I’m sure not everything listed here will be seen as brag-worthy by all readers, but they are things that have been pretty important in our lives and I want to share them. Why? Because I feel like braggin’! See if you agree with my perspective on any of them.
- Next spring, hubby Jack and I will be married 46 years. Considering that we dated for nearly seven years before that and had met two years prior to dating, we’ve known each other, dated, and been married almost 55 years. When I say it feels like forever, you can understand what I mean. When I say that it feels like yesterday maybe you’ll know what I mean, too. When we were falling in love, saying we’d be together forever sounded so easy. Hahahahaha! How naive! It hasn’t all been easy but it’s all been worthwhile, and made easier by being able to laugh, both at ourselves and with each other.
- As part of those 46 years, and just a couple of years after we’d married, we went on the road as over-the-road truckers. We went over all the 48 contiguous states, and into three Canadian provinces. We even went into Mexico once, for a harried, scary trip (do they have the concept of stop signs down? Not that I could tell.). For almost eight years, we were hardly apart except to go to the bathrooms, living in an 8 x 8 foot truck cab. There were times I wanted to murder Jack but I never considered divorce. (I’m sure he never wanted to murder me—I was the epitome of the perfect traveling companion.) And if you’re prone to divorce at all, driving a truck together will get you there faster than a CHP officer can write a speeding ticket. Those were great days!
- After trucking, Jack went into consulting. We stayed still for a few years and then he began consulting, helping companies prepare for FDA audits and validating software for FDA compliance. I guess trucking wanderlust hadn’t died, because we traveled to where the work was, once changing addresses six times in two years. We lived in such diverse places as Appleton, WI (loved it!), Kansas City (loved it!), the Civic Center area of San Francisco (loved it!), and tiny Greenwood, SC (loved it!). In fact, with few exceptions, we loved everywhere we lived. Exploring new towns and meeting new people is such fun.
- After not graduating and leaving Virginia Military Academy in his junior year, Jack went back to school at age 63. Far from not graduating, he got his diploma and graduated summa cum laude! I’m so proud of him.
- This might be the most brag-worthy thing of all. After all our years, all our ups and downs, moving, sometimes settling, we’re still grateful to have found each other. We still laugh, even when we cry, we still lean on each other—maybe more now than before—and we still love. What more does anyone need to brag about?
For those of you in the U.S., have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great holiday weekend!
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!
What an eventful life! My hubby and I have been married for 30 years and, yes, sometimes we want to kill each other. Marriage takes compromise.
“Marriage takes compromise.” Truer words were never spoken, Holly! Those men are so lucky we love them as we do! 😉