Comments:
After school I spent 6 years in the Navy. I got out after my hitch so I could have a family in a more stable environment. My girlfriend had sufficiently punished me during some of those 6 six years (over transgressions committed in High School) that she figured I had finally been beaten into submission. In April of '96 I married Angie Sullivan in a dusty wedding chapel in Mesa, AZ. with her father and my best friend from the Navy as witnesses.
I later found out that my father-in-law prevented my bride from running away just before she walked down the aisle. That must have been such a great experience for her that she submitted to marry me again in a proper church wedding not more than 4 months later. She didn't run away then, either, figuring the deal was all sewn up anyway.
We started off with a daughter between the two of us already. A year after we were married we had a son. After we lived in AZ for another 4 years, a job came open at the NASA facility here in Las Cruces and I jumped on it (we had both had enough of the Phoenix heat).
After apartment living for a short while we moved into the house I grew up in, and even retained the same phone number - my parents had moved to Maryland to help out my brother whose wife had died in 1998. We've been living here ever since. Because of the way the district lines were redrawn, my daughter ended up having to attend Onate - go figure.
She is probably better than most teenagers, but she is special to me because she's mine. Though we have our ups and downs, I'm fairly certain she's on the right track to being a decent and self-sufficient person whom I hope most people wouldn't mind knowing.
My son is 10, but he'll be 11 by the time the reunion rolls around. Because of him, I got roped into being a Cub Scout leader. It has been the most enriching part of my life thus far. And he's pretty decent, too
Angie just started up a non-profit org to provide aftershool care for elementary age kids. I know one of our classmates has her daughter in the program, so you should refer to her for an honest judgment about it. For my part, I am proud of the management job she does and the sincere concern she has that all kids should have a safe and enriching place to be after school, if they can't be at home.
She is an inspiration to me to reach deeper into myself and figure out how to guide boys into manhood through the Scouting program. When I was asked to help my boy's Pack, she reminded me that I said I wanted "to do something worthwhile" to affect the future of our community - so I took it on. Going on the 4th year and loving it. I may not be the best, but I'll keep trying.
And yes, I'm still as dull as watching paint dry.
