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Post by Ronv69 on Jul 18, 2017 18:56:05 GMT -5
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.......
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 19:15:12 GMT -5
Thanks guys /gals for your stories. Real life stories are the best they give a prospective of a part of you and what you have done.
From a guy from the wrong side of the tracks and the poor side of town.
Again thank you
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 19:36:49 GMT -5
You wouldn't believe me if I told you....... Awww, come on, you have our curiosity at a peak now...give it up. |
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sablebrush52
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jul 18, 2017 20:04:08 GMT -5
You wouldn't believe me if I told you....... Awww, come on, you have our curiosity at a peak now...give it up. He's from Remulak, a little town in France. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Jul 18, 2017 20:30:57 GMT -5
Awww, come on, you have our curiosity at a peak now...give it up. He's from Remulak, a little town in France. [/qjuote] Oui! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 21:04:40 GMT -5
I'll keep it short. One of my professors in college sat us down on our last day in his class and spoke to us about pursuing a career in art. He said that the odds of having such a career were about 1 in 10,000, that in his entire teaching career he would have taught less students than that, and that if 1 of us made a career he would have beaten the odds. He also added that an artists should never face the odds. Good advice, that. I've made a reasonably good living from following my bliss, now approaching 40 years as a professional artist, working in the Film and TV business. I was told repeatedly that I stood no chance of making a career in art and I had the good sense not to believe that. I was fortunate that I had parents who taught me the value of being independent, of thinking critically, of the importance of education, pursuing one's passions, working hard, love of friends and family, and of not giving up. They were the children of immigrants who came to this country for freedom and for opportunity and who worked hard to build lives for themselves and for their children. I come from peasant stock. They also instilled in me a belief in the basic indecency of bigotry of any persuasion. I don't buy into all of the "winners" and "losers" hooey. It's simplistic, but it comforts a lot of people who either don't, or can't, look too deeply at life. I've known people far more talented than I, far more intelligent, far more socially adept, politically astute, financially astute, better connected and yet somehow I've been offered many opportunities that they haven't been offered. I think that it has more to do with being persistent about following one's passions, not letting setbacks deter me, thinking outside the box, listening to the suggestions and occasional wisdom of those more experienced than I, staying teachable, improving my skills, not getting full of myself, staying up-to-date, and knowing how to play well in the sandbox. I never thought about being a risk taker, but the fact is that I've been a risk taker all of my life. That's about it. When I was a young man I too wanted to be a commercial artist/ cartoonist but, my problem was I couldn't or wouldn't draw what someone else wanted, it had to be what I wanted because I had to have my heart in it to have it come out anywhere close to what it should be. So, I gave that idea up, lucky for me as it seems I had no chance anyway. So, I got married at 22 divorced at 26 and began to drink myself to death among many other self destructive activities. Roughly 40 years later I failed to accomplish that and gave up. Among many jobs I've been a Plumber, CET (certified Electronics technician) and a Local and OTR truck driver. Forced retirement 15 years ago because of my disability. I try and make pipes to subsidize my SS nowadays, I'll tell you later how that works out.My best buddy (Dog) died last month and my X-girlfriend is moving out sticking me with all the bills. So I'd say everything is going as planned..........not mine but, somebodies. I bet there's a best seller in there somewhere, or a number one Country Western hit! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2017 0:25:09 GMT -5
My father always told me you cant get rich digging a ditch . But you can make a good living selling the equipment that does . So I have spent my life fixing and selling large equipment . About three years ago life kicked me to the curb so I decided to heal up and do nothing . I am pretty darn good at doing nothing but alas I am back like moth to a flame to the large machines that I love . I know all kinds of things ,strength of cable,utilities, road building, mining, concrete, oil production support . Just a plain working man who is at home with a blue or white shirt with a tie . These days I live a very simple life it sure beats the rat race .
