The Story of Us (Part Three)

That first summer we spent together was....bumpy. They say most couples go through the honeymoon phase first, then learn what it really means to be in a committed relationship. Jacob and I did things backwards.

While we were 100% committed to each other and our relationship, we had differing perspectives on what our life would be like now that we weren't thousands of miles from each other. I think what complicated things was living with his family. He, essentially, left his comfortable life in Montana to pick me up and bring me into it; why shouldn't he have expected his life would continue with a general sense of normal? Me, I didn't know what to expect and that probably stressed me out more than anything else. But I knew deep down - and on the surface - that this was what I wanted; and no matter how many times I briefly entertained the idea of going back to Florida, my head and my heart knew that was just going to ease my anxious stomach, not make me any happier. What would make me happy was putting down roots in this new place; I did it a few times before so this should have been no different. Plus, no way I was leaving when my hair had finally returned to its normal size and texture.

So in his quest for me to feel welcome, Jacob showed me around our new home. And it wound up being a wonderful summer.

Once they became friends and got [sort-of] used to the idea of being around one another 24/7, they had a lot of fun. I know Louis enjoyed his new, giant backyard after growing up a city-dog. Even today, though, they both look at Jacob and I like, "Ok, I've had enough fun, can we go back home where it was just the 2 of us now?"

When he was single, Jacob spent a great deal of his free time driving as far as a tank of gas would get him. So as soon as I arrived, his first order of business was to show me his plethora of favorite spots.

First up was the Beartooth Pass. I'm not sure how long Jacob has been traveling the road but he loves it so much he'll sometimes drive just to where the gate closes it off during the winter. Obviously, it wasn't winter anymore but we stopped at the same spot we had the previous January.

 At one of the view spots as you travel up the windy, steep road.

 That teeny, tiny point smack in the direct center of the picture is the Beartooth mountain. Taken May 2009.

 Jacob was surprised I got this close; frankly, so am I.

 We took a similar drive for my birthday, but that time Jacob took me to lunch at Bogart's. There isn't a whole lot of "theme" to this theme restaurant, but it's a cute, nice place with good food and souvenirs that say Bogart's.

My first excursion to Yellowstone National Park. The place is awesome no matter which direction you're looking. We happened quite a ways from Old Faithful but still saw some cool geysers peppered throughout the park. Sometimes man-made structures just can't compete with Mother Nature.

A year earlier Jacob had told me the wonder that is Boat Float; i.e. a 4-day rafting-trip down the Yellowstone River covering about 80 miles. But since it's over the arguably most calm parts of the river, it's a float and not some crazy, Maryl Streep whitewater adventure, leaving plenty of room and opportunity to drink and party.

 Most of Montana participates so it's one large drunk party in the woods. This was the first time I ever saw Jacob drunk; one beer and he was gone, introducing me to the same guy on our boat a good 3 times. Like I said, the float lasts 4 days but Jacob had to work so we only floated one. In the end, though, we just couldn't hang and one day was one day too many. I asked Jacob if he wanted to go this year and I didn't even have to finish the thought before he said, "NO! Just thinking about it is giving me a headache."

If nothing else, moving to Montana brought me closer to my parents. My dad jokes I moved 1000 miles away right after high school, then they moved down to Arizona, and I packed up and moved across the country. Pure coincidence, I promise. :-) I hadn't found a job, yet, so while my dad was doing FEMA training, Louis and I drove to Pinedale to keep my mom company.

 If nothing else, Louis sure enjoyed himself! It was the fish that finally lured him into the water, hating and refusing it even if his tail were on fire. And the fish that jumped up and slapped him across the face didn't change his mind, either. Last summer he even showed Durbin the wonder that is Wyoming.

 Me being able to easily travel to Wyoming (although nothing about the journey is easy) also made it easy for my mom to come visit me. She visited for a couple of weeks and, thanks to awesome Jacob who scored me free tickets, got to go to the Kelly Clarkson concert with me. :-)

One weekend, we drove to Thermopolis, Wyoming to meet up with my parents at the hot springs. It stinks and is filled with wrinkled old men and weird children but it's impossible not to feel relaxed after spending a night there.

Jacob, the famous Erica Dobbs, and I at her July 2009 wedding. To make it even more special, we have a similar picture from our own wedding.

