Happy Birthday Jeff

4/7/2016

Today, is Jeff's 67th birthday and I will be married to an "older" man for the rest of the year.  Scandalous I know!

Forty-one years is a long time, at least by today's standards, to stay married to someone.  My Dad was right on our wedding day when he told me that Jeff was a keeper.  Dad was right.  

All marriages have some good times and unfortunately bad times too.  We've seen our share of both.  We are proud parents of our amazing sons, Scott and Andy.  And, Benjamin is like sprinkles on top of ice cream - simply the best.  Being a grandparent is just about the best gig a parent can get.

We've vacationed in Hawaii, drove the boys,which by the way was a long time before movies could be seen in cars to Carlsbad Caverns.  

We stayed at Jeff's friend Herschel's trailer out in the desert.  Actually, we left the boys there to stay out in the boonies where creepy crawlers (mice/rat/whatever) roamed freely.  Jeff and I drove to a motel, because I don't want critter nibbling on my toes!

We've camped at Yosemite Park.  We had Jeff's parents trailer that was attached to the top of the truck bed.  We saw a lot of interesting things and while technically being in a trailer isn't quite like camping outdoors, I still prefer a room with a roof and running water.

We stayed a few days at Jeff's Aunt Ruby's house in Arkansas - in the summer!  We were given the attic to sleep in and a chamber pot to use.  With each step heading to the attic, it felt like we were mounting the steps to hell - it just got hotter and hotter.  Oh, and try to take a small boy, barely awake to use the chamber pot.  Let's just say a lot of laughter was involved during our stay.

Jeff paid for my Dad and I to go to England for three weeks and it was one of the highlights of my life.  I had Dad all to myself for three weeks, and he made an excellent traveling companion.  I will be grateful to Jeff for all of my days for that special time I had with Dad.

Once living in the East, we eventually started renting out houses at the Outer Banks for a week and later two weeks in the summer.  And yes I was still the chief cook and bottle washer, but doing these things at the beach, don't seem to be work.

We flew to the Bahamas in 2012 and had an amazing beach and crystal clear ocean to play in.  And we did that for one day and then the rains came.  Ultimately, the trip was cut short due to incoming weather that would or could play havoc with a small plane.  Luckily, we are flying to the Bahamas on the 20th for a few days.  The flight from here to Ft. Lauderdale is long, and we'll probably have contorted bodies when we finally land, but we'll gladly pay this price for a chance to return to the Bahamas.  Keeping my fingers crossed that Mother Nature will give us a break this time and allow us to stay the entire four days.

We have mourned the loss of both sets of parents as well as Wendy.  

We suffered emotionally and financially through the nastiness that was 2013.  For the infliction of pain that I caused Jeff and the family, I am truly sorry.  When depression gets an upper hand, as it did in 2013, it's really hard to keep your head above the torrent of despair that washes over you.  While I have suffered from depression off and on as an adult, and will likely continue to do so going forward, I'm in a much better place now than in 2013.

Thank you for being my best friend, partner, shoulder to lean on, my memory maker as well as memory reminder, and my biggest supporter.  I could not, nor would I want to, take this journey called life without you.

Love you.

P