HOW THE EVENSON FAMILY GOT STARTED

I was attending College of Sequoias, a local Junior College in Visalia, Calif. where I was born and grew up. I was making up a Tennis class by hitting the tennis ball against the backboard for an hour. It seemed as though every ball I hit missed the backboard and saied out onto the track field. I really am nornally not THAT bad a player, but a kind young man would keep delivering the ball back to me as he would go around. It was getting quite embarrassing after about 15 misses. Finally the bell rang just as the last ball sailed over the backboard onto the track. I would gladly have left the ball and ran to the locker room, or better yet, have been sucked into one of those sink holes and swallowed over till it was dark...... Anyways, that handsome young man again approached me with the delinquent tennis ball in hand. We exchanged a few words during which I found out we had a class together, he had observed me with friends in the student union, had watched me on campus. Needless to say I was oblivious to any of this and surprised at the class together and inquired which it might be. The reply : MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY! (As a side note, can you imagine how frustrating it must be to get 2 people together when one is oblivious to her surroundings, and it is the last week of school and testing before Lloyd was to go home during the summer to Canada, and not return.....)( no wonder fate was knocking my hand to send that wild ball sailing into outfield!) Well I did not see him again because our final was the last and next class we would have together. I was really curious about him and tried to inquire around about him and searched for him as I would cross campus.

Skip ahead to the last day of school for the year, last final of that day (Marriage and the Family class final), and me unable to even spot him in the class. (I always sat in the very back corner by the door and he always sat in the opposite corner of that large class in the very front.) As I walked across the campus, my pace slowed as I just pondered the end of the year and life in general on that campus. For some reason I was hesitant to spoil my thoughts by leaving campus for home. Well, you guessed it!! Along came this handsome dude in a direct line toward me. (yes, my heart went pitter pat!!) His words were so romantic...."how did you do on the final".... ( Well any words from him were romantic to me!!) Sooooo, he walked me to my car then asked if he could come over that night! What do you think my answer was? "let me check my calendar, I will have to think about it, I have so many boyfriends already I will have to squeeze you in" etc. or "sure, that would be great!" Yep, you guessed it! It is really weird because it is like a video in my mind of that afternoon hitting tennis balls, and then another video of that night and the videos of the next 2 days. (He was supposed to leave for Canada that next day after our final!) Anyway I can relive those scenes and times as often as I care to with my videos sealed into my mind.

Well that night when he came over we sat and visited on the sofa for quite awhile (after meeting my parents). Then he suggested we go get pizza. There was a little popular hangout that he frequented. As we sat and enjoyed pizza, he drew cartoon characters on the napkin! I have some saved in my box in the attic with love letters later written and received. We visited for quite some time before heading back to my house. We sat in the car a bit and visited in front of my house (note: VISITED!) As we were chattering, a voice came to me "this is your future husband"! It was a calm peaceful feeling I had, but I knew for sure it was true. I said nothing about it to him till about the time he proposed (2 1/2 years later, hahaha. - It took him longer to hear the voice I guess.) Well, after our goodbyes I did get a kiss! Yep! He told me he would come visit me in the morning before he left for Canada.

The next morning arrived and so did he with a huge pink poodle. I still have pictures of that day in my scrapbook. Noon came and he still hadn't left... hmmmm! I told him about an end of the year party my freind Susan was having the next day at her grampa's home in the mountains. Needless to say, he postponed his exit for another day. Again I have the "home video" in my mind of that day too. We had a picnic, hiked, swam in the river, and enjoyed each others company. (I have naturally curly hair and this was before the products arrived to tame it, so I looked a fright! and I was sunburned--he didn't care and snuggled me closer.) The trip back to visalia was bitter sweet as I thought of him leaving the next day. Would he keep his original plan of never returning to Visalia????... Fate would not allow that, of course! Yes, he did leave the next morning through my sobbings and his gentle hug and tender kisses. I could not tell this guy who I had known only 3 days that he was going to marry me someday...... but my heart ached to hang on to him a little longer and get to know my forever soulmate.

Well we wrote constant letters back and forth clear into the Fall. (he had to earn enough money working on a cattle farm up there to make the trip back--he had hitchhiked all the way back to Canada from Visalia.) I can still feel the cloud of sadness I felt during those 3 1/2 months. For him it was another hitchike in reverse to Visalia. He would not tell me he was coming so he surprised me. - The bestest of surprises! People were telling me that he probably would not come back....:(