To cap off the summer, Jacob was subjected to meeting the majority of my extended family (just kidding :-)) at the family reunion. We'd never had one before, save for those Christmases at Grandma's where there were too many people so the celebration spanned over two days. But since Grandma isn't with us any longer, it's up to the rest of the family to keep it together, so my uncle arranged for the family to go out to his cabin. I underestimated the trip by about 300 miles so we were car-lagged and sleepy but still had a great time. You will never meet more interesting people, or hear the craziest stories than when you're with my family.

Jacob and I enjoying the homage to Grandma's German potato salad. (Thanks for the picture, Aunt Linda!)

It was summer-love, that's for sure. We enjoyed each others company, had a lot of laughs, were friends, and just generally didn't want to continue life without the other. A standard recipe for where we were headed.

To be continued................

The Story of Us (Part Two)

I was excited to move back west. I didn't travel up the east coast like I had wanted, but I did frequently fly out of the Atlanta airport, and I did drive halfway down the state of Florida more than once, so that totally counts.

Jacob hadn't been anywhere further East than Colorado so when deciding our route, we chose the arguably most exciting. Driving out to Florida from Phoenix was one giant snooze-fest; 1800 miles on I-10. So Jacob and I went up through all of those weird southern states that still haven't out-lawed bestiality, and then over through South Dakota into Montana. We stopped twice, I believe, in Illinois and South Dakota in a hunting motel where I was pretty sure Psycho was based. We had a lot of fun and, of course, spending three days in the car, we argued. It was our first taste of what being in a relationship would be like and we didn't seem too detoured by it.

 Just a couple of kids, starting out on their journey together.

So the day after Session ended, we packed up my little, white Cobalt and hit the road. Actually, we had to turn back three times because I forgot a few things. So an hour later, we were on the road! Ten miles outside of Tallahassee, we decided to get some sandwiches.

I know, the height of interesting.

It took us about 20 minutes to get through most of the states, and before we knew it, we were in Illinois. We came upon Metropolis, IL which claimed it was Superman's hometown. So, naturally, they needed to pay homage.

The entire time we were here - all of 5 minutes - Louis would not stop barking at the statue.

Illinois was where we spent out first night. We sought out the cheap Red Roof in and it was exactly what we had expected; less, actually. I walked Louis around the parking lot while we both checked in with our parents and Jacob lugged in bags we would need. I wound up in the room settled first when Jacob came bursting through the door and walked straight to the bathroom for a reason I don't even know today. He lifted the toilet seat, and said, "We're getting a new room. The toilet is filled with shit." I could not stop laughing. It was like checking the status level of the toilet was a standard requirement at each hotel he stayed at, which wasn't many. To this day he swears he just smelled something funny, and I believe him. I sort of smelled it too.

 Getting rolling for our second day.

For awhile, Jacob couldn't believe how closed-off the highway was with foliage. I guess I either hadn't noticed or had gotten used to it, but he was right. I remembered driving through New Mexico and being able to see the highway in front of me for miles. This was something extremely different.

Just a taste of some of the storms we encountered along the way, especially through the South.

Things opened up a bit once we got into South Dakota.

What I was told are the Badlands. Where they are, I don't quite remember. We took this trip 2 years ago, unbelievably.

Driving through Missouri.

Most of what we saw through the South and Midwest is a blur. We weren't sure exactly how long it would take us so we didn't make many stops, mostly for food or bathroom. So we really didn't start to make our road trip a road trip until we got to South Dakota. I'm sure anyone would be surprised at the quantity of touristy things to be done in this dusty state.

For starters, we pulled into South Dakota around 11pm at night and Jacob was fried (he didn't let me drive the entire time) so we stayed at the first hotel we found.

Seriously, nothing resembles The Bates motel more outside of the actual set at Universal Studios.

We arrived in Montana later that night even after all of our sightseeing. We truly have seen all that South Dakota has to offer.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but the first time Jacob saw the billboard for the car museum that housed a real General Lee he said, "We're going!" And so we did! Jacob took a picture of, literally, every car at the museum. It was actually very interesting and cool.

Doin' my best to support the team.

A little further down the freeway we saw a billboard for a petrified wood and rock garden. I mean, really, if given the opportunity to go to one of these, who's going to turn it down?

