{"id":14536,"date":"2021-05-04T09:08:20","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T13:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=14536"},"modified":"2024-07-18T11:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T15:51:19","slug":"who-needs-eharmony-when-you-can-join-the-wvu-mountaineer-marching-band","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=14536","title":{"rendered":"Who needs eHarmony?"},"content":{"rendered":"

My life course would be altered the day I went to have my Student ID photo taken at freshman orientation at WVU in July of 1984.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"musicnotes-tiny\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

“Hail West Virginia”<\/strong><\/p>\n

WVU Marching Band – Hail West Virginia<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Me
Me in the WVU Drumline: The Boogie Cadence, leading the band onto the field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Mom and I visited the Mountaineer Marching Band<\/a> booth in the main lobby area of the Mountainlair.<\/p>\n

There, showing videos of the famed marching band were two upperclassmen horn players who were also members. I struck up a conversation with them about my being in the WVU\u00a0Drumline.<\/p>\n

I spoke mostly to the one with straight brown hair and a mustache, who seemed very sweet; I showed him my new snare drum pendant I\u2019d received at my HS grad party. When it was time for my ID picture, we said goodbye\/see you at band camp.<\/p>\n

Little did I know that following my departure, sweet straight brown hair\/mustache guy turned to his friend Bob and declared, “I\u2019m going to take that girl out,” to which the friend snickered “Suuure you will.”<\/p>\n

But John would not easily be discouraged, and I promptly forgot about meeting him.\u00a0Throughout band camp in August, and into the start of fall classes, band rehearsals and performances John watched me from afar. I was happily “playing the field.”<\/p>\n

On October 2, I caught a ride back to Towers with someone after band practice.<\/p>\n

Tuba player John (straight brown hair with mustache from freshman orientation band video fame) was also in the car.\u00a0I was still none-the-wiser to his feelings for me.<\/p>\n

\"WVU<\/figure>\n

We ended up at the dining hall with a few mutual acquaintances, and talking about classes.<\/p>\n

\"The
Mountaineers finally married<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lori: I\u2019m having some trouble with unit CLX in Psych 1.
\nJohn: (Moving in for the “kill”) Oh, I\u2019m a Psychology major. I can tutor you.
\nLori: (Still quite oblivious) OK, I\u2019m in room 1815; how about at 7?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

John finally got his “in.” Little did I know I\u2019d royally made this guy\u2019s day!<\/p>\n

That night, I don\u2019t know how John kept his cool during the tutoring but afterward he confided his feelings for me.<\/p>\n

I was completely blindsided \u2014 I\u2019d had\u00a0 no idea. I was happy being unattached and seeing different guys and was flattered, but was really not interested. I tried to politely let him down, but it would eventually prove as futile as attempting to toast marshmallows in a blizzard.<\/p>\n

From then on, despite having been friendzoned, John was always there, offering a ride back from practice or take me out to eat. Our first ‘date’ was at Wings ‘n Things (now Wings Ol\u00e9). I liked John a lot, but there were no real romantic feelings there. He was far more ‘into me’ than I was him.<\/p>\n

\"WVU
WVU Homecoming, in the Alumni Band.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John would often come up to my dorm room, but I was thoroughly enjoying the college dating experience and continued to see other guys, which he knew.<\/span><\/p>\n

He shaved off his mustache when we beat Penn State 17-14, and the sparks began to really fly.<\/p>\n

All through the rest of the marching season, including the Bowl game trip with the Mountaineer football team at the Houston Astrodome, John and I were together.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, John\u2019s sweet persistence won me over, and I forgot about everyone else. I became his girlfriend on March 23, 1985, and we were together throughout the rest of college. Interestingly, John had transferred to WVU from a small western PA school, and I was originally considering UMass. Somehow, we ended up at West Virginia, in the Mountaineer Marching Band.<\/p>\n

John and I were engaged 11\/18\/88, and married 6\/23\/90. We celebrated our 20th Anniversary the summer of 2010 on a Bermuda\/Caribbean cruise, and a week in Aruba for our 25th. We spent a week in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee for our 30th, and are planning a long-awaited Mediterranean cruise for our 35th.<\/p>\n

\"At
At a parade with the Melrose Blackhawks Drum & Bugle Corps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We return to WVU for Alumni Band at Homecoming<\/a> every year, to march in the stadium where we fell in love<\/a>, and also make a special stop at ‘our’ place, Wings Ol\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"John\"<\/figure>\n

We also joined the Melrose Blackhawks, a local Drum & Bugle Corps, so we can continue to enjoy participating in a marching ensemble together.<\/p>\n

\"me\"<\/figure>\n

30 years later, with a crowd of fellow alumni at Homecoming, John admitted that he actually hadn’t changed his major to Psychology at the time he offered me help. He was still in Political Science!<\/em> Major side eye at the table as the guffaws rolled! But hey, my parents had lied about their ages when they met.<\/p>\n

Who needs eHarmony when you can join the WVU Mountaineer Marching Band?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My life course would be altered the day I went to have my Student ID photo taken at freshman orientation at WVU in July of 1984. “Hail West Virginia” WVU Marching Band – Hail West Virginia My Mom and I visited the Mountaineer Marching Band booth in the main lobby area of the Mountainlair. There, … <\/p>\n

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