Well, today is the 38th anniversary of our stunning purple wedding!
We began our married life in Temple, TX where we both worked non-stop and set up a lovely home in a duplex. That’s where I met Nan. She’s still in my life, thankfully.
After two years, we moved to Baltimore, MD. We both worked non-stop there too, but we had way more FUN. Our dear, darling friends made our seven years there so meaningful and enriching. Shout out to Jen, Jeff, Jeanne, John, Patrick, Susan, Tim, Maureen, Pam, and Pat. Thank you for blessing us with your presence in our lives.
From there we moved to sunny southern California to raise our two fabulous daughters, Emily and Tara. That was sixteen years of FUN, learning, teaching, growing, traveling, and nurturing. THAT was a wonderful non-stop MOM job alongside Mark’s neurosurgery job.
After that, we headed to Honolulu, HI. My MOM job continued as the chauffeur, chef, lunch mom, and homework checker, between my surf lessons and our scuba diving adventures. Those two years flew by like the fleeting tropical rains of each afternoon. Mark loved his neurosurgery job there too.
Our next adventure took us to the UAE, Abu Dhabi specifically. What a magical four-year adventure that was! Our lives will never be the same. Living an ex-pat life is extraordinary. The people we met (too many to name), the foods we ate, the places we explored, and the culture we learned so much about enriched our lives.
Repatriating to St. Charles, MO was a soft landing and taught me how to make friends without a dog or a kid. It’s harder than you think!!! After three years, we said “so long” to Mary, Judi, Kim, Kathleen, Toni, Kim, and Barb plus all the hubbies. We found ourselves moving again, this time to close the circle.
We moved back to Dallas, TX, our hometown, where we met and all this adventure began. Our move was two days before the 2020 pandemic lockdown, so we had to cleverly create our own FUN and learn a new city to boot! We chose to live downtown because, after all these moves, we love urban living. Our mothers were our pull and we’re grateful we get to spend time with them as they traverse life in their late 80s. Reconnecting with school friends has been a treat, to be sure.
So, here we are. Looking back over the time and this post, I realize how lucky, fortunate, blessed, and thankful I am. Were it not for the wish I made in a fountain, none of this would have happened. Since we went to different colleges, we could have met other people and this adventure may not have happened. I’m so happy it did!
I love my MarkSchnitzer more today than yesterday. He’s my everything.
Cheers to more years!
Aloha🌺,
Denise