Six Years

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Originally uploaded by AmericaninCanada.

The 'ides of March' were a warning to Julius Cesaer that his life was about to end.


For me, the 'ides of March' were a warning that my life was just about to start.


Six years ago, on the 15th of March 2001, I met the woman who would become my wife.<.br>
I saw her first as she walked down the McCarron Airport terminal in Las Vegas with my friends Susan and Emma. Shell was an old friend of my friend James, and since we were all meeting in Vegas for the weekend, and Shell was living in Portland at the time (and hadn't seen James in over a year) she was joining us.


This picture was taken in the hotel about 15 minutes after I met her. How could I not instantly fall in love with that smile. Smiles are my weakness.


We shared a hotel room that weekend because neither of us, nor Emma, had someone to split a room with. We were, I suppose, forced to be together at first.

I'm pretty sure after the first day I was something like a lost puppy following her around. But she didn't seem to mind. The second night we all got dressed to the nines to head out to the casinos. She split off alone with me at one point in the Luxor. We were sitting side by side at the slots. She had a Tom Collins in her hand. Her eyes were sparkling, her smile brighter than all the neon in Vegas combined. She turned to me and smiled.


To this day she swears she knew from that moment I was in love with her- it took her longer- about six months, but for me it was truly love at first sight.


When I got home from Vegas I told my friend (and boss) Jesse that I'd met a woman I could spend the rest of my life with. It was a totally fleeting idea because she was going back to Portland and I was in Salt Lake- plus the fact that she didn't seem the least bit interested in me.

But about 6 weeks later she emailed me. We talked on the phone the next night, for about 7 hours. She hit me with a "you have a crush on me". I gulped and stammered.


About 3 weeks later I flew to San Francisco where she was living now working on a new project. She'd invited me to spend the weekend, I guess to see what might happen. We went from the airport to Cliff House and walked along the rocks- I think she was just making doubly sure of me again before she took me home and if for some reason I wasn't what she remembered she could throw me to the rocks below.


We held hands.

I should have kissed her.

To this day she pokes at me for not kissing her like I wanted to...she calls me a chicken. She's right.

I didn't last the day though without kissing her.

I might be a chicken but I'm not a stupid chicken.


This morning I said to her it doesn't feel like 6 years. It feels more like 6 seconds sometimes.


I'm not the world's best husband or partner. I fail a lot. She's been doing the lion's share of carrying the family while I wander through school and a new country. I'm scared a lot. She's my hero. I don't deserve her. But I'm glad I have her.