Tell us about your courtship that led to your proposal:

We had a BLAST from the first night. We met at “On the Border” for drinks and dinner. Neither of us wanted the night to end. We went looking for a good place to dance and ended up at a karaoke bar. Charlie sang the Eagles song “In the Fast Lane”. He even danced to Elvis with me – surprised even him. We couldn’t wait to see each other again! After that, we’d go to dinner, go dancing, rent a movie and stay home. When hunting season started, Charlie took me with him to get the hunting lease. I don’t think he thought I’d like it, but it was a lot of fun. No, I don’t care to shoot anything, but I like the change from the norm… just being together. We talked about getting married. Charlie asked one day how my daughter would react to changing schools. I talked to her about it so it wouldn’t be a big shock. We shopped for rings. We had both been married before, but Charlie had never worn a wedding ring. He promised me he would this time. He waited until Christmas Day to ask me to marry him. It was actually about 12:15 AM on Christmas Day. He gave me a card and he’d written in it:

“Will you marry me?" Answer: Yes__ or No__

It was just like the George Strait song. All I could say was “Of course I will.” He’s the answer to all of my prayers.

Tell us about your lives together now:

All is well. Charlie is my sweetheart and he says I’m his “angel with golden hair”. I believe we can do ANYTHING together! We’re looking forward to an African Safari in the next year or so. We’re working on plans for a log and rock cabin in the country so we can have horses. A dream for both of us.

What made you decide to join Great Expectations?

Charlie: I got a card in the mail, and I called and made an appointment. It just looked like a good possibility to meet serious quality women, so I joined.

Winona: I hadn’t had the best of luck meeting quality guys. I’d tried other dating services, the club scene, church, etc. I even met a guy shopping at Eckerds once. My daughter called him “the Eckerds man” – that was a joke!! I hoped the quality of the guys at Great Expectations would be better. I figured anyone invested in a GE membership has a “mission” – that they weren’t playing games.

What would you say to someone who was considering joining Great Expectations?

Well, you just never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes you just have to take a chance. Charlie and I both think the money we spent for GE was the best investment we ever made. We’d never have found each other otherwise. We’re so lucky!