Yup, it was pretty much someones backyard covered in rocks.

 Jacob being super smart and showing me something very interesting.

If nothing else, the signs provided the entertainment.

The petrified wood garden also had a museum with dinosaur skulls, fossilized footprints, and other neat historical item indigenous to the area. In the end, it was worth a stop; and if we're going to stretch our legs, might as well expand our brains, right (although I can't tell you a lick of what I might have read that day)?

Since it wouldn't have taken us too out of our way and we had some extra time, Jacob obliged and allowed us to visit my version of the car museum: Mount Rushmore and the National Presidential Wax Museum. :-D

I had been there once before but I didn't remember much about it; it was a pit-stop on the way (or way home from) a baseball tournament somewhere in South Dakota. So this time was cool because we walked around and learn how it was created, went through the museum, and stopped in the super cool, nothing-but-politics gift shop!

Huh....looks like we feel the same way about Bush. I just need to put a little more muscle behind mine.

Finally on the last leg of our journey, this was as we were crossing into Wyoming and Montana. We should have just cut through the corner but Jacob missed the exit so we had to cut into a corner of Wyoming.

We arrived home around 11pm and it was not an easy welcoming. For starters, I was so nervous, scared, anxious, you name it that I could have crapped my pants a few times. I knew Louis was too and it probably didn't help that I was so on edge. Jacob was probably nervous too but he hid it better than I did. He went inside to greet Durbin first and they brought him outside to meet Louis. That did not go over well. 

Durbin kept trying to hump Louis and for anyone who knows Louis will tell you, he'll eat your face off. So they started fighting, Jacob freaked out and got in the middle causing Louis to bite his finger. I was just sitting on the steps thinking, "What have I done....." We kept the dogs separated the following day then let them have it out outside. They growled at each other for a millisecond then it was all play all the time. Now they live like brothers; they play, fight, bully one another, and care for each other. Above all they want to be apart of this family we've created, and know we'll sell them for a nickle if they step out of line.

Jacob had assured me everything was going to be alright, but it was hard for me to get on board with that. I had lived so long on my own, it was going to be an adjustment living with someone else, and in a relationship atmosphere. But since you know all about Zoey, it must have worked out somehow...... :-)

To be continued.........................

The Story of Us....(Part One)

*Disclaimer: For anyone who knows me, this isn't the first time I've told this story. And it surely won't be the last. Had I [openly] blogged when Jacob and I first met there might not have been a reason to tell this story in its entirety. But it's a fun story to tell, and I plan on doing it with every passing year. Who knows, movie deal??*

With each passing year since Jacob and I found each other I often look back at where we came from, where we started.

Oddly enough, we first met because of my brother. He was in a hurry to get to upper elementary and either didn't realize there was more than one kindergarten classroom with only one way to get there, or thought I'd figure it out myself. But, I sat down with Jacob's class and that was the beginning of history. A few moments later, though, and my actual kindergarten teacher came over, frantic because one of her kids was missing (me).

The following year, and the one after that, Jacob and I were in the same class. For third grade we weren't, and we weren't in 4th grade, either, but halfway though his family moved to Montana and I never saw him again.

I don't remember much about those years. But going back there now seems like a dream, familiar but unfamiliar all the same. Jacob was always in my orbit. He was small, quiet and shy. But if you could get him to smile, it was one that took up his entire face. That is what stands out in my mind whenever people ask, "Did you remember who he was?" The funny thing was - and I don't know if it's because I have a brain like, as Jacob says, a "court stenographer" - but I didn't even have to pause to think about who he might have been; I remembered him instantly, but that still doesn't do the experience justice.

The day was June 20, 2008.

I conducted my usual morning routine like any other day. I arrived to work and, after making sure I had nothing pressing to attend to, checked my usual internet haunts (which wasn't as extensive as it is today). Among them was my e-mail. On this particular summer day, Facebook had sent me a message and the subject line read, "Jacob McIntyre has sent you a message on Facebook."

There are no words to describe what my jaw or eyes did at that moment, even before actually opening the e-mail to see what it said. I may have even said out loud, "Holy fuck!" Anticipation took over and it seemed like I couldn't get the e-mail open fast enough.

