We've Come a Long Way Baby...

My Dearest Love,

Fifteen years ago tonight, January 20,1995, our relationship began and we embarked on a wonderful journey that continues to this day.  This evening I dug into my hope chest and found one of my old diaries (yes I have always been a journaler/blogger).  Here is my entry from February 1, 1995:

I'm quite behind so I must try to catch up on things.  January 20th we had a dance at school and at the dance, Kyle and I spent most of the time outside talking.  By the end of the evening we were "together".  I say "together" because we didn't really ask each other out like in Jr. High, we just told each other we liked each other & became "together".  At first I was afraid things might be awkward because I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend before (he hadn't), but I was wrong.  Things aren't awkward, in fact I'm very comfortable around him & he seems to be comfortable around me also.  Kyle is absolutely wonderful (my diary had this underlined) though unlike any guy I've ever been together with.  He's hilarious, cute, nice, sensitive, strong, honest, open, loving, a bit shy, fun to be around, and a bit romantic (or so it seems so far!).  Also he respects women and is very old-fashioned which I love!  Sometimes he's a bit protective which rather annoys me but I suppose I should be flattered (yes I'm a bit independent minded I'll admit).  We've been together now for 1 week and 5 days and he's only kissed me on the cheek which is very sweet & considerate of him.  I hope things work out well for us!

I read this to you and we both laughed out loud when I got to the last part about "hoping things work out for us".  Reminds me of our senior yearbook where you signed mine saying, "Hope to see you around this summer."  As if we wouldn't be seeing each other most every day!  I'd say things have worked out pretty well for us so far!  These last fifteen years we've had quite a journey.

We've had many wonderful times: picnics, parties, camping trips, fishing, funny movies, football, baseball/softball games and the trips there and back, hanging out with friends, amazing college times and trips with friends, late night giggles, dancing, walks, Yellowstone, Vegas, Alaska, cruising, Monterey, Cambria, Laguna Beach, exploring new hobbies and realizing lifelong dreams, adopting Callie & Ben and experiencing the incredible gift of childbirth and being parents to our extraordinary children.

We've also made it through many difficult times with the loss of loved ones, my eating disorder, too many trips to the hospital for family and the near deaths of your father and brother, finding jobs and enduring the loss of our first child through miscarriage.  Through it all I have just grown deeper and deeper in love with you and thank you for sticking with me through the highs and the lows.  I made a scrapbook for you on our 3rd anniversary and thought I'd include some of the pages and some photos of when it all began (you can click on the photos to make them larger):

Peanut butter & jelly picnics by the creek

The pillow I made you

Springtime...baseball and softball

A picture I found in the yearbook stack - I think Mr. Turner caught us!  What a good boy you were drinking milk before the big football game that night.

Remembering Granny & Uncle Ken

You were such a great fisherman - I always love being your "netter".  Hope we have many times enjoying camping and fishing with McGee and Miss Em!

College was so awesome!  You may have seemed opposites at first, but the Lord showed His wisdom when he put you and Steve together as roommates and blessed us with such great friends.  I remember this was our 3rd anniversary and you just told me to "dress up" and you guys took us to that seafood restaurant in Huntington Beach (by the Target) that I loved, might have been Market Broiler.  Such delicious Shrimp Scampi!  Afterward we went back to the dorms and you told us to change and dress "warm" then you blindfolded me and took us ice skating!  I remember being so excited as soon as you opened the doors to the rink and I could smell the ice.  What a great night we had!

Our first "kids" - Wesley and Bethany Wheat.  They were the cutest and sweetest kids and we had so much fun with them.  I can't believe they are teenagers now!  Seeing how terrific you were with them gave me my first insight as to what a great father you would be.

Ah...the Notre Dame sweatshirt.  I just wore that the other day and still love it.  I can't believe it has been 15 years and the sweatshirt is still being worn - and without and tears or holes!  This was a poem I wrote for you on your 17th birthday.  Here goes, a high school girl's heart:

Every day I am blessed when I see you.
All these feelings inside me are all rather new.
So many revelations, so many thoughts in my head,
and that plane of eternal love I have not even begun to tread.
What I see inside you I don't want to go,
Your caring and patience through the ebb and the flow.
Your gentleness I appreciate, your strength I try to absorb,
but really deep inside me it's your passion I adore.
Strong feelings of love, friendship and need,
No matter what happens just won't seem to leave.
Each day I see something wonderful inside,
Like a new shining shell brought in by the tide.
Although sometimes things get rocky and our tempers seem to flare,
Just remember that I love and that I will always care. - October 1995

 

And here we are today - January 20, 2010.

Fifteen years older, a little wiser, only a few pounds heavier, but more deeply in love and richer in life with the Lord and our children.  I love you babe, really, and can't wait to write you something for our 50th anniversary!  I sang it to you then and I still sing it to you now, "You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine".

A Night Out

Christmas 2008 my parents gave us a $100 gift certificate to Garbeau's Dinner Theater. Last night we finally used it.

