Thirty years have gone by. We have now known each other longer than how old we were at the time.
This will be a longer post and might be a little sappy. Fair warning given.
We went to dinner at the 50s Grill and saw Die Hard 2 for our second date. A pretty basic date back then.
Most of you may not know that we only had two dates. That’s all really needed to know. Just kidding, kind of. Actually Rory moved back to Albuquerque a week later.
We met while working at Campus Drug near UMN. After months of working together, and talking, we decided to try a date. We liked each other enough to try a second date. And then he had to move. We worked together on his last shift at Campus Drug. I scheduled it so we could take our break together. We took a walk around Dinkytown and he had the nerve to hold my hand! Yes there was chemistry but pointless since he was moving 1300 miles away, never to see each other again.
Two dates do not count as dating. They are just 2 dates. But by some mystery we stayed in touch by paper and pen, until early 1994 or late 1993, when through a snail mail exchanged he learned that I had email. Since he had played around on the UNM servers he knew what my email address might be, I did not know my public address since at the time it was only used within that department. He found me all right. And that began an early email relationship, or antiquated online dating. Lol
Fast forward to spring of 1995, 25 years ago. He mentioned planning a trip up to see family in Minnesota. He was born in the Twin Cities and moved away from MN to NM towards the end of elementary school. And decided to do the exchange program for one year of college to come up to Minnesota. That was when we met.
As trip planning moved forward, we mentioned, in email, about hey, maybe we could meet up in Texas and drive the rest of the trip to Minnesota together. Neither one of us, to this day, remember who or when that was planned. Forces greater than us were at work!
And that’s the end of the story. Trip never happened. Good bye!...
The day came for him to drive to DFW and me to board the plane for DFW. There were nerves. Big time. My friend Angie and her friend had to literally push me on the plane. That was back when you could walk people to the gate. I kept saying, my life is going to change and I’m scared. I got on the plane and they literally locked the plane door and pulled away from the terminal as I was sitting down.
At the time the plan was for Rory to arrive in MN. Maybe stay with me in my house for a day and then go stay and visit with relatives. They were solid plans!
He picked me up at the airport about 12:30 am. I had been stuck in my terminal since about 3 pm. We went and got food. And lodging. We went to Wet N Wild water park the next day and just played tourist in DFW area. The following day we drove to MN. We did stay overnight in Missouri and not drive straight through.
The day we got to the house I had some friends that had to meet the guy that had caused me to act way outside my comfort zone. He met other friends and my parents. We visited the MOA. We played local tourist until the end of the week when he had to go home. Did you see any mention of seeing his relatives? Not even a phone call, as per the “plans”. It was hard to say goodbye. We grew really close in that week together.
By the time he returned to NM Rory was planning for me to fly down to meet his family and friends that next week. And I did.
Day 15, as I like to call it, after we met in Dallas, he proposed on top of “his mountain”, Sandia Peak in Albuquerque NM. His younger brother and family were with us on a picnic.
And then plans began to figure out where we would continue our relationship and future. Not quite two months later we moved him up to Minneapolis, since I had the house and he was less opposed to moving than I was. We got married 11 months later. And so on.
We had a very fast-tracked relationship. It worked for us. It is not for everybody, and I wouldn’t honestly recommend it. We were both at a place in our lives of it fitting. Timing can be everything and nothing.
I always sum up our relationship as 2 dates, five years later, a trip, 15 days later, a proposal, then marriage and kids. The Dallas date of July 22nd has always been what I consider our anniversary. The wedding was great 25 years next year), but that was the day that both our lives would be changed forever. Until death do us part. That sickness and health clause has really been a tight rope walk. Lol As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, or your relationship stronger.
Today, July 22, we honor the true start of our relationship. 25 years, 2 adult children, 3 knee replacements, a new kidney, multiple other surgeries and health issues, 3 moves and houses, loss of my parents, many other changes. Rory is somehow with the same company, probably one of the few constants. Lol
Rory, you’re still the one!
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