We continued to e-mail each other at least once a day, interjecting mild flirtations as we got to know and like each other. Honestly, though, I liked him from his first e-mail. And for the rest of June 20th I could not stop talking about my blessed e-mail. I guess the Breanne tattoo does not wash off so easily.

For a month we did this until I broke down and gave him my number. Once I did, we began talking each night and text-messaging throughout the days (and we haven't stopped since).

By then we had reached a cross-roads in our relationship, and a pivotal point in which to decide if we moved forward and allowed stronger feelings to develop, or decide to call it quits because of distance (which would have been the only reason). Jacob decided to grab the bull by the horns and just blurted out one day, "I love you Breanne. I've been in love with you since we were kids." Even someone with as black a heart as mine would melt like butter. But my feelings for him were the same. Now we just had to figure out where to go from there......About 2000 miles to the left.

For my 26th birthday, I wanted to spend it in Denver. As luck - or fate - would have it, Jacob liked to do the same thing, and at the time his best friend resided just outside of Denver. I asked if he wanted to meet in Denver over my birthday and without skipping a beat he said yes.

I couldn't get to Denver fast enough and I was a nervous wreck the night before Jacob was to arrive. I don't have a picture of when Jacob and I first saw each other after 16 years, but it was right out of the movies. Well, at least I think so. Otherwise, it wasn't too out of the ordinary.

I was staying with a friend in downtown Denver with a view of the road Jacob would be coming in on. I heard his Honda before I saw it and went running down the two flights of stairs. He was calling me to let me know he had made it but I was already running out the door and into his arms. Any nervousness was gone in the blink of an eye and there was zero awkwardness whatsoever. It was rather amazing, really. We hung out and marveled at the physical sight of each other (I was afraid he'd be 4-foot tall, he was afraid I'd be 6-feet tall) and then he slept until my birthday celebration that evening.

As anyone who knows him will tell you, he isn't the most comfortable in public places. But he put it aside and went to a sports-type bar with a group of people he didn't know. Coincidentally, one of my friends happened to work at a gas station Jacob frequented during his short stint of living in Denver (not when he was in 4th grade; he came back as an adult to live for a short period of time). The plan was to continue our debauchery at dinner, then at a dessert bar, but it never materialized. Eventually, everyone was drunk and having too good of a time until the bartenders forced everyone out. But before we got to that point, this picture was snapped of us - the first picture of us together in 20 years.

We only had 4 days together so we tried to make the best of it. We spent a lot of time visiting his friends, but made sure to walk down memory lane as well. We went to the elementary school where we met, drove by the houses we grew up in (well, me more so than him), surprise-visited old friends, all while wondering what would have happened had he never moved to Montana.

Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered.

During my Junior year of high school I had a fleeting thought one day. Standing outside of a classroom during the changing bell, I stood with my old friend, Erica. I randomly turned to her and said, "Do you remember Jacob McIntyre? I wonder what happened to him...." She wondered for a moment as well and then we both went about our lives. I had completely forgotten about this until Jacob and I reconnected 8 years later.

Shortly after Erica and I had this conversation, Jacob was sitting amongst the 12 fellow students he would graduate with in his English class in Columbus, Montana. Before class began, he glanced up to see a new girl entering the classroom. She had just moved from Colorado and her name was Erica.

From what I understand, Jacob didn't recognize her straight-off, but befriended her anyways. She sat down next to him and they began talking. She spoke of where she had lived in Colorado and he told her he lived in the same place. She just thought he was messing with her. Then he told her he had gone to Marshdale Elementary and that was when she realized who she was speaking to: the very Jacob McIntyre her and I had been discussing mere weeks before. Naturally, she brought up the conversation between her and I, which made him happy; he hadn't forgotten about me after all of these years, nor had I forgotten about him. In fact, I think after they had determined who the other was, Jacob asked about me and she told him I had asked about him just before she left.

But MySpace or Facebook hadn't been invented yet so contacting someone took actual research and effort. But by that point, we could have been anywhere. He moved around the west, to Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah but always found his way back to Montana. I left Colorado the summer of 2001 and didn't come back save for summers and Christmastime. I lived and went to school in Phoenix for 6 years, not learning Jacob had a chance to be in Phoenix at the same time until we later reconnected; he was supposed to attend UTI.