Despite both still feeling pretty crummy from our flu, the reservations had already been made and my parents had put it on their calendar to come down and watch the kids so we decided to go. I must say it was exciting to have a night out and I was looking forward to the play since the online write-up described it as putting a "refreshing, smart, and thoroughly enjoyable 2006 spin on "Pride and Prejudice". I love Pride and Prejudice, the book and the A&E long version, not as in love with the newer Kiera Knightley movie version, but it'll do in a pinch. My love for Pride and Prejudice, along with the impending threat of Garbeau's going under in this poor economy, spurred us to finally make reservations and use our gift certificate.

The dinner was delicious - I enjoyed a perfectly braised lamb shank and Kyle had chicken alfredo. Dessert was heaven - a giant slice of Tuxedo Truffle Cake - melt in my mouth divine mousse and ganache layered cake! Kyle and I "shared" it, but you know who ate most of it. :) The couple of hours spent together over dinner was wonderful too. Uninterrupted conversation with your spouse can be rare when you have children, so we enjoyed the opportunity immensely.

Unfortunately the play did not come anywhere near my expectations. I suppose our first clue should have been when we were warned prior to the start of the play to "have an open mind" and enjoy the "adult humor". The second clue came when one of the main characters used "shit" 7 times within the first minute of the play. Now call me old-fashioned, call me conservative, I don't really care, but gratuitous foul language is a huge turnoff for me. Follow it up with crude and crass dialogue, innuendos and scenes and I am just not enjoying myself. The singing was okay, but it was the first time ever that I have wanted in the middle of something. The people pleaser in me would never do this for fear of hurting the actors' feelings, the waitresses feelings, the maitre 'de, etc, etc, but last night I just didn't care (oh let's just blame the flu).

As soon as intermission hit I asked Kyle if he wanted to go. He said he was fine staying since he figured I was enjoying it (he likened it to tv sitcoms such as "Friends", but I'm not a sitcom person, give me the crime dramas), but he didn't care if we left. We figured they would be settling all of the bills during intermission and asked for ours. We received the bill, put out our gift certificate and Kyle's credit card (it's surprising to me that $100 didn't cover it all) and planned to quietly leave as soon as she brought it back. Can you believe the play started up again all of a sudden and our waitress (and all wait staff) had completely disappeared! I sat there clutching my purse thinking, "I don't want to be trapped here having to watch the rest of this!" Kyle and I looked at each other and he walked back to where the waitress had gone and waited outside the service door expecting the waitress to reappear with his credit card at any minute. I sat at the table a few minutes watching and trying to decide what to do. I finally decided it would be less obvious if I just waited by the door than to have Kyle come back to the table and then both of us leave (oh did I say we were the 2nd table away from the stage up front?). We waited and waited until it became apparent the waitress wasn't coming back. I fiddled with my cell phone and tried to look worried so people around me would think maybe there was an emergency that was causing us to leave - I know it's crazy but hey, that's me. :( If I had more of a spine I would WANT them to know exactly WHY we were leaving and not to expect us back for any future plays, but let's admit it, I don't like confrontation. Finally I glance over and Kyle is going in the back through the service door. He tracked down our waitress, signed the bill, retrieved his credit card and happily relieved, we were off! Let me also say it bothers me if this is their typical protocol to take credit cards during intermission and then not give them back until the end of the show. That's at least an hour that strangers have complete access to your credit card! Just doesn't seem prudent to me in this day and age of so much identity theft and credit card fraud.

So that was our night out. We really enjoyed the food, our time together and the chance to reconnect as a couple, but my image of dinner theater being classy has been completely demolished. It seems to my dismay that dinner theater has become just as worldly as the rest of the entertainment industry. The ironic thing too is that we were the youngest couple there to watch the show, probably the demographic that they expected to love it so much, and yet it seemed we were the only ones bothered by it. Sigh. Well I'm signing off to go watch a good 'ole Hallmark movie where I'm sure this "old-fashioned gal" won't find any offensive "adult humor". ")

Our Love - 14 Years Young

As I sit here tonight I can't believe that it has actually been 14 years ago today that Kyle and I started "going out". It all started outside on the balcony of the Amador High School gym towards the end of a Friday night dance. Those words, "I think I like you" and the uncharacteristically smug response, "I know" began what has turned into our 14 year (and counting!) romance.

Our first date was two days later. We saw a movie recommended by our mothers, "Little Women" and I still remember the awkward and thrilling moment when Kyle reached over to hold my hand. We were so young and my heart still smiles thinking of all those little silly nicknames we made up for each other and the exciting newness of our relationship. Our first prom we were driven by my brother-in-law who came home for college for the weekend since neither Kyle or I had our drivers license. :) We enjoyed lots of picnics with pb&j, rides home from football, basketball and baseball/softball games, Integrated Science II, watching football and playing pool, movies, fishing and camping.

Here we are 14 years later, January 20, 2009, and still having lots of fun: