wonderfully dreary

One of the things that I love about living in New Mexico is the weather. Most days the sun is shining and the humidity is low, making most days just very tolerable. Sure there are some hot ones (close to 100 F), cold ones (below freezing), windy ones (gusts over 50 mph), but rarely do we get the kind of day that we had yesterday and again today. Overcast and rainy - and I'm appreciating every minute of it.

I am sitting here looking out at what I can see of the Sandia Mountains and the sky is painted a lovely shade of gray. The clouds are covering most of the mountains and the rain is soaking our desert ground with much needed precipitation. It is on days like this that I am reminded of my years of living in Ohio when the rain was a common occurrence and days like this were far too frequent for my liking - the years in Holland were even worse. But it is with a fondness in my head that I sit and watch the raindrops fall as they bring back some memories of the greenness of Ohio and the humidity I left behind.

During my years of college, I had many jobs that I had to pay my tuition, room & board, and pizza expenses. One of those jobs was working as a laborer putting up tents during the summers while living in Akron. For three years I put up and broke down tents of all sizes. From our small 10x10 to the massive 80x440, I worked out in the elements of NE Ohio summers. Some mornings were fabulous - cool and brisk, crystal blue sky overhead; staying beautiful all day. Others started off hot and muggy, the water hanging in the air and smothering you like a thick cloud of smoke and conditions usually got worse as the day went on. Some days sunblock was only a charade of an attempt to beat back the searing sun.

Then there were mornings like today - the sky covered with a low layer of gray linoleum clouds that shrouded the sun, rain falling from above in random patterns of intensity. A rain jacket worked for days with the intermittent drops, full suits for those of constant downpour. Respite from the rain only came during lunch or in the truck between installations.

I was the 20' King, meaning I was in charge of putting up tents that were 20' on one side. The most common tent was a 20x30, some 20x20/40s thrown in for variety. Occasionally a 30x30 would sneak into the mix but mostly 20' stuff. I was the driver and I brought along another man to help with the installations. One person could put the tent up solo but driving stakes was much easier with two guys on "The Whacker"; a lawnmower engine welded to the top of a stake driver, it was an unwieldy device. The high center of gravity meant you and your partner needed to be on the same page but communication was difficult when you have an engine running next to your ear and the loud pinging of the metal driver as it crushed the rebar stake into the ground just below that. When it would rain, the water would flash to steam on the top of "The Whacker" as the engine heated up. Rainy days always seem to make the cacophony less obtrusive for whatever reason.

While I reflect on those days from college and the interesting summers I worked, I enjoy my summers much more now. It is amazing what a masters degree will do for a teacher's break from school.

tied the knot

Now that the event is done and over with, I can take a moment to reflect on the day of the wedding and everything that transpired before it. While I truly enjoyed the day and all that happened, some tense moments were a part of the final stages; what wedding would be complete without them?

With two exceptions, one major and one minor, the wedding was perfect. Our friends and family showed up casual (as we asked) and ready to enjoy the occasion. Shorts and flip-flops, sundresses and golf shirts, khakis and sandals, our guests were definitely comfortable. Margaritas and beer in hand, our wedding and the subsequent party were just that - a party. Our glitches for the event were the screwing up of reservations (every person at the wedding got two double beds in their room, including us - but that was quickly fixed) and having an overpriced keg of pretty gross beer (Bud Light is bad to begin with but this tasted exceedingly bad). Aside from those two bumps in the road, our wedding was perfect in my eyes and I couldn't be anymore content than I am. I have a wonderful wife and the prospect of an amazing future with her. Life is good.

Our wedding itself isn't what I am truly happy about, it is the next 40+ years that has me really thinking. I've always been one to live in the present and enjoy all that life has to offer at the moment. Living overseas helped me to develop that outlook and I still do it everyday. I try my best to not focus on what could be but rather what I have and how amazing it is. But I can't helping thinking of the future and all the wonderful experiences there are to come. A home of our own (we rent currently) is something we are working towards and should be able to put a down-payment soon. We are off the pill and on our way to starting a family - something that I've wanted for years. Two examples of what we hope is to come and while today is a great day, tomorrow seems like it has so much more to hold. I often try to not look to far into the future but my optimism for it is overwhelming and as the Pointer Sisters say, "I'm so excited that I just can't hide it."