Illumination occurs in many ways. A room can light up from a switch turning on a bulb, or from the love radiating from a special person.
In the late 1970s I was living for a few winters in Stowe, VT and returning to Ocean City, MD for the summer seasons. In 1981 I had decided that it was time to move on from the beach life, and called my former employers at a country inn to see if I could work there again. The innkeeper told me that my job was available, and I made arrangements to arrive just before Christmas. On December 23 I began a journey that involved several modes of transportation including a Greyhound bus, an overnight Amtrak train, and a friend who met me in Waterbury, VT and drove me to the inn. I walked in, tired from the trip, greeted the innkeepers, and was introduced to some of the staff that was working.
I met the housekeeper, and the breakfast cook, and we each got to work at our respective jobs. The holiday period was busy, with work shifts and skiing during the days, and partying at night. Occasionally some of us would go to a local bar, called Ladies Invited. The housekeeper and I were getting to know one another, sharing our life stories. After about a month or so we had our first official date at a local restaurant. Without either of us being really aware of it, we were obviously falling for one another. This girl had personality to spare; really lighting up a room! There was no one she couldn’t talk to, and she was well known for her sociable nature.
I met the housekeeper, and the breakfast cook, and we each got to work at our respective jobs. The holiday period was busy, with work shifts and skiing during the days, and partying at night. Occasionally some of us would go to a local bar, called Ladies Invited. The housekeeper and I were getting to know one another, sharing our life stories. After about a month or so we had our first official date at a local restaurant. Without either of us being really aware of it, we were obviously falling for one another. This girl had personality to spare; really lighting up a room! There was no one she couldn’t talk to, and she was well known for her sociable nature.
As it turned out, the innkeeper, who is really quite a stereotypical Italian mother, had mentioned to this girl something prior to my arrival along the lines of ‘I think you’re really going to like this guy’. It is also possible that she had said a similar thing to me so, she took some credit for us getting together.
After that ski season, we went on a trip to St Croix to visit friends of mine, from my beach job. This trip was the first time she had flown in an airplane! We had a really great time, and when we returned from the trip I moved out of the inn where I had been living, into an apartment of my own.
At some point we each met our respective families and our relationship continued to develop over the next year or so. In February 1984 we decided to get married. That actual moment occurred at the Déjà vu Café, in Burlington, VT; very romantic! We set the date to be June 9th, and in April decided to look into buying a house. As it turned out we found an affordable house in Hyde Park, just north of Stowe. The sellers accepted our offer, and the closing date was set for June 1st. Yes, we did both monumental events basically within a week! That was a particularly busy time, but we accomplished both. We got married at the Gables Inn, where we had met, and we were able to use the whole inn for the weekend for our families. We didn’t really have a honeymoon, due to the house purchase, but we had a chance to get away in May, prior to the wedding. We called it our ‘pre-marital honeymoon’, and that was always a source of amusement.
In 1986 our daughter was born and she was followed four years later by our son.
So nearly 29 years after our first meeting, we have two great kids who are doing well, the nest is mostly empty, and we are still as much in love as were ever have been.
