Our Beginning


My senior year at Pt. Pleasant Bible School was the 1973-74 school year. The first day of school I found my dorm room. There were 3 other girls with whom I would be rooming . One of those young ladies was Shelbie Avery. She said one of the first things she remembers is having somebody ask her if she was Cathy Mayle. We have often been mistaken for sisters. As roommates often do, we became friends. On display in our room was a family picture which included her 5 eligible brothers which she often teased me about.

The weekend after Valentines Day (Feb. 15,1974) Shelbie invited me to Michigan to spend the weekend with her and her family. Okay maybe she was playing cupid even then. LOL On Saturday (2/16/1974) we were all invited to their pastors home, Wayne And Nancy Combs. Phillip had been working that day and he came over after work. We were introduced thus began the getting to know you stage. We had supper then played some games. Then Phillip and Shelbie took me next door to the Church to show me around. At the end of the evening Phillip planned to take Shelbie and me home. I told Shelbie that she had to get in the car first so she would be in the middle. She said, fine and went ahead, knowing the passenger door was parked up against a snow bank and we had to slide in through the drivers side. So I was (by predestination) in the middle. Of course, I didn't want to offend them by refusing to sit up front so I yielded to "pressure." (willingly) For those knowing the Milan exit and the Sharp curve at that exit, you will understand how the force of gravity caused me to lean, though I tried NOT to, (sure,sure) in Phillip's direction. He used that curve to his "unfair" advantage by slipping his arm around me and I lost my heart to this blond-haired, blue-eyed Michigander. We visited for a little while in the kitchen after arriving back to their home and the next day I sat with Phillip in Church. When Shelbie, Mark, & I left for West Virginia that day my heart remained in Michigan. Phillip and I began keeping the post office busy by writing back and forth from Michigan to West Virginia and weekend visits at my parents home and telephone calls on a regular bases. That was the beginning of a courtship that has been on going for almost 33 years.