My Scariest Moment...

When I look back at the short time I've been around...

I realize in my life I've done a lot of things that, atleast I, consider amazing.

I was 21 and finished fire science school.

I was 22 and bought my first business.

I was 24 and I bought my first house.

I was 27 and I became the youngest member of my yacht club to sit on the board in the entire 50 years it has existed.

And now this...


I accomplished most of this by myself. With the occasional parental guidance. The world can be a scary place when you don't really know what you're doing.

And for most of it, I didn't know what I was doing.

I'm 27 years old, and for most people, by this time, they've done everything I've done, and more.

I've seen every place I've ever wanted to see, and then some.

I've tried everything I've ever wanted to try, and more.

But in two days, I'm going to have to add one more thing to the list of stuff I've done.



I'm taking my girlfriend's father fishing.

Which, in and of itself, is not a big deal.

Her father and I have fished together before, we get along really well. He's a pretty nice guy. His son, my girlfriend's brother, is also coming with us this time.

I like him too, he's also another nice guy.

But during this fishing trip, I'm going to pour my heart out.

And I'm going to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter.

Fishing. I've been fishing since I could hold a reel.

Boating. I grew up on the water, handling a 16' open bow, or a 40' Lake Michigan crusier is no big deal to me.

Baiting a hook, fileting the catch... No big deal.

Asking for permission to marry a man's daughter...


Scaring the living hell outta me.



When I was 22, I remember the day before my store first opened. The week or two of getting ready. Being nervous, hoping I would do well...

A lot of you read along as I tried my first business. The trial and error I went through...

And a lot of you read as I closed my first business, and it broke my heart to see it close.

And now, a lot of you on FSC, are probably going to read along on this phase of my life too.

I've known my girlfriend for awhile now. We've lived together for a little bit. The night I met her, I was in a horrible mood. I was at a bar, yes we met at a bar, and it was near the end of October.

I was dragged to a bar by my buddies to listen to a band that I didn't care anything about.

I sat at the bar, ignored everyone, and nursed a rum and Coke.

My friends have known me long enough to know what kind of girls I like. It's not hard, I like them all. I can find something attractive about pretty much any girl.

It's a curse.

Give me a tall girl, that's got dark hair, with a great sense of humor, and put a fork in me. I'm done.

And that's just what I got that night.

A buddy nudged me, "Look.", he said. I scanned the crowd that just came in, it was easy to see who he was talking about. She was taller than probably anyone else in the bar. Myself and present company included.

I am six foot three. I am not the tallest. And I am not the shortest. And her height is what made me first notice her. \

She is six foot four. An inch taller. I didn't bring it up the first time we talked. Actually, I didn't bring up much of anything the first time we talked.

She was tall, she wasn't big either, smaller than me, but not lanky or awkward. I was impressed.

That week, the Subby was in the shop, as it was having a new rear end put in it. I had my cousin's 1990-something Corolla. Biggest piece this side of the great state of Wisconsin.

I was embarrassed. I wanted to leave. But I had to talk to her. I went up to her, introduced myself, she introduced herself. I gave her my phone number, and left immediately. I would be horrified if she noticed me leaving in that car and thought that was my daily driver.

Now I'm sure every married member of FSC can relate to me when I talk about the feelings you first had for the girl (or guy) you later married.

She made the rest of the night go much better.

I went to another bar, and she called immediately after I got there. I couldn't hear her on my phone, so I went outside. Next to some dumpster.

And her and her friends wanted to meet me at whatever bar we were at.

Over the course of time, I got to know her better. Her name is Lindsey. She's the manager of a large retail chain in Illinois, but lived in Kenosha. She came to the bar that night because her friend worked with a guy in the band.

And long story short, after a time, she moved in to my house.

My dog liked her immedately.

My friends would joke about the freakishly tall kids we would have.

My nephew has a hard time pronouncing Lindsey, so he calls her Mimzy.

My niece is more quiet and reserved, so for awhile, she just stared. She does it to everyone. After awhile, Mimzy became someone that was very fun to play with. Much more intesting than Uncle Chad.

Uncle Chad just bought things. Uncle Chad just took them for haircuts and ice cream and to buy shoes.

But Mimzy became someone my niece could cuddle with. Or my nephew could show off his newest piece of Green Bay Packer paraphenalia.

This is the first girlfriend I've had where my dad actually talked to her.

My dad doesn't have much interest in talking to people he won't have to ever see again, so he just never does. Something told him he'd see her again.

I go to the yacht club, and everyone wonders how I met a girl like her.

I still wonder myself sometime.



But this week... I started getting nervous on Monday. I felt stupid.

I had almost a week, and I was already getting nervous. I felt like an idiot. Nervous for nothing.

Now, before I know it, I'm taking her dad out for dinner tomorrow night. And Saturday morning we hit the lake.

When I started getting nervous I did the only thing I know how to do... I called my dad. And asked him what to do...

He just joked with me: "Have a backup plan in case he says no."

At work, the mechanic that works with me keeps messing with me...

I won't even paraphrase what he says.

At work, it's all I can think of... I'm not even sure it'll be that bad...

But it opens up a new, exciting, and scary chapter to my life.

This is growing up in it's rawest form.

I've avoided adulthood as long as I can, and now, I'm asking another man if it's okay to enter adulthood, holding his daughter's hand.

Then all I can think about is the day I go fishing with my daughter's boyfriend... And he asks me the same thing I asked...

My mind goes a million miles a minute about what to say, do, act, feel.

My mind goes a million miles a minute about what will happen, how will it happen, what will it be like, what will it feel like...

And all I can think of...

Is, well, I've come this far... Might as well go a little further.