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Post by oldcajun123 on Jul 19, 2017 9:00:33 GMT -5
Plain Cajun, grew up on a farm, in Navy at 17, a Kiddie Cruiser, went into UDT, served in S Asia in a war The French and Eisnhower started, wounded, got to serve Guard duty in the Rotunda for the man who sent me to S Asia, Sad day for me. Discharged, bumbled along drilling oil wells inshore and offshore, took a test with 500 men in Baton Riuge for a job at Exxon had to take a crap real bad so I flew thru the test, Only 20 were picked, I was one, I always said being full of shite got me a good job. Had 3 children, older boy, twins boy and girl, older boy was in Desert Dtorm with the 82nd Airborne, Daughter was a Crew Chief on a C-130 Gun Ship, her brother was dyslectic and could not join. Did 31.5 with Exxon, Prostate cancer hit me, MD Anderson said treatment but make out your will. That was in 98 after Heart bypass. Retired invested my Lump Sum,,in 2000, I lost 2/3 of my pension, 2002, bought a Flatbed truck and hauled Oil field Equipment while 32 of us had sued Ameritrade for putting us in Risky financials, sized up coming back from Corpus Christi, had to get 4 stints, my trucking days were over, Ktrina came in the middle of our financial trail and in 2006we won 22 million, plus 6 million for punitive damages. While I was trucking I had bought a 100 yr old house, cut it in half and moved it on my 81 acre farm. One day Fed Ex pulls up with a 1/4 of a million dollar check, I sat the Fed ex man down, gave him a coke and asked What's the most money you've had in your hand, I let him hold the check and told him you're gonna bring me 4 more of these. I've since then helped my neighbors, in times of peril, last flood I bought washers and dryers for 3 of my old neighbors who didn't have insurance, I believe but I'm not a religious man that I was helped in life in order to help others, I am a common man, raised hard working, hand shake is your Bond. I forgot to Mention I have the Best Wife and partner in the World who worked with me thru thick and thin, I am a Lucky Man.
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Post by bonanzadriver on Jul 19, 2017 9:19:17 GMT -5
Plain Cajun, grew up on a farm, in Navy at 17, a Kiddie Cruiser, went into UDT, served in S Asia in a war The French and Eisnhower started, wounded, got to serve Guard duty in the Rotunda for the man who sent me to S Asia, Sad day for me. Discharged, bumbled along drilling oil wells inshore and offshore, took a test with 500 men in Baton Riuge for a job at Exxon had to take a crap real bad so I flew thru the test, Only 20 were picked, I was one, I always said being full of shite got me a good job. Had 3 children, older boy, twins boy and girl, older boy was in Desert Dtorm with the 82nd Airborne, Daughter was a Crew Chief on a C-130 Gun Ship, her brother was dyslectic and could not join. Did 31.5 with Exxon, Prostate cancer hit me, MD Anderson said treatment but make out your will. That was in 98 after Heart bypass. Retired invested my Lump Sum,,in 2000, I lost 2/3 of my pension, 2002, bought a Flatbed truck and hauled Oil field Equipment while 32 of us had sued Ameritrade for putting us in Risky financials, sized up coming back from Corpus Christi, had to get 4 stints, my trucking days were over, Ktrina came in the middle of our financial trail and in 2006we won 22 million, plus 6 million for punitive damages. While I was trucking I had bought a 100 yr old house, cut it in half and moved it on my 81 acre farm. One day Fed Ex pulls up with a 1/4 of a million dollar check, I sat the Fed ex man down, gave him a coke and asked What's the most money you've had in your hand, I let him hold the check and told him you're gonna bring me 4 more of these. I've since then helped my neighbors, in times of peril, last flood I bought washers and dryers for 3 of my old neighbors who didn't have insurance, I believe but I'm not a religious man that I was helped in life in order to help others, I am a common man, raised hard working, hand shake is your Bond. I forgot to Mention I have the Best Wife and partner in the World who worked with me thru thick and thin, I am a Lucky Man. ABSOLUTELY THE BEST POST ON THIS SITE ! EVER !!!! |
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Post by antb on Jul 19, 2017 9:42:37 GMT -5
