Bruce and I have been together 26 years last December. In 2006, I, like the entire world, discovered Texas Hold Em on TV. I said to Bruce, "that's statistics and probabilities" (I was a math major in college) and he said "No honey, that's poker." For the next six weeks, every night he dealt himself six hands to my one, until he was comfortable I knew the game. For my birthday my best friend took me to Gulfport, MS to Poker school. When I got back, Bruce reserved a room at Foxwoods, checked me into the poker room, handed me $200. and said Go To Town. I won my first major tournament in 2008 and was forced to go pro, hence "Ethyl17." Last March I was working with my coach preparing for a WPT later in the month. On March 5, I got home from a session feeling stupid and exhausted. Bruce poured us a drink and sat down next to me. He said "Ethyl, will you marry me?" I said "Bruce, stop fooling around and help me make some dinner. I am too tired to joke tonight." (Nice, huh?) I went out to the kitchen to start dinner, took a minute and finally said "Honey, I would be honored to be your wife." We picked up our wedding bands on March 22 and at 2:15 am on March 23 he stroked. (We laugh now that that was probably what caused the stroke). Anyway, yesterday I asked him if he remembered what today was, and he said no. I said a year ago today you asked me to marry you. He said he did not remember and we did not discuss it further. After he went to bed, I poured myself a glass of wine, ate a couple of really expensive chocolates that I keep for special, got on-line and played in my first tournament in a year. I finished third. Went to bed with a broken heart but a positive spirit.