Twinkle and Binkle, The Starr News: Lanny and I celebrated our 44th Anniversary December 20, 2011

How we met and later married: Lanny and I met on a blind date in August 1967. I was living at Ester Hall, a dormitory for girls, and employed by the State Road Commission in communication and clerical work. Lanny was living in Kaysville and working in SLC as a draftsman for U & I Sugar. Bonnie, Lanny's brother's fiance'e, asked me if I would like to go to a baseball game with she and Curtis. Being a little leery of blind dates I said, "No thanks," but she was very persuasive.
The following evening Lanny drove up in his silver Mustang, which I found out later was his "pride and joy." I remember how as I slid across the seat of his car my first impression of him was that he looked like a "tough guy." Towards the end of the evening we had a lengthy discussion on religion and I remember how involved he had gotten in the discussion. I found out later he had told Curtis, his brother, he was going to marry me someday. If he had told me that night, I would have chuckled, since I didn't know him well enough to consider him a friend.
The following week he asked me to go with him to a drive-in picture in Riverdale. It wasn't until the fourth date we kissed, and this happened at a drive-in during a hard rainstorm.
During the first part of September 1967, I tended my sister's kids while she and her husband took a week's vacation. We invited Lanny over; Saturday we took the kids hiking up the mountains to the water falls; Sunday we invited him to dinner and I remember how the kids complained about my gravy, but Lanny ate it without any comment. It was really bad. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we had him over and either played pool, tennis, deck tennis, or just watched television or read a book. It was on each of these nights that he proposed we get married. We did become engaged two weeks later.
Lanny received a "Greetings" from Uncle Sam for draft into the U.S. Army November 8, 1967. Our wedding was planned through mail while he was at Basic Training at Ft. Lewis, Wa. It was on his first furlough home that we were married in the Logan Temple, December 20, 1967. Our honeymoon came much later when Lanny flew from Saigon and I flew from Utah and we met in Hawaii and enjoyed five days of frolicking and fun. We rented a car and toured the islands. We walked the beaches of Wakiki, toured the islands in a small jet and viewed an inactive volcano. Later we took a boat ride to the Fern Groto caves. At one dinner we witnessed a Hawaiian ceremonial dance that was spectacular. Lanny was treated very courteously by the shop owners and given a 50 percent discount because he was military, and it was their way of thanking him for his service.
It was hard to say goodbye to Lanny when it came time for him to return to combat duty in VietNam.

Our Engagement

Notice the Army haircut

Lanny's dad and mom-Carl and Nola Starr, Curtis Starr, Lanny and Arlene,
Arlene's mother-Irene Smith, Arlene's brother-in-law and sister- Frank and Carol Monson