Plain Cajun, grew up on a farm, in Navy at 17, a Kiddie Cruiser, went into UDT, served in S Asia in a war The French and Eisnhower started, wounded, got to serve Guard duty in the Rotunda for the man who sent me to S Asia, Sad day for me. Discharged, bumbled along drilling oil wells inshore and offshore, took a test with 500 men in Baton Riuge for a job at Exxon had to take a crap real bad so I flew thru the test, Only 20 were picked, I was one, I always said being full of shite got me a good job. Had 3 children, older boy, twins boy and girl, older boy was in Desert Dtorm with the 82nd Airborne, Daughter was a Crew Chief on a C-130 Gun Ship, her brother was dyslectic and could not join. Did 31.5 with Exxon, Prostate cancer hit me, MD Anderson said treatment but make out your will. That was in 98 after Heart bypass. Retired invested my Lump Sum,,in 2000, I lost 2/3 of my pension, 2002, bought a Flatbed truck and hauled Oil field Equipment while 32 of us had sued Ameritrade for putting us in Risky financials, sized up coming back from Corpus Christi, had to get 4 stints, my trucking days were over, Ktrina came in the middle of our financial trail and in 2006we won 22 million, plus 6 million for punitive damages. While I was trucking I had bought a 100 yr old house, cut it in half and moved it on my 81 acre farm. One day Fed Ex pulls up with a 1/4 of a million dollar check, I sat the Fed ex man down, gave him a coke and asked What's the most money you've had in your hand, I let him hold the check and told him you're gonna bring me 4 more of these. I've since then helped my neighbors, in times of peril, last flood I bought washers and dryers for 3 of my old neighbors who didn't have insurance, I believe but I'm not a religious man that I was helped in life in order to help others, I am a common man, raised hard working, hand shake is your Bond. I forgot to Mention I have the Best Wife and partner in the World who worked with me thru thick and thin, I am a Lucky Man. Yep! Sure doing it the right way! There's hope for us all. |
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Zach
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Post by Zach on Jul 19, 2017 10:16:18 GMT -5
I opened my first investment account with $2,500 in 1986. Hilliard Lyons was my primary advisor, American Funds was my primary investment. Nothing but sunshine until the markets crashed in 2000. It was an extremely painful and expensive education. Long story short, I was fortunate enough to have properly planned in a cash position for the next crash in 2008 which I saw coming in 2006. Best thing which ever happened to me in my life. I could hear angels singing from the heavens. Markets up approximately 260% since, retired at 55 with enough money to burn a wet mule. Looking for a lake house now. Sweet and no apologies. JMHO but I would wait until capital gains are paid out this year and begin building a strong cash position afterwards. Good luck. The only way to get rich is to invest, and invest early. Wake up early, invest, invest, invest. You can never get rich just working and saving. Although I do agree with much of what others have said, and @bananzadriver gave the great advice about being a winner, to be a winner you have to take what you want, not wait for it, I would add. You also HAVE to invest throughout life. I'm young but I've made a decent amount of money investing, my best friend and I have done well in Bitcoin, which is the future of money. It's over $2k a piece now, and will be over $5k a whole unit in the next year or two. There's the best heads up investment advice you've ever received. Bitcoin will be over $10k in the next 10 years. Get in now at $2k or buy the dip when it knifes down under $2k here and there. Highly volatile makes a lot of money. Do your own research though and never take advice on a whim. As for my story... I'm turning 28 years old in a couple weeks. Left highschool early to start college. Stopped college after a year because college today is useless in my career field. (Computer Science) Started working at the age of 15, before that mowing lawns and miscellaneous jobs of course. I was a skateboarder from the age of 11 until about 20 years old when family and work took up all my time. Shortly after working a few short term jobs in factories and manual labor, I went into my career field that I went to school for, which is Information Systems/Information Tech. I moved to Las Vegas and worked in medical IT for histopathology. Stayed there for about 1.5 years before realizing our overlord corporate ownership was going to downsize and change a bunch of positions, as well as missing family, friends, and home. When I moved back, briefly jumped right into a factory job building furniture while updating my resume and looking. Started working in telecomm soon after, IT/cellular tower equipment install and programming. Worked for this company for over 3 1/2 years before I went down to FL for a while to help my wife take care of her great grandfather, and we've inherited that property. Fast forward to during that time, Bitcoin went from $10 in 2012, to $2,900 a piece last