Did You Marry Up?

I know people make that comment often, "Man, I sure married up when I married my spouse" but sometimes I think they just say that because it is politically correct! WELL I MARRIED UP over 30 years ago and let me tell you it definitely was a "UP" experience in my life.

I met my wife Evie who at the time was called Evelyn because that was her birth name and her dad and mom always called her that. We were both students at Sioux Falls College. Even though she is only a few months older than me, she was a year ahead of me in school. She was an elementary education and I was a social work major so our paths were in two different worlds.

Actually my twin brother who was also an elementary ed. major probably knew Evie better than I did.

That first year in college Evie (people started calling her Evie in her first teaching job after college) and I were both asked to go on a Faith at Work team from 1st B in Sioux Falls. We went to Iowa City, IA and had a wonderful spiritual time. But that was that and we kind of moved back into our old worlds when we returned to campus.

One of the things I love about Evie is she loves machines and loves to drive them with the exception of our riding lawnmower!!!

I would see Evie on campus and knew who she was because Sioux Falls College was a small school where most people knew one another. I would say hi and see her walk into the cafe for meals but she was always with one of her sisters from Grand Island Hall. I thought she was very nice but that was all I knew about her. I later found out that she was a a very shy person. Wow, has she changed! I guess living with me would force almost anyone out of their shyness!

Well, we both graduated and moved on to new careers. Me in Sioux Falls and Evie in Lyons, NE where she taught elementary school. It wasn't until I was back at SFC as Director of Alumni Affairs that our paths crossed once again. Dr. A.O, Larsen who was a respected patriarch of the school mentioned that I should get to know Evelyn. So I made sure I had a trip to Nebraska and ended up taking her out for dinner on Halloween night!!!!! WOW! We had a GREAT time together!

We started dating and I realized I had reunited with the most wonderful person I had ever met in my life. She quickly became my best friend. I then fell in love with Evie and God revealed to both of us at the same time that it was meant for the two of us to be together.

Carrie would agree, she is the world's best mom!!!

When then I met the rest of the Petersen clan they were wonderful people as well and I knew that I had married up when I married Miss Petersen!!!! Life with Evie has been wonderful. We have had challenges just like ever couple but instead of mountains we have had what I call bumps in the road. But through it all whether it was losing babies before birth, having to leave a job at Westmar and sell a house we lived in for about 4 months, losing money on that house, living on one income at various times in our marriage, living on educator incomes, leaving USF, all experiences have brought us even closer to one another. I love her 10 times more than the first day I met her.

Last night as I drove back in to the city after working a long day at USD, Evie called to inform me that she had backed the riding lawnmower into the air compressor and had knocked off the power. No problem that a AC guy couldn't fix at 9:15 p.m. later that night! Her comment to me was, "Honey, thanks for now being mad at me!" I just laughed and told Evie, "Honey, no one was hurt! But I did make a deal with her. She will leave my riding lawnmower alone (she hates driving it anyway) and I won't touch her computerized sewing machine!!!!" We both laughed. But it was a reminder that there are certain things we both do in our marriage.

Evie is constantly doing things like leaving cleaned whole strawberries in the refrigerator for me, making a fantastic dinner after working VERY hard every day at school. Today Evie is proctoring an exam for a national testing company with the idea that she will send the money to our daughter and son-in law to help defray their airfare to come back home for a few days this summer! Evie is constantly thinking of others whether it is sewing a baby blankets for couples at church, buying special gifts for her various sisters. The list goes on and on.

She is a close friend to both my daughter and son-in-law and certainly doesn't fit the mold of the mother-in-law we hear about from our friends! Thanks Evie for being who you are. I love being married to you!!

Love,

Markus