Elsbeth and I were married 41 years ago today and Elsbeth is having her annual martini.

Our first date, a dinner dance at the old Olympic was suggested by my editor, Jeanne Sweeney, and when Elsbeth who worked at the once popular Epicure restaurant turned me down, Jeanne insisted I go back and ask her again.

This time Elsbeth said yes.

Jeanne had gone up to the restaurant and convinced her I was harmless and lonely after the mother of my five sons had passed away.

I got another son and two daughters and a valuable lesson.

Go back and ask again.

A year later, after a lot of dates and dances I went out and bought a ring and planned to pop the question one Saturday night.

I knew she loved Crackerjack karmelkorn so I drove to Fred Meyer and bought a box and opened it to find the prize, hoping for a little plastic box or something I could put the ring in and surprise her.

Amazingly, in the line ahead of me was a little kid about 8 years old and he also had a box of crackerjacks.

I had opened mine, eaten a handful and found my prize. It was just a dumb little plastic banjo.

So I asked the little kid what his prize was and convinced him it was best to open it right away.

Wow, his box had a great little plastic suitcase in it, Perfect.

So I traded him my marvelous banjo and half of my karmelkorn for his suitcase. He was a rookie trader and I felt a little guilty.

Then I took it home and had my two youngest kids help me put the suitcase-laden ring in the bottom of the box.

On the way home from the Olympic that night, I handed Elsbeth the crackerjacks. She said she was too exhausted from cleaning my house for the breakfast party I wanted on Sunday morning so she opened the box, took a little handful and then rolled the window down and was going to toss the box out of the car window.

I nearly ran off the road.

I shouted at her, stopped her and insisted she find the prize you always find in a box. So she did and found the little suitcase.

Surprise, surprise.

Next day she paraded around the breakfast gang flashing her new ring and bragging about crackerjacks.

I asked her this week if she still had the suitcase her ring came in.

She said, "Ja."