Nineteen years ago today, Mark and I went to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas (not far from Mark's home at the time in Granbury) for a wonderful "Capstone-debriefing" day for me.
Capstone was the culminating experience for graduating from the University of North Texas library school, and involved writing three 1500-word essays (choosing from a set of ten topics), with in-text citations and a reference list, over a one-week period when classes were also in session. Needless to say, it was a rather stressful experience that consumed the previous week, so I took that Monday off to have some fun with Mark.
As I wrote to a friend, it "was a lovely day. I did not get to Granbury until around 10:30 AM. We had an early lunch and went to Dinosaur Valley State Park. He let me drive his SUV which was fun. The park is pretty; the Paluxy river that runs through it is spring fed so the water is rather clear. I did a little wading as it was a warm day (80+). We had dinner and then just did our own things for a while; me working on schoolwork while he fiddled with his bike and the computer and did some reading. It's nice to be with someone where you can just do comfortable stuff like that. He gave me another dozen roses (these were multicolored and some quite fragrant) and I'm now wearing his old high school ring (which was just sitting in a box). Yeah, I know - mushy and silly."
Above: good photo of Amanda Pape by Mark Gresham at Dinosaur Valley State Park.
Below: bad photo of Mark Gresham by Amanda Pape at Dinosaur Valley State Park.
Above and below: Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, Texas, 6 March 2006 / Amanda Pape / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Above and below: Dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, Texas, 6 March 2006 / Mark Gresham / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Above: Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, Texas, 6 March 2006 / Mark Gresham / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Below: Roses Mark Gresham gave Amanda Pape on 6 March 2006.
As pictured above, Mark gave me a dozen gorgeous roses, this time pinks and peaches and whites and salmons, some of which were fragrant. Oh, and an interesting piece of jewelry.
In the photo at the beginning of this post, I am wearing earrings he gave me, and the necklace is made from an earring he bought me on our first date (I LOST the other one within an hour - stupid post backs! - so he bought me the ones I am wearing, and I turned the leftover earring into a necklace).
I am also wearing his old high school ring (which is an unusual design - he graduated from high school in Guam). He would often play with the rings on my fingers when he held my hands, and earlier that day, he noticed my high school ring was similar to his, showed me his (didn't fit him any more), and then asked me if I'd like to wear it. The ring is visible in the photo on my ring finger. I still wear it today.
The earrings (including the one that is now a necklace) cost all of $13 total at a crafts store. It's the fact that he gave them to me that makes them special.
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