Snap Shot Two: Our Good Day From Coach Daniel Arndt

 Snap shot Two:  Our Good Day By

Coach Daniel Arndt

     There she was, the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes upon.  It was June 27, 1998 at a little church  in the Fairpark neighborhood of Marion Ohio. I had just left my Grandmothers  house after spending the night with her and receiving a lecture like never before, “now you listen here” my Grandmother said to me, your life is about to change forever.   What type of change that will be is up to you.  There will be days you argue and there will be days that you cant stand one another.   However, how much you are willing to put in will ultimately decide how things go.

     I sit on the end of the couch  looking into her  face,  a face of wisdom and unconditional love and finding this uncomfortable fear and anxiety building up inside of me.  I have never experienced this in my entire life not on a Friday night under the lights  nor going to over 20 schools on recruiting trips, this was a feeling that scared the hell out of me.  

     It was not long after our talk my  best friend from school showed up, he come up the stairs and took  one look at me and began to laugh, “dude are you going to be ok, what are you doing’” asks my lifelong friend Owen.    I look at him and normally I would laugh  because he has a habit of dressing like a goof and today was not an exception.  He had on long athletic shorts that hung below his knees, a pair of knee high black dress socks with slide on Sandals and a cut off Mt. Gilead football shirt and a look on his face that always puts a smile on peoples face.  

     My stomach still flipping like a cheap fair ride I look at Owen and I say, “ Bro I cant do this I am not ready”.   He sits down next to me and puts his arm around me and says, “what do you mean your not ready, this is all you have ever wanted stop acting like a baby and take your butt to the car”.  I finally whipped  up enough courage to stand up and begin the walk to Owens bright red 1966 Ford Mustang with a little help from a good friend named Jack Daniels, and we headed towards Marion.

     On our way to the church Owen still talks to  me trying to speak words of wisdom about why I should do what I was about to do, while the entire time I am wondering how bad it would hurt if I was to jump out of this car going 65mph down state route 95 west.  Finally once he realizes he is not making much headway he finally asks “ DUDE!! Why did you ask in the first place if your going to be acting this way”?  I stopped and thought for a brief moment and then I began telling him how looking into her eyes was like looking into the most majestic blue seas you had  ever seen.  How I got this horrible sickening feeling when I was not near her.  How much I loved her.  I then knew I was where I was supposed to be and getting ready to do what my heart wanted me to do.

     We arrived at the church in typical Dan fashion: late.  Everyone starts running up to Owen and I frantically telling us we were  late and we needed to hurry the hell up or we were going to  miss the wedding.  Owen and I take our bags containing our tuxedos and head down the hall way to get dressed.  As we walk into the room my brother and father are both standing waiting for me.  My dad looks at me and asked “hey kid, you going to be ok”?   I look at my pops and say, “ never better old man, never better”.  As I am finishing getting ready,  the preacher comes in to  go over the game plan and make sure I had no other questions.  I told him “all is good” and we ended the meeting with a brief prayer and a few words of wisdom.

     As Pastor Gary headed out of the door Owen and I followed behind.  Owen in my ear the entire time reaffirming, “you got this bro, you got this”.   I found myself ready to pass out.  As we stood at the alter,  Pastor Gary, Owen and myself I found It becoming very hard to breathe and felt sweat beading up on my forehead,  I knew I loved her and I know I wanted to be with her, but damn it I was scared.  Am I making the right decision?

     I then hear the organ beginning to play the wedding march and I look down the isle and I see something I have never seen in my entire young life.  There stood a young women all dressed in white with the most stunning blue eyes and locks of blonde hair and a smile that could light up any room.  There she was the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes upon, and she was about to become not only my soul mate  and best friend but my wife.  

     We married on June 27, 1998, it was one hundred degrees out side and I felt sick to my stomach for much of that day but it was and will always be our good day.