and this day in history.......

So, 16 years ago today I met J. We met in an empty Nautilus room at the KYF in Kenosha. We talked about everything, including our recent trips to Europe. And then, he asked me to dinner, and I intentionally avoided giving him my phone number! I also found out he was just there on business and from Michigan. But I regretted it, and returned to the gym the next day about the same time in hopes he'd be there....thankfully he was or my life would be entirely different today;)

So the day after that we had our first date.  Villa de Carlo's in Ktown;....the tall ships were there too! And I found out that we had actually met on his birthday!

So here's to my hubby, 16 years later, and his permanent, non refundable birthday gift...ME . We dated long distance for three years before we got married! He quit his job and sold his house to move to WI for me;)

p.s. he has his private pilot's license....I went from trying to avoid giving him my phone # to going flying in a small twin engine Cessna with him a week later:D

 
one last interesting tidbit, and I'll leave you guys alone;) You may notice that there is a large sail boat in the background of the photo below. That is The Fantome, our Windjammer Barefoot Cruise we took down in the West Indies, in April of 1998. They are fun cruises, as they are smaller and more intimate and casual; and you get to know the crew (like Raj, our bartender;) Sadly she and about 30 crew members perished at sea a few months later during Hurricane Mitch:(   (see full news story here)  She was a beautiful ship, and the crew members were fun and amazing people...that was such a loss. 



other photos of the Fantome: