelia White before we even tied the knot.

As a matter of fact, my last check that solely had Mark White on it, went to pay the preacher for the wedding.

Also, let this column serve as a valuable life lesson for some of you younger single guys out there. You put the engagement ring on your credit card, get married, have joint money, and then let her pay for part of her own engagement ring after the wedding…LOL.

To borrow a line from Beyonce, some of you single ladies out there wanting your man to go ahead and put a ring on it sooner rather than later, might want to make sure that he reads this column.

Thank you Cecelia for saying yes 20 years ago, and I look forward to the next 20 years with you. I still love you with all my heart.