Spanglish Accent: Happy Anniversary (oh, and Happy New Year)

It was a bit over a decade ago that I met B. A decade. That just seems like so much longer than it feels. Or maybe it feels like longer than I care to admit, even to myself, since I can't seem to remember a time that I didn't know him.

We met in a bar. Not just any bar, but a college pick up joint. At least he was still in college. Grad school but that still counts. I, on the other hand, had been out of college for almost a decade already. This was not my usual haunt but being a good wing woman, I was there with a couple of my really good guy friends. The boys loved coming to this particular bar (and they were a bit closer in age to the patrons) because all of the girls from the nearby university stopped by to dance.

So I tagged along. And danced. While in Rome...

And then I was being asked to dance by this dark haired, dark eyed cutie. I wasn't really in the mood to dance anymore as it was closing in on 2 am, it was a Thursday and I had to work the next day. But I did. He was just too cute and polite. And then I realized that he had an accent (If you knew B back then, he really did have a thicker accent). I asked where he was from and he said Caracas. I laughed. What were the odds that I met a Venezuelan boy in North Carolina? I told him I lived there for a couple of years when I was young. His turn to laugh.

It was closing time right after that one short song (Hot in Herre by Nelly) and B asked me for my email address. I thought that a bit odd. No phone number, just an email address. He explained later that it is easier to make contact when it is over email and your feelings are not hurt as much if there is no reply. Pretty smart actually.

We spent the next two weeks emailing each other, trying to get together, but a huge blizzard made it almost impossible. Freak thing in North Carolina. A snow storm that knocked out power for days and kept everyone housebound for over a week. And then it was Thanksgiving and then he had finals...Finally, just before Christmas we caught a break and went to our favorite bar for a drink - both of us had water weirdly enough.

We then both went on our way for the holiday's. He to Paris. Me to Colorado.

Three weeks later we had our second date. This time a movie and a trip to the emergency room. Turns out B had contracted a case of pericarditis - a cold that inflamed his heart, made much worse by the flight home from Europe. They gave him some strong drugs and sent him home. Quite the start to our dating life.

But it all worked out. Obviously.

Three years later on a snowy New Years Eve we were married in a picture perfect church in Colorado. We had family and friends. We had drinks and good food. We almost had Hot in Herre as our first dance song, as a nod to our very first dance, but thought that would be a bit to shocking to my almost 80 year old grandmother. We did have music and we did dance. We toasted the New Year and our new life together.

That was seven years ago.

Still the best decision I ever made...