Personal -- romantic -- 16 years ago

I'll never forget June 6, 1990 --- my first full day in Denver. I got up early, unloaded my Escort and took it to get all the bugs in Nebraska washed from her poor little face....

The day before I got in my 1984 Ford Escort and drove from my childhood home outside of Minneapolis (Orono, to be exact...) and drove all the way to Denver. On the way out of town, I stopped to get a box from the woman who would eventually become my mother in law -- she told me not to pick-up any hitchhikers and I was off.

I was leaving my friends, family, job, school and everything to move to Denver to live with hubby. I knew the road went both ways -- but I was still scared. I started to think about all that I was leaving and cried all the way to Omaha, NE (6 hours... of crying and driving a stick-shift Escort... not bad, eh??)

At Omaha I realized that there was a reason I was doing this and that it would be stupid to cry all the way across Nebraksa... I'd looked at the maps, it is one big f-ing state. Little did I know that Omaha would end up being the hub of my life in many ways... I was just interested in it for a caffiene break, although I did notice that Wednesdays were "gizzard day" at the KFC, and I was happy it was Monday.

After a long drive across Nebraska.. with only the company of a small boom box (no radio in my car... )-- and in a car with no cruise control and one in which I had to turn off the A/C to get to highway speed... I reached Denver.

Hubby (well, boyfriend at the time, later to be hubby...) had given me a key. He had to work until midnight. It was about 10:30 and I was wired on McDonald's ice tea when I let myself into his apartment. My white cat looked up from her nap with a kind of welcoming look -- and the big black and white cat hissed at me, barring his teeth. Welcome to Denver....

I collapsed into bed and soon enough hubby came home.

A while later I found a job cleaning houses and then (when the paycheck was about to bounce) a job at a skanky McDonalds. I ended up working for a chain of hair salons that has long since sold to Regis corp.... I answered the phone. The same week we got news that we'd be moving to Omaha because the Air Force transfered hubby (who, was my hubby by that time...) I was also promoted at the salon chain...

As they'd say on Seinfeld... yadda yadda yadda... school, jobs degress, a couple of new cats.... tenure etc... and here I am, blogging about the past 16 years on my flower-filled deck while hubby "naps" in the bedroom. He's still my sweetie and I really can't imagine not being married to him. He's sometimes accidentally abrasive to others, but always sweet to me. He's encouraged me to pursue my degrees -- i sometimes wonder if he wants my PhD for me more than I do.

Every day he proves my "dumb" boyfriend wrong-- the one who tried to tell me that hubby wouldn't support my going to school... haa -- Dumb Boyfriend drives the "senior mobility" vans in this city, I kind of want to stop them until I find him and say ... "DB, you are just wrong -- I'm ABD and sooner or later will be Dr..... and, he's still fun under the covers.. so there".

Of course, while I was writing this, hubby tried to pull his favorite, "lock her out on the deck" move... did I mention he can be kind of a wanker sometimes... but, I love him.