So life went on as normal, both his and mine filled with moving, friends, non-friends, significant others, heartbreak, drama, fun, family, dogs, work, sleep, etc. I moved to Florida in 2007, even further from the origin, and that was the distance between us when one decided to finally, after all of these years, seek out the other.

 A few days after my 26th birthday Jacob and I and Memory Lane had some time together. I got turned on to this burrito place when I came for a wedding in September 2007 so, of course, I had to take Jacob. He agreed - best burritos in the world.

 Perhaps this was when he actually fell in love with me? ;-) Posing in front of his baby, his Honda. It now sits in our garage, slowly getting a new engine.

 I have to admit that this is when I actually fell in love with Jacob. ;-)

 Jacob has an obsession with the unknown road. He loves traveling down roads that have either never been traveled, or haven't been since people drove wagons. While checking out the Qdoba, Staples, and Starbucks (Starbucks?!) that newly pepper my once small mountain town, we came across Reynolds Park. I'm sure plenty of people have been there plenty of times, but it was new to us and no one else was there.

 Our last night together before I had to head back to Florida, feeling even more like an outsider having reconnected so strongly with Jacob. For years leading up to this point, I had felt as if I were drowning, Florida being my oasis and safe-haven while I figured out who I was and what I wanted from this life and the people in it. Jacob quickly became my life-preserver; the only problem being that he was now so far away.

I purposely planned to leave Denver in the afternoon so Jacob and I wouldn't have to rush in saying goodbye to each other. So we went to the classiest place we could think of - Denny's.

As it happened, I didn't actually end up leaving that day after all.

The situation really wasn't all that dramatic. But I did sob all the way to the plane and then just prayed for an early take-off or I was going to claw my way through those plastic windows. And just as we were the next to depart, the pilot pulls the plane over on the shoulder of the runway. The shoulder.

About 30 seconds go by before the pilot gets on the loudspeaker.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentleman. We're terribly sorry for the delay. But just as I was taxiing down the runway I happened to look up and notice the top corner of the windshield had shattered. That could cause pressure problems up in the air, so we're going to turn this plane around and head back to the gate and see what it will take to get it fixed."

We were at the gate for about 20 minutes before he came back on again and told us they couldn't fix the plane so we'd have to make other arrangements. I frantically called Jacob since he was well on his way back to Montana. It was a good thing he actually wasn't, but instead was at his friend's house, so he could come back and get me. As luck would have it, we got to spend another 12 hours together. Unfortunately, this meant having to wake up, take me to the airport and drive back to Montana at 4am the following morning. Saying goodbye was about as pleasant as you'd expect.

 At DIA, saying goodbye at 4am. To make things even worse, Jacob got home with just eno0ugh time to get ready and go to work until midnight. :-( If that aint love, I don't know what is./

That plane did take off and took me back to life in Florida, one that meant a little something different to me now; maybe even confused me just a bit.

Jacob and I continued our text and phone relationship until January 2009. Even with echoes of a Special Session, I was able to get away to Montana over the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend. This time around things were more serious since I was to be meeting his family.

 Showing me the Stillwater River that runs near Columbus. Notice my lack of winter attire. I had what is known as a Phoenix/Florida winter wardrobe.

Jacob showing me Beartooth Pass for the first time. Since it was January, the pass was closed with walls of snow exceeding 9 feet so there was only so far you could go. About 50 yards to the right, the gate to the road was closed (well half of it; it says travel at your own risk).

We had a wonderful time, as usual, but there was a little added tension since it meant that big decisions soon had to be made; i.e. figuring out how we could still be together. We had already made the decision that I would move to Montana. Quite honestly, though, it wasn't what defines a "decision," if only by that you equate it to the "decision" to breath. That's my fancy way of saying: moving to Montana was like breathing; the next thing to do

So then that was what we were going to do..............

With the End of the World and All.....

Whether you believed it or not, the world didn't end on Saturday. I guess God had too much penciled in his date book and pushed it back to October 21, 2011. Even still, our little family pretended it was the end of the world and realized that is probably how we should spend all of our days! But we're thankful to at least have a few more months before the Earth becomes a giant fireball.