month. My buddy and I have made good money and still trading of course, investing. We are both tired of working for other people and making other people money. We're moving out to Denver and starting our own network security firm and we're going to live life to the absolute fullest. Trail riding, mountain biking, mountain climbing, programming/developing applications, consulting. I've shortened what I do in telecomm and networking just a bit so it doesn't sound extremely technical, because it is. I'm married for 7 years now to the best girl in the world, and I'm driven. I'm just turning 28 and constantly now trying to figure out how I can make my next play. I often times feel like I'm wasting my time, and we don't have that long on this world. Sounds cliche as all hell, but we're going to be millionaires by our early 30's. My best friend says he has to make a million before he's 30.(Buddy with whom I'm starting the company) Aside from work, I'm a family man. As I said I'm married. Also have kids. As any parent, I want better for my kids than I my had, and I did not have a bad childhood whatsoever. Oh, forgot to mention after I moved back from FL after staying there for 1.5 years, I went back into the telecomm company I worked at for 3 1/2 years before I left. Been working for them for close to 4 years in total. |
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Post by trailboss on Jul 19, 2017 14:32:30 GMT -5
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sablebrush52
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jul 19, 2017 18:44:32 GMT -5
Yep. Over the past 6 years I partnered with several friends on developing real estate and did very well. Wouldn't have had a retirement fund of any size without taking those risks. However, I do know a few people who made their fortunes by working and saving. It's just that what they did paid them extremely well, and they had no need or interest in living a grand lifestyle.
Money doesn't buy happiness. However, money does buy a lot of pleasures. Happiness is an inside job.
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quicklime
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Post by quicklime on Jul 30, 2017 9:25:34 GMT -5
I was once a professional logroller. Now I drive forklift at a sawmill.
Life is good.
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Post by crapgame on Jul 30, 2017 10:38:38 GMT -5
I was once a professional logroller. Now I drive forklift at a sawmill. Life is good. I used to haul tree bark from sawmills to a place that shredded it and made colored mulch,,then I hauled the mulch to land scaping companies..that was a lifetime ago though, |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 14:25:42 GMT -5
Lately I have been wondering who the people that frequent this corner of the web are. I don't mean names or where you live but rather what it is that makes you unique. There used to a segment on some news show where a reporter would go to a random town, pick a random person and find out their story because everyone, whether they realize it or not, has one. Take me for example. A longtime ago I, a slightly off center white boy living in a podunk town in Kentucky, was one of the country's foremost authorities on Negro League baseball. Ninety percent of the time I made no money but I enjoyed it. Co-authored four books on the subject, contributed to a number of others, and was writer and editor of a newsletter on the subject for eight years. In 2006, I was one of 12 people chosen by the Baseball Hall of Fame to vote on Negro League candidates for induction. 17 individuals, including the first woman, got the 75% of the vote needed for election. A very popular individual didn't get voted in so a lot of people were very unhappy. I was even one of Keith Olbermann's worst people in the world once because of it. That is my story. What is yours? Interesting story - I would've thought Olbermann would be 100% behind such efforts! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 18:14:36 GMT -5
I was once a professional logroller. Now I drive forklift at a sawmill. Life is good. Hey, that means you got off the production line, Congrats. |
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Post by trailboss on Jul 30, 2017 19:41:23 GMT -5
My story..
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kraken
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Post by kraken on Jul 30, 2017 23:26:56 GMT -5
I was a color forecaster for several years. It took me to Germany and India and I got to play with paint chips. But I hated coming up with product design recommendations and I wasn't good at schmoozing so I left the job. I miss playing with paint chips but I'm happy I made that decision.
