Ten Years!

This is the solar eclipse that happened on August 11, 1999. That was the night that Bear and I had our very first date. Mind you, we'd been friends since 1989, but never had a date until ten years later.

The date? A bagpipe band practise (Bear was in the band), followed by snacks at a local diner, after which we stood in the parking lot and talked until 6:00am the following morning.

We've been a couple ever since that night. And now it's been TEN YEARS - I can't believe that much time has gone by. Wonderful thing is, it feels just like when we got together... one big sleepover party that doesn't have to end. We still count the time we get to spend together as the most important, best time of the day. Nobody laughs harder than we do, and I truly think we could be stranded on a desert island together and not notice there weren't other people around.

Every year on August 11, we go back to that diner. We tell the hostess our story and request the same booth we sat in that night, if it's available (I think it was only occupied one time so far). We tell the waitress our story, and we hold hands whenever we're not eating. It's one of our favorite rituals. And no matter what we eat for dinner, we always order some of what we had that first night.

Him: Coffee and a slice of apple pie
Me: Well-done french fries with a side of turkey gravy for dipping

Happy Anniversary, Bear!