Happy Birthday Sweetheart

I have seen done on other blogs, and many of your fine examples, I leave a tribute to the man of my dreams, husband of 38 years.

Ralph LaVar Huntzinger.

He is the son of Ralph Timothy and Cecile Jenkins Huntzinger. He was born the second child but first son.
I met him in October of 1969. I had joined the church in February and then applied to BYU. I first saw him at the "get to know you dance" for our ward. I remember thinking he was really good looking and I tried to read his name tag. I thought it said "LaVan". I thought again how strangely Mormon's name their children. I have always love the name LaVar and always love to write it.
My roommates wanted to leave the dance early and since we walked everywhere we went I didn't want to get stuck there and walk home alone, so I went home early with them. He was dancing with someone else anyway.
One Sunday night late there was a knock on our apartment door. All of my roommates had their pajamas on and were in bed reading. I was the only one up and dressed. I answered the door. They introduced themselves as our "Family". At BYU they divided the ward into families for family home evening activities. I tried to get my roommates to come and meet our "brothers". Not one of the other 5 girls wanted to come out and met them. So I sat in the living room with what I remember was at least 5 guys. Chester Lumpkins, the designated "father", Ernie Bushe, Stan Webb, Curtis Huntzinger and LaVar. They had another guy in their apartment Ray Cribbs but I can't remember if he was there or not. I just remember feeling profoundly embarrassed and working hard at trying to stay composed. See, Curtis had picked up my wide wale corduroy jacket that I had left on the couch and he sat there stroking it. I was just distracted and mortified that I had left it there.... and what was he doing anyway?? I was undone.
The next time I saw LaVar he asked me if I would like a ride home from a fireside that was a presentation about New Zealand. Since that is where he served a mission, he was very interested and wanted to know all about the subject. He asked me several questions that I just couldn't answer because I hadn't paid that close attention to the talk, so again I was embarrassed to not have the answers. But before I went into the apartment he did ask if I would like to go on a date, no he asked me to go somewhere specific but I can't remember now.
I had been having a terrible time with home sickness. I was a new convert to the church, I moved from home, in a new town, with girls I didn't know, there wasn't anything familiar and I just was profoundly sad. Even being able to call home would have helped but it was long distance just was too expensive. Coralee Rounds, a roommate, had invited me to go home to Idaho with her for the weekend and I accepted. So I told LaVar that I couldn't go out that weekend but that I would like to go another time. I did think about him that weekend and felt like things were going to get better with my loneliness.
Our first date was the Golden Green Ball. I like to hold my dates hands as a practical thing or a security thing whatever it just seemed natural. Well, we weren't hold hands. I actually tried just as a natural thing and he moved his hand away and I realized this was not an oversight but a conscience decision. I wondered what kind of a guy this was anyway. We danced and enjoyed ourselves. He mostly talked about other people's strengths and diminished his own. I began to think, " I guess he isn't really smart, he can't play and instrument, he doesn't prefer dancing, he isn't all that spiritual", is that a term still used? Those of you who know him will see where I am going with that line of thinking. All is remarkably not true, except for the instrument part, and he doesn't prefer to dance but does dance and I think enjoys it.
By Christmas we had dated several times but I had other dates also. I went home to Greeley Colorado to have Christmas with my family. LaVar went to California to spent the holidays with his family. On Christmas Eve I received a single red rose in a white vase with a card that only said, "I Miss You" nothing else. I was so excited to think that maybe a guy sent me a flower. My mom asked me what made me think that it was a guy that sent it to me? OH, disappointment.... I thanked Linda Anderson, my roommate for sending me a flower, and my fear was confirmed when she said, Oh, you're welcome".
Drat that was nice but definitely not exciting. Then mid-sentence she said, "Oh Judy, I am so sorry, should I have sent you flowers for Christmas, I am sooo sorry sooo sorry!"
Ah Ha! it was exciting after all, but who??? Who and why didn't he sign it?? I wondered. I didn't really think anyone was all that interested in me.OOOh the excitement.

The first day I was back to Provo from Christmas was a Sunday. Because LaVar didn't always attend our ward, I didn't expect to see him.( In fact that was something that bothered me. He didn't go to Priesthood. It was first of all our meetings. Most of his roommates were there but not him.)
He came around the corner in the building we used as our church and started down the stairs I felt my heart literally skip a beat and he smiled as he came toward me that just melted me. I never felt that way before, though I had like a few guys before, this was really thrilling, something truly different. He took my hand in his and we walked away as we told each other about our Christmas. We walked into the apartment where I had placed the precious white vase, the beloved red rose had come in, in a conspicuous spot in the living room. "Hey, do you know anything about this?" I asked. He looked puzzled and said, " of course I do". Great now I know and it was just thrilling as I had hoped it would be. Sometime later he asked "who else do you think might have sent you a flowere?" Well, I didn't have and honest answer, I just said, "Maybe Linda" He found that hard to believe I think. He said he didn't sign the card because #1 it would be obvious and #2 he thought it would ruin the design.
I learned that he was in the honors program at BYU and was soon to graduate with high honors. I could tell that with his work ethic and intelligence that he would be able to support a family. (That is an understatement because we have always been well taken care of, and had a very interesting life.) Being able and willing to support a family was on my list of important character traits.
He was serving in the Stake Sunday School at BYU that was an unusual thing to have a Stake calling and he had served there 2 years. That was why he didn't come to Priesthood because he was visiting other wards.
He had been on a mission and got teary eyed as he spoke of his mission and I could tell that was just really important to him, that was another plus. Being a new convert and just being me I guess I wanted to have friends all around me that felt the gospel was important and had a reverence for the church, I didn't always see at BYU. He had that and more, I felt that he knew so much, understood so well and was always willing and able to teach, not just me but anyone that was willing to hear.
So, that is how we met back what seems like so long ago and yet the feelings come back when I tell the story and I remember and it doesn't seem like that long ago.
Hope you have had a very Happy Birthday dear one and thanks for the memories they are so good as you are. Thanks for all you have always done for all of us. You have a truly great heart and I love you so very much. Your Wife