From Dave…
Things I remember about the last, what was it, like 13 years or something?
1. You calling me after you got home from your mission, asking if I wanted to get together for “coffee.”
2. Walking in the door at, where was it, someplace Amber was staying? And the first thing you comment on was where “that came from,” pointing to my stomach.
3. You made me re-tie your shoelaces in front of my roommates.
4. You were afraid of my Glock. I guess you still are.
5. “Can I think about it?” Walking home, finally getting to sleep.
6. Being late to my Econ 110 class because you had me distracted in that basement you were staying in.
7. You listening at the door while I talked to your dad.
8. Awesome wedding. You were really pretty, but the bead headband of your veil left an imprint across your forehead.
9. Stupid reception. I mean, nice reception, just too long.
10. Borrowing my dad’s Neon to prevent people from trashing whatever I was driving.
11. Walking into that Hotel lobby in Bellevue and thinking how weird it was that I was with my wife.
12. I forgot what happened after that.
13. Hitting my head, throwing the keys.
14. Nearly running out of gas on the drive to Utah.
15. Our first home had chives growing in the front yard under a pine tree. We ate a lot of taters with fat free sour cream, chives, and bacon mixed in.
16. I remember the closet in that place for some reason.
17. Catching 11 trout in 1 hour in time for Seinfeld. Then eating them with artichokes for nearly a week.
18. Running the gas grill on the porch in the snow.
19. As it turned out, you are really grumpy in the mornings.
20. Staying the night in a rented tent in a field near Payson lakes. I woke up in the morning with nearly the worst hay fever attack of my life.
21. Eating at that El Atzeca place with your waaay too often.
22. Picking you up from work at the MTC wearing my stupid ROTC costume.
23. Speaking of ROTC, that time when I had the afternoon off, you came to Ft. Lewis to meet me. We just found out you were pregnant. We went for that little walk in the woods near the commissary.
24. You barfed when they put in the epidural. Then you didn’t need me anymore. I went to lunch.
25. They wouldn’t let you eat until you farted.
26. That 6 disc CD changer loaded up with Sting, Kate Bush, General Public, and EBTG.
27. Thunderstorms.
28. You giving me permission (sorta) to exceed the speed limit to take you to the hospital in Payson.
29. IIRC, you thought your OB was really cute.
30. Pushing a stroller to class. That was cool.
31. Sitting on a blanket on the grass outside the Rabbit Hutches with you and Isaak some afternoon.
32. Lots of drives. You have always been very patient with me about the drives. Like driving around to try to see that stupid Hale-Bopp comet.
33. There were a few discussions about whether a modem was a good use of money and if we really needed any internet.
34. Living in apartment L-7 in Kirkland. Laying in bed at night and listening to the apartment above us. Squeaka-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeaka-squeak… pause… FLUSH. Oh, and loud Sunday morning arguments coming from somewhere.
35. Eating baguettes and smoked salmon spread from Larry’s for dinner.
36. Pushing that stroller along the Kirkland waterfront.
37. Looking down on Isaak screaming as the ER staff were trying to get a line into him. The prayer in that dark little room off to the side. The blessing, the ambulance ride. Going out to eat that night, but not feeling hungry. Shaking at my desk 3 or 4 days later after it was all over.
38. You stepping out of the Tucson airport around midnight and saying, “Wow it’s hot.”
39. Sitting with you in a hottub, 90 degrees, raining, thunderstorm coming.
40. We drove to Nagales and had really tasty tacos.
41. Hanging out with Brian and Jody.
42. Watching Isaak wander around the apartment commons, how he interacted (or didn’t) with the kids.
43. Feeling really helpless while you passed out in pain, wanting to kill an anesthesiologist.
44. Holding that little girl and thinking she would turn out “normal.”
45. Listening to Isaak scream during his first couple of weeks of home therapy.
46. Cleaning Isaak’s crayon off your mom’s white carpet.
47. Thinking Sequim was exotic the first few times we went out there.
48. Waking up early next to you nearly every morning because the back bedroom at your parents’ house had no shades.
49. Walking around a dirt lot where our first house would stand. Walking around the plywood sub-floor and framing.
50. Laying in the back yard on our new grass, cuddled in a blanket, with some kind of DVD player set up, watching The Emperor’s New Groove with you.
51. Playing “run around the house.”
52. Finding out the water pump for the heater was in the wall next to our heads at night, and it was pretty loud.
53. Sultan Bakery.
54. Driving up to Stevens Pass with the kids to play in the snow.
55. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries.
56. Mink eating our goldfish from the pond.
57. Traveling all day to Florida, arriving on the boat totally exhausted. But not too exhausted.
58. Packing up everything in the house to move all our stuff into storage.
59. What Maggie said the day I left.
60. You sitting in my barracks room, watching me feverishly finish packing up my last-minute stuff.
61. The rushed, unceremonious goodbye as I got on the bus.
62. Looking at the moon at night and feeling comforted that you would see the same moon I was seeing. We just didn’t see it at the same time.
63. IM chats that dropped all the time.
64. Writing lots of long-winded emails.
65. Awkward phone calls. They felt awkward anyway.
66. Sitting in church Sundays without you, but feeling like all the other husbands and fathers with me.
67. Coming home from leave in a daze.
68. Being really ticked off at those dumb broads we were eating breakfast with us at the B&B.
69. Sitting on that pebbly beach for a couple of hours and just talking.
70. Sitting in the rain in the car, waiting for the ferry, eating donuts or something.
71. Kissing you on the cheek when I woke up for your dad to take me back to the airport. You told me not to wake you. I don’t think I ever knew if you woke up or not. That was a horrible morning for me, maybe worse than leaving in the first place.
72. Being more or less depressed for over a week when I got back to Victory.
73. Standing in that stupid formation in the auditorium, able to see you, but not released yet.
74. Feeling relieved, yet completely overwhelmed at the same time.
75. Feeling really amazed at how you spent your time getting a masters degree while I was gone.
76. Driving around almost endlessly, searching for houses to rent.
77. Having our own satellite TV for the first time. The countless hours of sleep lost watching that Food Network, The Labor Channel, and the Discovery Channel on the TV in our room.
78. Freezing our buns off on a little visit to Vancouver.
79. Deciding on another leap of faith.
80. Moving AGAIN.
81. Another change in direction, and a nasty period of separation.
82. Wondering when our life will ever let up, maybe be easy for awhile. But, what would happen to us if it were easy? Hmm.
I love you.
~dave
