Chapter Ten* FERP Invitation & Response

This is the story of how my husband and I met, got engaged, and were married within 8 months…

…and lived happily ever after*

Before I can begin this post that will likely end up being verry long, I need to explain what it is about. My church has a program that I have mentioned in passing before called YSA which stands for Young Single Adults. This organization is divided regionally and puts on big activities every Friday night that people can attend. They range from sports, dances, cultural events, guest speakers, etc etc. They are usually a ton of fun and are well attended– often up to 100 – 200 people might show up to a dance, for example. Often these dances have fun themes, and there are two especially big dances every year: PREF & FERP. The Pref dance (short for preference) is usually held at the end of November and FERP is in February. Now then… these dances are unique because they have a cool twist– for the Pref dances, you are encouraged to come with a date, but GIRLS need to ask the guys CREATIVELY. I’m not just talking about walking up to someone and asking them to go with you, I’m talking fun. For example, before meeting the Hubster I once asked a friend of mine to go with me by setting up a massive treasure hunt for him to solve with a chest of Worther’s Candies (they are gold) and my invitation on top at the end. People often get really creative. But you also have to respond creatively– you’re not just supposed to answer “yes”, you’re supposed to put a spin on it. Doodle once responded by asking a pizza place to make a pizza and spell “YES” in pepperoni on top and had it delivered to the girl who had asked him. Neat, huh?

Now, as you probably guess, FERP (which is “pref” backwards) is the opposite– guys have to ask the girls. A couple of years before I met the Hubster, I was once asked by a friend of mine who set up an elaborate scavenger hunt for me down Yonge Street in the city. He talked to a bunch of store owners, and I had to go into 7 – 8 stores as I progressed down the street to ask for a clue. Some made me do something funny before they would give it to me– I had to yell out that I loved the Leafs in one, and another was a mattress shop and I had to search under the mattresses to find where it was hidden. He was at the end asking me to go! Other people also do really elaborate things– a friend of mine woke up really really early one morning after a snowfall and wrote a message in the snow on a girl’s front lawn in pink coloring asking her to go with him.

Anyway. So these dances are usually people’s favourites as they are so fun to prepare for. It was the beginning of February (in our story), and the FERP dance was a couple of weeks away. I hoped hoped hoped that he would ask me, but I wasn’t sure. A few days after meeting his family he invited me out for dinner and a movie. He came and picked me up and we had dinner, then he took me into the basement of his house where he had the sweetest invitation for me. On the futon in the basement were three bags. He gave me instructions to open the first one and inside was a puzzle. He sat with me on the floor as I put it together, and it was this cute little pink puzzle with two bears and some heart balloons. I was a little ‘puzzled’ (HA, I’m funny.. haha) but then figured out that there was a message written on the back. The puzzle is down in storage so I don’t have the exact wording, but it basically asked me to go with him in a very adorable way.

**I found the puzzle and decided to post it!! How cute is this????

Inside bag #2 was a heart shaped box of chocolates. When I lifted the lid, I saw that the word “yes” had been written in icing on every single chocolate except the cherry filled one (which he remembered I hated) which was half eaten and had the word “no” on it. haha Seriously… how freaking cute is THAT? Each “yes” was carefully written by him and it looked adorable. The third bag was a little gift for me– it was a little stuffed pig and a frog with speech bubbles attached coaching me how to say “yes” to his invitation.

SO. Needless to say I was over the moon. He had put so much thought into it and it took everything in me not burst out with a huge “YES” right then and there, but I wanted to answer creatively. So, I responded with a demur “I’ll let you know” and immediately began thinking about how I could respond.

Two days later I invited him to my house. I had racked my brain trying to think of something fun, but as I was dirt poor (I could barely afford food.. haha) I had to be crafty. So, when he arrived at my house, I sent him upstairs where I had my response waiting in my room. There were 5 parts:

#1. I wrote a poem. It read:
Once upon a time in a far off land
Lived a redheaded girl and a handsome young man.
The girl lived in her castle, the man – on his street.
It seemed highly unlikely that they’d ever meet.
She’d watch her village from a window on high,
And then one fateful day something caught her eye.
The young man had fallen and lay in the street
The girl (also being a doctor) leapt to her feet.
She knew she must reach him, but was slowed by her moat.
To maximize her speed she jumped on her race goat.
How he survived was a miraculous feat.
He’d tripped on a lady bug and fell head over feet.
The man was so handsome–the girl was instantly hooked.
But when she looked at him he refused to look!
The people of the village had been telling his tales
That she was crazy or married to a man who sold whales.
This made the girl sad but she decided to persist,
But the handsome young man continued to resist.
The redheaded girl not knowing what else to try
Put on a disguise and re-approached the guy.
She put on her red wings and antennas to boot!
She finally won him over in her lady bug suit.
Could this be the end? Can it be? Is it?
No–the man was still recovering and needed doctor’s visits.
As they became more acquainted she thought there might be a chance
That he’d get off his butt and ask her to the dance.
When he did–it was perfect. She was so touched!
It was the best ever; it seemed almost too much.
But then she wasn’t sure if she should say yes…
So what would she answer? …can you guess?

Okay. So, not my best poem ever, but he thought it was hilarious. haha! It’s absolutely riddled with inside jokes that I can explain if you’d like to know. So. I’ve posted pictures of the following 4 parts which are now glued into our memory book:

#3

#4

#5

I heard him laughing upstairs while I (not so patiently) waited for him in the kitchen. As I had no money we had pasta, and I had splurged and bought a pan & brownie mix for dessert. It was simple but somehow seemed perfect. We sat in the kitchen and talked forever… it was a wonderful night.

Little did I know that two days later we’d have a conversation that would leave me absolutely positive that he was going to break up with me…