Many, many years ago, in a tiny coffee shop on a corner of Alvarado Street in Monterey, California, just down the hill from a military language school, a young Army linguist-in-training spied a young Air Force linguist-in-training at a table with some of her fellow linguist-in-training friends. The young Army man was quite taken with the young airman and started asking around to find out her name. Two weeks later, they finally went out on their first date.
Theirs was a whirlwind romance that led to a one-month engagement and a spur-of-the-moment decision to drive to Vegas to tie the knot. They were trying to get their next orders together, you see, and the military doesn’t really care if you intend to get married; it needs to be official.
The newlyweds returned to Monterey and moved into a tiny studio two blocks from the beach with a cushion for a bed and a card table for food and two different uniforms in the closet. What they lacked in possessions they more than gained in looove.
Alas, their efforts to get their orders together ultimately did not succeed. This was many, many years ago, as you may recall from the beginning of the story, and the Army Orders People and the Air Force Orders People didn’t talk to each other much and besides, the young couple weren’t even in the same language. However, they soon found out they were to become a young family, so the young bride decided to leave the Air Force and baby Conner was born.
Fast forward some 15 years, nine moves, and two more kids later, the couple is no longer so young and is certainly no longer sleeping on a cushion on the floor (though their bed has seen better days) and they have just learned that their next move is taking them to … Monterey, California. Back to where they started from. It feels like full circle. Or is it a new circle? As the couple prepares to move, yet again, the (still-youngish) woman can’t help but wonder what will have changed more: Monterey; or the couple. Time will tell, of course. Sometimes nothing speaks more to the richness of life than a place revisited.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I love your story
….. My story started in a basement room in Montreal, Canada…. We are now in a 2 bed flat in Cairo, Egypt but I feel like Montreal will call again one day, if only for a long long visit.
Best of luck starting back in California.
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jolyn Reply:
April 25th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Ooh… Did you “spy her across a crowded room” and “your eyes met” and “it was love at first sight”? So romantic. *sigh*
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Love the way you told the story!
Now that you will be in California, maybe I could really take you out for a cup of belated birthday coffee at Starbucks!
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jolyn Reply:
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 pm
That would be great!
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Aww, what a great story. It brightened my day reading it. Hubby and I started dating in April, moved in together by July, got engaged in October and were married in June. People see how happy we are and still question the “quickness” years later. Hey, when you know, you know.
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Nostolgia always works. Loved hearing the story again.
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First off….love the story!! (We were dating 7 weeks when we got engaged.
)
I think it it is full circle and new circle. You are completing the first phase of your life together…and now that you are consumer debt free, you are starting the next phase. The Universe has a way of knowing these things.
While I selfishly was hoping you were coming to the East Coast…at least we have the internet! Congrats on getting your new orders! And hopefully Hubs will be home soon to help you pack!
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jolyn Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Wow! We at least dated “for a whole six months”
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Awww, that’s such a nice story. Welcome back to California!
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jolyn Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Thanks!
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