{"id":926,"date":"2011-06-12T16:36:17","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T20:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=926"},"modified":"2025-02-26T15:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T20:06:44","slug":"a-much-anticipated-question","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=926","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 37: Wrapping Up the WVU Era"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Final Semester at WVU<\/h3>\n<p><strong>We settled into our college routines once again.\u00a0<\/strong>John was now renting a furnished room in a pretty nice mobile home park down near Meadowbrook Road.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;What&#8217;s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)&#8221; by Information Society<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375884775897\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Information-Society-Pure-Energy-Extended-Mix.mp3\">Information Society &#8211; Pure Energy (Extended Mix)<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>His roommate Brian, quite the party animal, was cool and played guitar in a local cover band. We went to see him play down at the VFW one night.\u00a0The redneck attendees demanded Alabama; we wanted Fleetwood Mac.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11281\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11281\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11281 size-full\" title=\"Pierpont House, Oakland Street\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pierpont.png\" alt=\"Pierpont House, Oakland Street; my college home for 2 1\/2 years.\" width=\"1400\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pierpont.png 1400w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pierpont-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pierpont-768x449.png 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pierpont-600x351.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11281\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pierpont House, Oakland Street; my college home for 2 1\/2 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>John also picked up a part-time job at JCPenney at the Mountaineer Mall that semester.<\/p>\n<p>This time, I had to take potluck on roommate assignments because I wanted to keep the same room (a double) in one of the large center apartments.\u00a0My other friends had moved elsewhere, and I liked the convenience of Pierpont House. Therefore, they had to \u201cpatch the other four holes\u201d so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>I ended up with the most obnoxious, brain-dead, loud and ditzy bunch of yahoos in Morgantown\u2014up at all hours, in and out all night, constant visitors, blaring TV, doors slamming.\u00a0I was a downright disgruntled camper. When John stayed over, he couldn\u2019t sleep either. We wound up at his place a lot of the time, just to get some silence.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4126\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4126\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4126\" title=\"Pierpont House Floor Plan - My Senior Year Apartment\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Pierpont_floor-plan.jpg\" alt=\"Pierpont House Floor Plan - My Senior Year Apartment\" width=\"800\" height=\"622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Pierpont_floor-plan.jpg 562w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Pierpont_floor-plan-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4126\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My Senior Year Apartment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These beeyotches apparently held little regard for others\u2019 spaces, as one time John and I returned from a party to find a bimbo friend of one of my roommates erotically entwined with some frat boy on<strong> MY <\/strong>bed.<\/p>\n<p>I threw open the door, flipped the switch and planted myself in the doorway, loudly requesting their immediate departure. \u201cSarah\u2019s gonna sh!t,\u201d the girl moaned on the way out, followed closely by her \u201cat-attention\u201d partner in crime. I was incredulous. It was MY room; I had a right to lose <em><strong>MY<\/strong><\/em> sh!t.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, as soon as I heard stirring in the apartment, I knew it was time to make a stand.\u00a0I demanded that Sarah come down to my room, and she approached flanked by the other roommates.<\/p>\n<p>Furious, I let her have it in no uncertain terms that I did <strong><em>not <\/em><\/strong>appreciate her inattention to her friends\u2019 use of my room for their own personal boudoir. Since I respected their belongings and space, I expected this in return.<\/p>\n<p>She actually appeared taken aback at the verbal reprimand and I promptly received due apology, and she sounded sincere enough. The airheads slunk away silently, probably thinking better of challenging me in that frame of mind.<\/p>\n<p>The apartment noise never abated, but I knew that I would have to put up with the bedlam just a few weeks more, when I would graduate and move back home.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5515\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5515\" style=\"width: 807px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginia123.com\/west-virginia\/wvu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5515 size-full\" title=\"WVU downtown campus. From Greg Cromer Aerial Photography\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-greg-cromer-aerial-photography.jpg\" alt=\"WVU downtown campus. From Greg Cromer Aerial Photography\" width=\"807\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-greg-cromer-aerial-photography.jpg 807w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-greg-cromer-aerial-photography-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-greg-cromer-aerial-photography-600x339.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">WVU downtown campus, by the Mighty Monongahela River. From Greg Cromer Aerial Photography. Click to visit site featuring beautiful prints for purchase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Strange Love (Pain Mix)&#8221; by Depeche Mode<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375884811571\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Depeche-Mode-Strange-Love-Pain-mix.mp3\">Depeche Mode &#8211; Strange Love (Pain mix)<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>Percussion passion aside, I did have a wonderful time in the WVU Symphony as well, playing violin during college.\u00a0This was a near-professional level group, and we tackled a variety of challenging music, and traveling for performances.