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Post by bonanzadriver on Jul 30, 2017 23:27:59 GMT -5
I grew up a good part of my life in S.E. Oklahoma. Lots of trees and plenty of timber related industry there, weyerhauser and others.
My grandpa was in the logging and sawmilling industry. Everything from railroad ties to dimensional lumber to pallet mills.
When I was younger I swept sawdust and shavings. When I got older I bucked slabs off the end of the mill and bundled em up to be sold to the charcoal companies.
Worked my way up to forklift operator, skidder operator and truck driver.
Some great memories workin the woods and the mill with my cousins.
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kraken
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Post by kraken on Jul 30, 2017 23:30:44 GMT -5
I'll keep it short. One of my professors in college sat us down on our last day in his class and spoke to us about pursuing a career in art. He said that the odds of having such a career were about 1 in 10,000, that in his entire teaching career he would have taught less students than that, and that if 1 of us made a career he would have beaten the odds. He also added that an artists should never face the odds. Good advice, that. I've made a reasonably good living from following my bliss, now approaching 40 years as a professional artist, working in the Film and TV business. I was told repeatedly that I stood no chance of making a career in art and I had the good sense not to believe that. I was fortunate that I had parents who taught me the value of being independent, of thinking critically, of the importance of education, pursuing one's passions, working hard, love of friends and family, and of not giving up. They were the children of immigrants who came to this country for freedom and for opportunity and who worked hard to build lives for themselves and for their children. I come from peasant stock. They also instilled in me a belief in the basic indecency of bigotry of any persuasion. I don't buy into all of the "winners" and "losers" hooey. It's simplistic, but it comforts a lot of people who either don't, or can't, look too deeply at life. I've known people far more talented than I, far more intelligent, far more socially adept, politically astute, financially astute, better connected and yet somehow I've been offered many opportunities that they haven't been offered. I think that it has more to do with being persistent about following one's passions, not letting setbacks deter me, thinking outside the box, listening to the suggestions and occasional wisdom of those more experienced than I, staying teachable, improving my skills, not getting full of myself, staying up-to-date, and knowing how to play well in the sandbox. I never thought about being a risk taker, but the fact is that I've been a risk taker all of my life. That's about it. I've seen your work and I'm a fan. Thanks for sharing your story and insight, it gives me a bit of inspiration as I'm trying to get back to creating some art. I just had my work in a show this summer and I'm trying to keep that momentum going. |
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Post by fadingdaylight on Aug 1, 2017 19:33:40 GMT -5
Sure, I'll play. Grew up in suburban Maryland with a sister and a half brother. Dad was a firefighter, got hit by a car one night on a scene and wound up medically retired. Mom went back to school, started teaching, parents split up. From 13-19 I went through the normal phases of illegal activities. At 18 I moved to Texas to live with dad, met a great girl and decided that if I was going to provide, I needed to enlist. Which happened at 19.
So I did, in 2002. We got married shortly after basic and AIT, had our first child in 2004 and our second in 2006. Spent twelve miserable years in the Army, survived three combat tours just to have an accident with an angle grinder during the fourth tour. Some of you know this already, but that stupid accident became a blessing in disguise for me.
Got out in 2014, moved to Arkansas, took a job at a retail parts store and... ..cleared my head, for two good years. Somewhere during that time I started work on an IT degree. Bought a house last year and changed majors. That's about the time I disappeared from the forums.
Since then, I have gotten my act together, actually quit cigarettes (past four months now), worked hard towards a business degree (finish next December), and moved to new job that I really like. Now that I can breathe without fear of a cigarette relapse, I have pulled my pipes back down off the shelf and cracked into some of those tins that have been aging for a year. Hence, the return.
