Damien at the Speed of Life

When I had started talking to a cute brunette through Yahoo! Personals a couple times in July/August 2002 and I lived in Dana Point, CA in a tiny studio apartment that was undecorated and completely representative of a single 33 year old in limbo in his career and in his distant plan for a family, I had no idea that love was embedded in that very chapter.

The brunette was working in her 11th year at Carrows in Hesperia, CA. She lived in her own double wide trailer in a park in Apple Valley. She was dating someone, I had just broken up with someone. Actually she and him were on again off again, but they weren’t 100% over. This didn’t really concern me because after my last relationship’s lousy ending I was not in a hurry to get involved with someone. I just wanted to make potential dating friends in this new strange “high desert” area I landed a job in (Adelanto). She and I talked a bit before I made the move but once I got up here and started sharing an apartment with a friend, our conversations went on hiatus.

Before I knew it I was catapulted into teaching my 5th grade class like a whirlwhind. As a new teacher, there are more trainings called “in-services” than you can fill a schedule with and they just hit you one after another at the beginning of the year. When people at work would ask about my status, I would answer them: “I’m happy and single and happy being single, I don’t want a relationship.” Our secretary later joked with me that she wondered if I might be gay since I reiterated that over and over so much. But I guess that was kind of a lie anyway, because I picked back up talking to Sarah again online after the year got underway.

I was moved and attracted to 2 things right away about her: 1) She was a mommy. This was important to me because I really wanted to be a dad since as long as I could remember. 2) She wanted to get her degree and become a teacher. I felt that with these two traits, she was more than likely my type. Not to mention she looked cute in the pics she posted so I felt like she might be someone I could spend more time with for sure.

After talking online, me talking her ear off and playing her James Taylor songs over the phone, we were set for our first “real” meeting. It was scheduled, but one night Sarah decided she wanted to fish or cut bait and she said she wanted to meet THAT VERY night!!! I was a little worried, as is normal I think, but I figured we ought to get moving forward so I got as dressed up and one should for this sort of meeting and hopped in my Jeep to meet her. We met at Hollywood video and looked at videos, then had a first date I won’t ever forget. Some already know the longterm end of this story. We were married a month later. Don’t always be skeptical about online dating, it has worked for us and I talk to more people every day that have the same sort of success stories. Our 5th Wedding anniversary is this November 9th.

I am so divinely lucky to have found Sarah (is there such a thing as divine luck? Oh well, humor me!) I am a handful and she meets the challenge. We fit as people. And you kn ow what’s really cool? We both like Power Point and blogging! I was inspired to write about her as a result of listening to George Strait’s new tune today: “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls.” Every time I hear it I think of how lucky I am to have my cowgirl!

How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls Lyrics
Artist: George Strait

I felt a rush of the Rio Grande into Yellowstone
I’ve seen first-hand Niagra Falls
And the lights of Vegas
I’ve Criss-crossed down to Key Biscayne
And Chi-town via Bangor, Maine
Think I’ve seen it all
And all I can say is

Chorus:
How ’bout them cowgirls
Boys ain’t they somethin’
Sure are some proud girls
And you can’t tell them nothin’
And I tell you right now girls
May just be seven wonders of this big, old round world
But how ’bout them cowgirls

She’s ridin’ colts in Steamboat Springs
Bailing hay outside Abilene
She’s trying hard
To fit in in some city
But her home is ‘neath that big, blue sky
And the Northern Plains and those other wide open spaces
Now a-days there ain’t as many but

Repeat Chorus:
Boy, she don’t need you and she don’t need me
She can do just fine on her own two feet
But she wants a man who wants her to be herself
And she’ll never change, don’t know how to hide
Her stubborn will or her fightin’ side
But you treat her right and she’ll love you like no one else

Yeah, how ’bout them cowgirls
Boys ain’t they somethin’
Sure are some proud girls
But you can’t beat their lovin’
And I’ll tell you right now girls
May just be seven wonders of this big, old round world
But how ’bout them cowgirls
How ’bout them boys