<\/p>\n<p>Rex Conner, my violin instructor, had seen me progress through the levels since I started as a freshman, but observed that my true calling probably wasn\u2019t the violin. I did well enough to graduate with a level 7, completed my end-of-semester juries, and fulfilled all Upper Level recital requirements &#8230; but that was it. Mr. Conner stated that from where he sat, my students would probably play better than I did some day. He was dead on, and I didn\u2019t dispute his assessment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5524\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/music.wvu.edu\/ensembles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5524\" title=\"WVU Symphony\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-symphony1.jpg\" alt=\"WVU Symphony\" width=\"800\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-symphony1.jpg 675w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-symphony1-300x102.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-symphony1-600x204.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">WVU Symphony at the Creative Arts Center&#8217;s Concert Theatre. One of many fantastic ensembles at the University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>WVU Percussion Ensemble<\/h3>\n<p>I joined Percussion Ensemble at the freshman level, as it was my first time and also took marimba lessons. I memorized two short pieces, and Keith my instructor said my technique was good enough to participate in the Percussion Departmental, held in the studio.<\/p>\n<p>I was the only non-percussion major, and did extremely well when it was my turn.\u00a0I nailed both pieces, and was surprised that I wasn&#8217;t as nervous as I&#8217;d anticipated, and received applause from the Big Dogs.<\/p>\n<p>Dave Satterfield had once commented that I played well enough to have majored in percussion\u2014manna for this violin major\u2019s ears and some stellar validation.<\/p>\n<p>I was getting over a bad head cold the weekend of the Percussion Ensemble concert, but was onstage playing the a-go-go bells and maracas to <em>One Note Samba<\/em>.\u00a0John\u2019s parents were even in the audience. I played the timbales during the finale, the popular Latin-flavored <em>Rhythm Is Gonna Get You<\/em>. It was the 25th Anniversary Percussion &#8217;80 and Percussion Ensemble performance, and I feel honored to have been included with such a talented bunch of musicians.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15268\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15268\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15268\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #666666; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-style: italic;\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-335x204.png\" alt=\"&quot;Rhythm Is Gonna Get You&quot;\" width=\"900\" height=\"547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-335x204.png 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-600x365.png 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-768x467.png 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-1536x934.png 1536w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/PercussionEnsemble-2048x1246.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Rhythm Is Gonna Get You&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15277\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15277\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15277\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1.png\" alt=\"Program\" width=\"900\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1.png 2972w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1-335x161.png 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1-600x289.png 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1-768x370.png 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1-1536x739.png 1536w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Perc80program-1-2048x985.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15277\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It was a pleasure to be a part of this event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I really enjoyed my final semester in college.\u00a0I almost took a leisurely, methodical studying routine with all the free time afforded by not being in marching band.<\/p>\n<p>November rolled around, bringing my 22nd birthday on the 15th. I celebrated with John, who still talked about marriage in the future. We attended the semi-formal party at Pierpont House, and danced as if it were our wedding day. John looked ravishing with a clean shave and in a suit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4131\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4131\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4131\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/major-bomb-squad.jpg\" alt=\"Major Harris Shirt Design\" width=\"800\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/major-bomb-squad.jpg 450w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/major-bomb-squad-300x210.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Major Harris Shirt Design<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Mountaineer Football Sensation<\/h3>\n<p>For the first time since starting high school, I watched the football games from the stands, with the three-sheets-to-the-wind students.\u00a0My heart hung in my throat every time the Drumline took the field with the Boogie cadence, and I knew every riff and roll.<\/p>\n<p>West Virginia&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1988_West_Virginia_Mountaineers_football_team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1988 undefeated football season<\/a>\u00a0closer\u00a0at Mountaineer Field was a night match-up against Syracuse. It was a sell-out crowd, and I was among the 65,000 screaming in support.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/photos.wvu.edu\/WVU-Sports\/Panorama-Sport-Scenes\/i-d8Wdt9Z\/A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Linked here is a great photo of the field and the scoreboard<\/a>, featuring the word &#8220;PERFECT.&#8221; What a game! Led by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BPEbrWcBf80\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">College Football Hall Of Famer Major Harris<\/a>, we clinched the win against the Orange with one minute on the clock, and the stadium erupted in deafening bedlam. The crowd was insane.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4133\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4133\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4133\" title=\"Sports Illustrated cover\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/si-cover-major-harris-230x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sports Illustrated cover\" width=\"335\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/si-cover-major-harris-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/si-cover-major-harris.jpg 442w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4133\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Five for the Heisman: Major Harris, Tony Rice, Emmitt Smith, Anthony Thompson, Andre War<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From Wikipedia:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><em>The 1988 edition of the Mountaineers was one for the ages, featuring gifted sophomore quarterback Major Harris and a stifling defense. Entering the season at #16 in the AP Poll, West Virginia breezed through its schedule for its first undefeated regular season since 1922 and its first ever 11-win season.