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quicklime
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Post by quicklime on Aug 6, 2017 16:08:26 GMT -5
I was once a professional logroller. Now I drive forklift at a sawmill. Life is good. Hey, that means you got off the production line, Congrats. Thank you. Glad to be off it...rough work. But it paid the bills. Driving forklift is more intense, but much easier in the body day to day. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 16:45:27 GMT -5
thank you too, sir. I do feel it has been the most rewarding thing I've done with my life.
And makes you a thousand times worthy of a good pipe smoke whenever you wish. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 16:50:22 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 16:59:33 GMT -5
I've done everything from Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker.
Started out as a Lab Technologist. Slowly took over a family business that involved Butchering, truck driving, sales, and bookkeeping. Left that to sweep floors for twice the money. Became a printing pressman, then a cutter, a job I loved till the end. Snapped my neck on that. While recovering Rheumatoid Arthritis set in.
Like a few others I predicted 2008 collapse in 2006. Took my wife's money and put it elsewhere. It doubled during the collapse.
Finished a book as a coauthor on a silent film actress. I spend my way to oblivion, yet make sure my wife's stuff grows. 32 years and I love her so much it brings tears to me thinking about it. In every minute of life I feel very fortunate for the love I receive and sadness that I never really deserved it.
I keep myself busy with history, arts, music, continually studying. I believe our intelligence goes with us and I don't want to die stupid.
I am a doggie lover and I do applaud more when doggies are saved in movies than when people are saved.
My MD has to come to the house and just informed me the other day that were I to have picked the pipe back up at thirty he would be concerned. At sixty he laughed at my logic and said... works for him
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Post by PhantomWolf on Aug 6, 2017 23:36:56 GMT -5
I typed a few pages and then decided it was too personal to post. It was good to get it all out and see it clearly in print- Like yelling into an empty room. haha To sum it up: I was born, grew up partying, played in some bands, found love, joined the Army, went to school, lost love, had a promising career for some years before service-connected disability led to swapping the good life for a check from the VA and now I'm trying to find a way to reinvent myself. A new career maybe. Grab the old bootstraps and pull once again.
I have to go to a friend's birthday party this Wednesday. We used to work at the same place and now I don't know that I have an outfit that meets his effing country club's dress code. haha If that isn't enough bitter irony, I'll have you know that he used to copy off of me in college.
And now for a bit of levity
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 0:16:40 GMT -5
I typed a few pages and then decided it was too personal to post. It was good to get it all out and see it clearly in print- Like yelling into an empty room. haha To sum it up: I was born, grew up partying, played in some bands, found love, joined the Army, went to school, lost love, had a promising career for some years before service-connected disability led to swapping the good life for a check from the VA and now I'm trying to find a way to reinvent myself. A new career maybe. Grab the old bootstraps and pull once again. I have to go to a friend's birthday party this Wednesday. We used to work at the same place and now I don't know that I have an outfit that meets his effing country club's dress code. haha If that isn't enough bitter irony, I'll have you know that he used to copy off of me in college. And now for a bit of levity Irony bites - I saw a guest on Carson describing tinnitis, constant ringing in his ears. I hoped and prayed I would never have that, as I loved my headphones blasting The Archies day in and out. When I met my coauthor online he told me he had Rheumatoid Arthritis. I knew someone else with it. I hoped and prayed I never got that. Then I hurt my neck and had three operations. Retired/disabled at 42. As long as I don't have tinnitis and RA. in 2003 the tinnitis came on. I refused to blame the Archies, though. Oh well, I don't have RA, I thought. 2005 my test was off the charts. If it makes you feel any better I don't even have proper underwear for a club. Give me my shorts and an occasional shirt and a bowl of pipe and I make it through the day. Reinventing is a good thing. I can pretty well ID with your story. One thing I have learned, though... in all things be happy. I was a party animal too, so that I am 60 is its own miracle and I am amazed each day. Oh, I do have the derby that Burl is wearing. My wife and dog get a kick out of me wearing it in my shorts with a pipe hanging out. Blessings in your endeavors. |
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Post by Lady Margaret on Aug 8, 2017 10:25:57 GMT -5
thank you too, sir. I do feel it has been the most rewarding thing I've done with my life.