Well it sure rained like it was the end of the world! We have absolutely zero complaints and not because you'll ever hear us utter the one phrase that will turn my mom's blood to ice: "But we need the moisture!" Truthfully, we don't. We had at least one wet Spring snow a week from February on, making our grass rival the Everglades. And the Yellowstone River is high and raging and dark brown; people are starting to get a little scared. Closer to home, the room in from the backyard looks like a muddy war zone, and the dogs have marked everywhere they've been in the kitchen with their paw prints. I love that the seasons are changing but I'm really getting tired of mopping the floor every other day.

But with it being the end of the world and all, we did a lot around the house but still pretty minimal in comparison. Somehow when I clean I manage to make the house look like a tornado went through it so I just stopped caring (HA! Like I could ever do that. In truth, I'll clean this weekend when Zoey is with her Grandparents). What we did do a lot of was playing!

With Zoey being 8-months old (TODAY!), she is awake for longer periods of time and interested in absolutely everything. And she is STRONG. We thought maybe it was because I was a on a gallon-of-milk-a-day diet during the final weeks of my pregnancy. At any rate, playing with her has taken on a whole knew meaning, including sore backs, tired arms, shaky legs, and a lot of catching your breath. Seriously, people should have to pass a physical to have children. For one thing, she crawls like a speed demon and my dainty knees have not been conditioned to the carpet and linoleum like her's (apparently). After one pass around the kitchen "chasing" her (of which she dissolved into a fit of giggles) I had a bruise and a cut. I'm too much of a pussy to have kids, I guess. :-)

Zoey has a cornucopia of toys but, of course, we find things around the house that prove to be the best toys ever. Great! Can I have my money back for those other toys, thenokthanks! For example:

Please take note of the toy sitting behind her. :-)

So with the end of the world and all, and our ever-growing, curious baby, we did some hard-core playing this weekend.

First, Mommy learned what Daddy likes to do during playtime! ;-)

After a few passes, Zoey got the feel of things and thought playtime needed to be a little more advanced.

So on to kitchen skiing it was!

Shortly thereafter, she wanted to drive around herself; takes after her father. :-) She still adores her Elmo cart and loves tooling around the kitchen, no matter how big she gets and how small the floor gets.

Miss Hippo. At least that is what I call her. Zoey loves her to bits, loves to hold her, chew on her and loves when I make it so the Hippo is giving her kisses.

After a few hours, we had had a lot of excitement. Honestly, Mommy and Daddy needed to sit down for a minute. For an 8-month old Zoey has a pretty large attention span. The theme of this weekend was Bee Movie as we managed to watch it in its entirety every time it was on cable all weekend. And Zoey would sit with us for a good 20 minutes, absorbing the bright colors, fun sounds, and cute characters. Or maybe she's just a hard-core Jerry Seinfeld fan like me. :-)

Snuggled with Mommy during one of the many rounds of Bee Movie.

As she is getting older, we've noticed her enjoyment in interacting with us has increased greatly. In addition to any food we might be eating, she is enthralled with everything we do, mostly using the remote control. But a great deal of time is spent on the couch, sandwiched between her Mommy and Daddy while we make silly noises and stupid faces to get her to smile. It doesn't take much but those Zoey smiles are like crack! *shakes* Can't get enough!

 

For the most part, Zoey will spend her time with us crawling and climbing everywhere within arms reach and babbling the entire time. But other times she'll just sit and nipple on her fingers. Or ours if we let her, which we don't since she has some pretty lethal puppy teeth.

Whew! I'm pooped. Enjoying Daddy's lap during some pre-nap relaxation.

Aside from soaking up as much Zoey love as we could before the world's end we did the normal around-the-house stuff. I have yet to plant my flowers, herbs or tomatoes with the incessant rain and we haven't really been able to get out of the house much. I'm sure the dogs are pissed since they (and we!) got a small taste of nice weather.

This coming weekend the Earth will still be here and it marks the opening of the Beartooth Pass, Jacob's favorite place (besides with me and Zoey, of course ;-)). This weekend also marks a very special occasion. Drum-roll please..............................

LOUIS AND DURBY'S 7TH BIRTHDAYS! I know, I can't even believe it. We had to start buying them food designed for Senior dogs, and I think it gives them the runs.

Ok, ok, the real specialness of this weekend? Jacob and I's first wedding anniversary. To celebrate I think I shall finally print and put in frames our wedding photos.

So thankful the world didn't end! At least until October we can enjoy each other, enjoy Zoey, and just life in general.