It's always pretty impressive when you can say you have a standing Valentine's Day date with the Governor's wife.
We do an annual observance called Joined Hearts in Giving. It honors couples from all over Ohio who have been married at least 40 years (at least one of the individuals must be age 60 or older) and who are both active volunteers in their community. It's something we do in conjunction with the First Lady's office and it's held at the Governor's residence (we're not allowed to call it a mansion, but that's what it is). We've been doing this for 10 years now, I've had the honor of being involved in 9 of them.
It's always a lot of fun to see the variety of folks we get, both urban and very rural. A couple of years back, as people were walking up the driveway to the residence, I looked out and had to do a double-take. There was this big guy with white hair and beard, wearing bibs and a bright red shirt. My first thought was: "Dad?" It was fun to talk to him and his wife. Neither of them thought it odd to be wearing bibbed overalls to the Governor's house. "They're his Sunday bibs," his wife explained. "And, a new shirt," he added.
Another cool story was the year we honored Bob Evans (of the restaurant) and his wife. He walked into the dining room, right over the the silver tea service and hung his signature Stetson on the largest kettle. My boss, who was watching with me, turned to me and said "I think he's been here before."
This is the second First Lady we've done this with. The last one, Mrs. Taft, was the consummate debutante and a very gracious host. She conveyed a certain "welcome to my home" kind of persona. The current FL, Frances Strickland, is pure country girl - born and raised near Louisville, KY. Her persona is more of a "Hey y'all, come on in!" Guess which one I enjoy working with more.
Mrs. Strickland - Frances, as she'll insist anyone calls her - is a down-to-earth straight shooter. This year, she even pulled out her guitar and led a sing-along.
Anyway, you can learn more about the type of people we honor at this event at our Web site:
http://www.aging.ohio.gov/news/joinedheartsingiving/And, yes, Grump. I do own the suit, my only one.