18 Years Later...

You know, Summer Stock romances aren't supposed to last.

18 years ago today, I went on a date with a woman I met while doing summer stock at Western Washington University. I could have sworn I'd met her somewhere before... but when we compared notes, we realized that we'd spent our lives barely missing each other; She was stationed in Germany just after I left... the one ACTF that she didn't attend in college was the one in Anchorage... there were lots of moments like that in our history.

17 years ago today (or there-abouts... I don't actually remember the exact date...) she convinced me it was silly to keep commuting down to Portland from Bellingham each weekend... that the money spent on gas would be better spent on rent - living with together (gulp!) Of course, that put the kibosh on my grandiose plan to finish my degree at Western and start working in the Seattle theater scene... but I'd come to find out that she was good at putting the kibosh on my grandiose plans - and she was pretty much always right when she did so.

14 years ago today (I definitely remember THIS exact date) we tied the knot. Made it official in front of family and friends... and since we were making a spectacle of ourselves, we encouraged everyone else to do the same. A wedding to remember - at an amusement park, where the guests were encouraged to come in costume. And they did... oh how they did.

Since then, we've had our share of adventures. We've worked together, bought and sold property... celebrated the good times and held each other during the bad times. I wouldn't trade these past 18 years for anything; not for fame and fortune; not for the world.

I love you Trish... happy anniversary. I'm looking forward to spending so many more with you!

-Harold