My parents met on a blind date. Mom's brother Ernest and Dad's lifelong friend, Sandy, set them up. They liked each other right away, but neither one knew then that this would be the person they would marry. Theresa Eileen Burrell and Forrest Roy Dove were very different people, after all.
My mother was born the youngest child of Ernest Burrell and Susie Burrell. She had two brother, Ernest and Sonny. Mom had a normal childhood. She was very quiet and reserved. She grew up in King George. She graduated from King George Schools. She later attended business school and became a secretary at NSWC.
My father, on the other hand, was the oldest child of Edith and Roland Dove. He had two younger siblings, Debi and Jack. They lived in Dahlgren. He was a wild child. He threw parties throughout high school. After he finished his time in the King George School Systems, he enrolled in the Navy. This was during the time of the Vietnam War, but my father was safe in Puerto Rico. His date with my mom was during the time when he was home from the Navy.
Their first date was at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair. My mother liked dad right away. He was funny and adventurous. Dad thought she was beautiful and nice. Neither one had any guess this would be hte person they would marry.
The first proposal came at a time when my mother was about to go on a date with someone else. Dad called Mom while he was on travel. He was drunk. She told him that she was about to go on a date, and he explained to her that he didn't want her to go on a date. She then told him that she didn't belong to him. That's when he asked her to marry him. He sent her a turqoise ring in the mail a week later.
The romantic proposal came at my Uncle Jack's first wedding. My father was an usher. When Mom arrived, Dad quickly ushered her to her seat leaving her with a box that contained the engagement ring. Dad knew this would be hilarious because Mom couldn't cry or shout because she was at a wedding. She was left speechless. They got married four months later on April 24th. They honeymooned at Disney World. I was born seven years later.
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