And makes you a thousand times worthy of a good pipe smoke whenever you wish.
thank you kindly, sir!
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Post by Lady Margaret on Aug 8, 2017 11:39:24 GMT -5
I grew up surrounded by adults. The only other kid I had to play with was my brother. I was evidently rather precocious as a child. One story my Mom tells is how we went to the family cabin when I was 4 years old. My grandfather, a widower, had just remarried and they were taking them up for a weekend at the cabin. My maternal grandparents were already there and when we showed up they packed up to leave so there would be room. So, you have my parents bringing all their stuff in and my maternal grandparents tracking stuff out. In this chaos I asked my Mom when we were going for ice cream. There was a little country store down the road that had ice cream cups with wooden spoons and when we went there I always got one. In an effort to get me to quit asking Mom told me that when we needed milk we would go to the store. A little bit later I went to Mom and asked for a glass of milk. It struck her as odd, but happy that I wanted milk she gave me some and went back to her work. A little later I came back and asked for another glass of milk, which she happily gave me. I don't know how many glasses I drank, but after my maternal grandparents left things calmed down and when I asked for the next glass it suddenly dawned on Mom what I was doing. Needless to say, I didn't get any more milk. My grandmother told Mom after they got back that went they got in their car to leave my grandfather turned to her and said, "You know what Maggie's doing, don't you?" to which my grandmother said she didn't, and he told her that I was trying to drink up all the milk so they'd have to go to the store. Fortunately he didn't rat me out to Mom. Grandpa was always on my side, lol.
The most meaninful things to happen to me would be my husband and my son. Marrying my husband was destiny. Growing up I was Daddy's girl. Dad had been in the Army four years to earn money for school. Dad loved to watch war movies, documentaries about war and the military. He subscribed to The American Rifleman and kept up with guns, though he only had a few hunting rifles and one pistol for protection. So, wanting to spend time with Dad, I watched his war movies with him and learned about the things that interested him. He taught me the phonetic alphabet and 24 hour time. Dad had just missed the Vietnam war, so that was of particular interest to him and so I did a lot of reading about it. In the 80's our special night was Saturday when he and I watched Tour of Duty together. In high school I took the ASVAB, got a pretty good score and wanted to join the military, but Dad didn't want me to, he pushed for me to go to college first. So, upon graduation I went to college.
I already had a couple friends there, so I naturally just joined their group at meals. That group included hubby and his girlfriend. They were volunteer firefighters and frequently got calls just as they were sitting down for lunch or dinner. I probably ate more of his food than he did, lol. I hung out with them a lot, and I ended up on an extracurricular team with hubby where we got to know each other better, but we were always just friends. He and his girlfriend got engaged. In the middle of my first semester my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. We were told that with surgery and treatment he should make a full recovery, so I stayed at college, Dad wanted it that way. Hubby and his girlfriend drove me home for my birthday, had cake with my family, met my grandparents, and drove back (college was an hour away) Dad had lost a lot of weight. On my Christmas break he was having his treatments and i went with him. They made him really sick. After that I don't remember going home again until school was out. We got to leave after graduation, my family was there to pick me up, hubby and his fiancee were getting married that day and I was going to the wedding, but my family went out to eat, Dad wasn't in his right mind, and Mom took her eyes off the road to check on him and we ended up in a minor accident. At that point we just went home.
