It all began with an online classified ad
Woman looking for a man. Many replied. Few were qualified. First there was the gentleman serving in the United States Army overseas, who actually lived in Yucca Valley. While he was home on leave we actually met for a face to face. I knew instantly that he was not the man for me just by how he interacted with my daughter.
Back online we go
He had been a widower since 1999. Me, a widow since 1993. Our common thread. We exchanged many emails getting to know one another. Then we moved on to IM’ing each other until the wee hours of the night. We couldn’t meet face to face because he was living in Northern California. Me in Southern California.
Then a few months later he came to SoCal to visit family in Hesperia. We arranged to meet. On my terms. I had him drive across the desert to meet me at a local restaurant on my lunch break (back when I had a J.O.B). I told my boss (a Sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department) exactly who and where I was meeting for lunch, just in case. I snuck in the back door (just in case I needed to run and hide.) I remember he was a little nervous and barely touched his food, while I woofed mine down. My “Sarg” was happy to not have to send in the Calvary.
She looks familiar
On our next date, my daughter and I traveled to Hesperia to meet up with him at his brother’s house. I met his brother’s girlfriend. We all went out for a night of golf. A good time was had by all. But the whole night I kept looking at the brother’s girlfriend trying to place where I knew her from. It wasn’t until a few months later that I could finally answer that question.
We’re distantly related
Fast forward a few months to December 2000 and Chris has moved to Southern California. Just before Christmas, Chris accompanied me to a birthday party for my cousin. While enjoying the festivities, in walks an older woman with 2 kids, who happen to be Chris’ niece and nephew. The connection? The older woman was “Grandma” to the two kids, whose mother was the girlfriend to Chris’ brother. Brother and girlfriend got married in 2003. So the girlfriend was actually my second cousin by marriage (on my step-father’s side of the family) and she’s also my sister-in-law as of 2003. Talk about living in a small world!
The Rock in the Desert is our Chapel
This month marks the 10th year that Chris and I have been together. We (okay, really I did) thought it would be pretty cool to celebrate our 10th year together by getting married on the 10th day of the 10th month of the year 2010. And years ago we always joked that when we did decide to get married, we were just going to go out and find a rock in the desert to get married by. Neither one of us wanted a big fancy wedding since we had already done that the first time around. So on 10/10/10 we gathered a few family and friends together and drove out into the desert and got married by a rock in the desert.
The Photographer
Obviously was not me. I actually handed over the Canon to my daughter to capture this special moment in our lives. So there you have it. My wedding. On 10/10/10. It was short, sweet and totally us.
P.S. As we were caravanning into Joshua Tree National Park, I looked in my rear-view mirror and realized that everyone in my wedding party was driving a Toyota vehicle. Just adds to the karma of getting married on 10/10/10, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be great if Toyota gave us a new Hybrid Highlander as a Wedding Gift?