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Mountaineers averaged 43 points and 483 yards per game during the regular season, rolling up 30 or more points in 10 of its games (including a 51-30 rout of Penn State, <em>the most points ever surrendered<\/em> by a Joe Paterno-coached team at the time).<\/p>\n<p>The success of the regular season culminated in West Virginia&#8217;s first trip to a National Championship Game in its history, where the #3 Mountaineers met #1 Notre Dame in the <a title=\"1989 Fiesta Bowl\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1989_Fiesta_Bowl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fiesta Bowl<\/a>.\u00a0West Virginia finished the 1988 campaign ranked #5 in the both the AP and Coaches&#8217; Polls. Major Harris compiled 610 yards rushing, 1,915 yards passing, and 20 total touchdowns on the season.<\/p>\n<p>The goal posts came down amid a thunderous chant: \u201c<strong>WE WANT\u2026 NOTRE DAME<\/strong>\u201d\u2026 an electrifying time for our beloved Mountaineers.\u00a0They would head for the Fiesta Bowl\u2026 without me.<\/p>\n<h3>A Long-Anticipated \u201cQuestion\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-5529\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cloudheart-150x150.gif\" alt=\"Cloud 9\" width=\"335\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cloudheart-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cloudheart.gif 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/>With all the recent chit-chat about getting married, I had brought my mother\u2019s diamond solitaire with me back to school the previous summer, stowing it safely in my apartment bedroom.\u00a0I had the feeling John was gearing up to pop the question.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday November 18, John and I decided to have a professional portrait taken on a promotion by a local photographer.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Nite and Day&#8221; by Al B. Sure!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375884835900\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Night-and-Day-Al-B-Sure.mp3\">Al B. Sure! &#8211; Nite and Day<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>Once finished preening and posing, we headed back to my apartment to change back into our regular clothes. With impeccable timing, my boyfriend (we were still half-dressed at this point) raided the hiding place and produced Mom\u2019s ring, in its blue velvet box.<\/p>\n<p>I knew what was coming, but the pure silliness of how we must have looked produced a chuckle I had some difficulty swallowing back. \u201cLori,\u201d he began, \u201cwill you be my wife?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15266\" title=\"Our Engagement cookie\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Engagement1988.png\" alt=\"Our Engagement\" width=\"900\" height=\"728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Engagement1988.png 1211w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Engagement1988-335x271.png 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Engagement1988-600x485.png 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Engagement1988-768x621.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At that point the giggles were unstoppable, but my answer was clear. \u201cI guess,\u201d I snickered, more as a reaction to the scenario than to the nature of the inquiry. My silly new fianc\u00e9 picked me up and whirled me around, and we kissed.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, John had to race off to work at the department store so there was little time to celebrate immediately following. We were both on cloud 9 from then on, and we called our parents that evening, met with much surprise and congratulations.<\/p>\n<p>When John returned from work a few hours later, we got together with friends at my apartment.\u00a0He brought a giant Toll-House cookie with our occasion etched in icing, which we happily shared with everyone, and cracked open some White Zin.\u00a0The airheads were away for the weekend so we had the place to ourselves.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6445\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6445\" title=\"Celebrating our engagement\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/engagement-celebration-group-600x310.jpg\" alt=\"Celebrating our engagement\" width=\"900\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/engagement-celebration-group-600x310.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/engagement-celebration-group-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/engagement-celebration-group.jpg 1405w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Celebrating our engagement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We all went <a href=\"https:\/\/mountainlair.wvu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bowling at the Mountainlair<\/a> that evening and continued to enjoy our special day. John and I decided on a wedding date of June 23, 1990, which afforded us a year and a half for planning and warm weather for the big day. My mother had also been a June bride.<\/p>\n<p>Following Thanksgiving break and finals, we began packing to leave WVU for good. We left our college days in Mountaineer Country behind one day in mid December. We headed northeast to NJ to start our life together. Dad threw a nice Graduation and Engagement Party for us, to which we invited family and friends.<\/p>\n<p>1988 ended and 1989 began with a trip down to visit John\u2019s parents at their Lehigh Acres, Florida villa at Beacon Square, a retirement community. We had\u00a0 a wonderful time, including spending New Year\u2019s Eve at a party with their friends. John and I were the youngest ones there, but fit in well anyway. We got to hear some of our favorite music on <em>New Year\u2019s Rockin\u2019 Eve<\/em> on TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 38: Work and Wedding Plans\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=931\">Chapter 38: Work and Wedding Plans<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Final Semester at WVU We settled into our college routines once again.\u00a0John was now renting a furnished room in a pretty nice mobile home park down near Meadowbrook Road. &#8220;What&#8217;s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)&#8221; by Information Society Information Society &#8211; Pure Energy (Extended Mix)map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=926\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 37: Wrapping Up the WVU Era&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12007,"parent":4,"menu_order":38,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-926","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=926"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17170,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/926\/revisions\/17170"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}