As a sophomore at OU, my Atkinson Hall mod-mates and I were certain we would never get married.

NEVER!

Weren't you supposed to meet your future spouse at college? That's what we thought.

And there we were, smack dab in the middle of our higher education, and we hadn’t met anyone yet. We were doomed.  We were sure of it.

Then, in February of 1990, one of our mod-mates invited us to a house party on Stewart Street. She was going to introduce us to some of her friends from her freshman year at Shively Hall -- many of them of the male species. We were all a bit hopeful.

There was one guy -- kind of cute and a bit flirty, but I didn't think I was really interested. Let's just say that I didn't see him as a candidate for the future mate position. However, we began a conversation that led into talk of animals and pets. The next thing I know, this guy is inviting me next door to his house to see his TURTLE. Is that what they're calling it these days? 

"What a line," I thought to myself. I was very suspicious of his intentions to say the least. I asked my mod-mate, whose judgment I trusted completely. She said, "He's a good guy. It's OK. Go next door and see his turtle."

With some hesitation and a bit of anxiety, I went next door to see his turtle. His name was Tony, and he was a silver-dollar sized water turtle. He was a strange-looking turtle, apparently a soft shell turtle, with a long pointed nose. I thought he was kind of ugly, which I exclaimed.

Then, something happened. This guy became more charming, more interesting and much cuter. As the night wore on, we talked and talked and talked. We clicked.

A few days later he invited me on a date. I didn't want to go. I just wasn't really sure. My mod-mate convinced me to go, and I tried to get her to go along with us. She refused and I went alone.

The date was fun. We really clicked, again. He was so sweet, and I was becoming more and more attracted to him. The dates continued, and we became closer and closer. I really liked his friends, too. They were a lot of fun.

The end of that school year, I was crushed to have to leave him for the summer. I was heading home to Cincinnati, and he to Cleveland. I think it was then that I knew he was the one. 

Sixteen years of life together, 10 years of marriage, three beautiful children and loads of happy memories later, we fondly recall our days together at OU.

Our daughter's first grade teacher used to be the OU mascot, our neighbors are also alumni, and we took the kids (ages 1-6) for their first tour of campus this summer! It will always be a part of our hearts and our lives.