I HATE the dentist with every fiber of my being. Actually I must rephrase that last comment. I hate dental assistants. They seem to have every right to belittle me as a person. I'm treated like a little child every time I lay on that bed with that spotlight in my face. Honestly on average I'm told to floss my teeth at least 7 times during my dental examination. Up until now these petty attempts to scare me into flossing have not worked....until my last trip to the dentist.
I was enduring this terrible experience with finesse. Blood covered the paper bib that they strap on patients from my unhealthy gums, and I didn't care. This same thing happens every six months, and it's nothing new to me.
As this lady was "showing" me how to floss (I know how, I just choose not to) she came across something shockingly disgusting. What she came across was a popcorn kernel. Now, you may not seem to think that this was very gross, but there is a piece of information that you don't realize. I couldn't remember the last time that I ate popcorn!
Now I floss everyday. End of story.
If I would have continued with my dental patterns I would have turned out looking like this.
It was one of those nostalgic type of days. I felt as if I were sitting in the middle of a Cheers episode. Applebees in Orem, Utah was a poppin place that night. It was a Thursday as I recall, which meant Karaoke night. This day would forever change my life though.....because I began to text Candace McClure. It started out with playful flirting, which usually happens when two people of opposite gender begin to text one another. We explained our lives...every description she gave me was exactly what I wanted in a perfect wife. She was 5' 2", loved Justin Bieber,was a big sports fan, and she was a dancer. How could I not be attracted to her?
So I asked her out on a date a couple of days later. We had a bit of a problem, however. She lived almost 4 hours away from me. Luckily, I was going to Logan for a beginning of the year orientation, and she was going to drive down just to go on a date with me. I know what you're thinking, this brad must be one charming fellow to convince a woman to drive two hours to go on a first date with him after never even meeting him. Well, if you are thinking that then, yes you are correct I am charming. I remember the incredulous look on my mother's face when I informed her of this development. The words that came out of my mouth were these, "Look Mom, this girl is going to be my wife someday." It was a joke, but how was I to know how right I was?
First Date: I have never been on a first date that compared to this one. I'm usually comfortable in the first date setting, but this woman through me for a loop. I was nervous! Constantly afraid of saying the wrong thing. Bowling was hilarious, she was awful, but I was too afraid to make fun of her. She hugged me after getting a strike, and even then I knew this girl was something special. Yes, I kissed Candace on the first date, but not until after she rejected me once. I was just afraid that I was never going to see her again,and I wanted to know what kissing her was like....at least once.
Luckily she saw me again, and again, and again. I don't know how many times either one of us made the trip from Idaho Falls to Logan. We had to see each other. I was lucky enough that her family found my scooter stories hilarious instead of just pathetic. They seemed to like me, and my family seemed to love her. It just worked. Sure there were bumps along the way, and challenges to overcome, but it worked.
I knew that I wanted to marry Candace Pauline McClure a long time ago. In all honesty I just knew that no woman would ever compare. She was perfect for me. She didn't know as fast as I did, which is understandable. I don't know why any woman would consciously sentence herself to life with Brad Francis.
One week in particular Candace was extremely sick. So I went out to buy her some medicine and orange juice. It seemed like a little thing to me, but I filled her car up with gas. When she got in the car she cried. It's funny how little things like that can change lives. After that things just clicked for her, and she knew she wanted to marry me.
I can honestly say that today I'm the luckiest man on earth. Most of my posts have been comical, and not very serious. I wrote this one because I want the world to know how it all happened. Things like this happen every single day. People fall in love. Our story isn't extraordinary in any way, but it's ours. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm getting married to the most wonderful person I know, and I am as happy as a person could be.