It was at that point I realized Dad was really bad off. Two weeks later he was in the hospital and two weeks later he died. It was kind of earth-shattering for me. Hubby's wife and a mutual friend came down for the wake and she invited me to come over to their house for a weekend after the funeral -- it was about two weeks away. She and our mutual friend drove up to get me, hubby had to work both during the wake and the evening they picked me up. We hung out at their trailer until midnight when hubby got off work at the mall as a security guard, we then went over to a friend's house to watch The Hunt for Red October. Hubby and his wife ended up falling asleep so it was just me and our mutual friend watching the movie. I had read the book so we had a pretty good conversation. After that I went back to the trailer with hubby and his wife. The next day there was a fire call but hubby couldn't go because he had to go to work in just a couple hours, so he and I ended up hanging out at the trailer watching tv and talking until he had to go to work. They only had the one car so I went with him and drove the car back so his wife could drive me home that evening. The next semester I went over to their place for dinner several times, a couple was just me and a few other times it was a group of our friends. Well, the middle of the next semester I learned that hubby's wife had left him and moved in with another man and hubby was moving to Pennsylvania. In just a few months they were divorced. I wrote to him, but he never wrote back.
I went on with my life at college, graduating two years later. I sent him a graduation announcement, but didn't hear from him. A few months later I was working in the Registrar's office as secretary and he sent in a transcript request to take classes at a local college. I sent him a note, never heard back from him. A new guy came to the college, we became friends, were hanging out a lot together, I grew rather fond of him and hoped we would start dating, but suddenly he just kind of dropped me and started chasing another girl. I was kind of crushed. That was around Thanksgiving. At the end of January I got a letter from hubby. It was kind of short, just letting me know he was in school again and appreciated the letters I had sent over the years. I wrote him back, but seeing as he didn't seem to be much for letters I didn't expect to hear from him again. A couple weeks later I got a phone call. It was a guy, he said "Hi," and I said Hi back. He asked how I was and I tentatively said I was fine, because i didn't know who it was. He kind of laughed and said, "You don't know who this is," and at that moment I recognized his voice. We ended up talking for three hours, which was probably longer than all our conversations put together up to that point. I got a letter from him a few days later and I wrote back. I got another phone call. This time he expressed interest in getting to know me better. I told him I cared for him as a friend, but I wasn't interested in dating. He said okay, and asked if it was okay to keep writing and calling. I said sure.
After a few months he asked if he could come visit. I said sure, it would be great to see him. I still thought we were just friends. He was coming from seven hours away. Yeah, I was pretty oblivious. We had a good visit, and it was at that point I realized I was becoming rather fond of him. A few weeks later he came for another visit. A couple weeks after that we were talking on the phone and he remarked that he was surprised he hadn't scared me off yet. I told him that the only way to do that was to ask me to marry him. He said, Oh really? Will you marry me? I laughed and told him "tomorrow." He called the next day and said, well, you said you'd marry me today. I told him, No, I said I'd marry you tomorrow, it's today so it doesn't count. A month later he asked if I would be willing to date him, and at that point I agreed. A couple weeks later he took me out to where he grew up to show me around and to meet his Mom and Grandma. Two weeks after that he asked me to come to PA to help him with a drywall job he was doing. It was during that trip, where we were working together, that when he jokingly asked me, Will you marry me? That I said Yes! (he had continued to ask me in almost every conversation since the first time it happened) He just kind of stoppped and looked at me, and then went back to work. I thought, Oops! Later that evening he asked me if I was serious. I asked about what, and he said When you said yes this morning? And I told him I was, and he gave me a great big kiss. That was on October 7. We were married in April, and by an interesting coincidence, our son was born on October 7.
I insisted he wear his uniform when we got married (his first wife had not wanted him to wear it, he wore a suit instead) and supported his military career. I've been immensely proud of him in every aspect of his service. He would forget himself sometimes and give me 24 hour times and then try to translate it for me and I'd tell him, I know what time that is. When spelling things he would start to use the phonetic alphabet and then stop himself but I'd tell him, I understand you -- though the one I learned and the one he learned are a tiny bit different, lol. His wedding gift to me was an SKS, and on our honeymoon he had me dry-firing it with a quarter balanced on the end of the barrel, lol.
There is one good thing about him going on annual training, though, and that is he misses me terribly and once he has caught up on his rest when he gets back we have a second honeymoon! Which explains why I've been kind of MIA here on the board for the past week and a half, lol.
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