Wandering Through Memory Lane

5/28/2018

This morning, after breakfast, Jeff and I and reminisced about our life together.  After 44 years together, we have built up a lifetime of memories.  Some funny, some pleasant and a few really bad memories tossed in there.

In California, where we lived until 1986, Jeff and I, experienced many things.  The birth of Scott and Andrew.  When I worked for a large corporation, I played Mrs. Claus while I was pregnant.

Dressing up as a clown, in a costume mother made for me.  I don't remember why everyone was in costumes, I just know it was a lot of fun.

The girls I worked with coming to our house, to make cookies to take to work the next day.  Halloween cookies comes to mind.

Watching Kenny play soccer on Saturdays, and he was good.  Then, watching Scott play soccer, for only one season.  Scott was more interested in looking for flowers and other things like that, then he was in actually playing!  It's how he was.

Taking shorthand and calligraphy classes with my sister.  Aerobics, ceramics, and playing racquet ball once a week.  Driving with my sister, in the pouring rain and at night, to pick up our Tupperware orders.  The distance in miles is somewhere around 47.  I have become less adventuresome, as I have grown older.  But, back then I was pretty "ballsy".  

Going into Los Angeles to see a play with our best friends, and stopping at midnight at a bagel store, to buy fresh bagels.

Thinking that our living room could use a window on the street side of the house, Judy, my best friend and I came back from shopping, to find a big hole in said wall!  That wasn't the last thing that Jeff and Skip (Judy's husband) did to our house.  They built a room, as well as a garage.  When it was time to put stucco on the garage walls, everyone showed up: Skip, my Dad, Jeff's grandfather, as well as other friends. My Dad, having the best intentions, never quite got the hang of putting the stucco (exterior cement plaster) on a wall.  He tried, but as soon as he would put the stucco on a tool of some kind to spread the stucco, the stucco would slid back down.  While my Dad wasn't particularly handy or in this case, helpful, he remained a constant cheerleader in our lives.  I miss him still.

Buying an unclaimed box at a storage auction, simply because it said electronics on the side.  Trust me, there were no electronics in that box.  On the other hand we were all sunburned when we got home.

Renting a house at Newport Beach, and taking the boys to the bay side, where there were no waves, and it was easier to watch Scott and Andy play in the water and sand.  Those were very good times in deed.

Having a yard sale in 1986, prior to our moving to Maryland.  Jeff was selling his cement mixer.  Negative Nancy (me), told him that nobody wanted a cement mixer.  Well, I was wrong, because it was one of the first things sold!

Building a time capsule and putting some treasures inside, and burying it in the yard. I suppose someday, someone will find the capsule, and might find it interesting to read about us as well as the things we also put in our capsule.

Watching United Van Lines, come into our house to pack us all up, load everything into the van, including our car, which was hanging atop the furniture.  Closing and locking the door to 3857 Mattie Place, the first house we bought. We lived in that house until we moved in 1986.  The only other house we lived/live in at the moment for 32 years.  Jeff and I don't move around very much!!

When you've been married as long as we have, you definitely build a lifetime of shared memories.  This September, Jeff and I will have been married for 44 years, and by today's standards, that's a long time.  I've told Jeff that to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we're going to go back to Maui.  It's not up for discussion.  While we celebrate in Hawaii, I'll be bringing a beautiful candle that we bought while on our honeymoon.  It seems only fitting, to light that candle, representing 50 years of marriage.

We, like all other couples, have memories.  And, sometimes, it's good to just sit and pull those memories out of our heads, and share them with each other.

P