Kelly and I met waaaay back in 1996 when I started my teaching career at Challenger School. Kelly was a wonderful person who made sure I ate lunch with the other teachers -- because every now and then I was actually shy and ate alone in my room. (Yes, that was a loooong time ago! Me, shy, HA!) If there was an event that Kelly attended after school or on the weekends, he always made sure to ask me if I wanted to go as well. He was always there for me... and even more so after my dad passed away that very first year of my teaching career. He and Kate made sure to check on me everyday after I returned back to work. It was a very difficult year for me -- but with their support, I made it through. I survived that first year of teaching!
That was the year Kate took me to her home town in Virginia and introduced me to her entire family! They had a family reunion and that is where she shared THE big news of her pregnancy. I was there and cried for the entire family -- I was a mess! That was also the year Kelly invited me to my first bar experience! Vince and I met Kelly, Kate, Syd, and Cheryl at a bar in Los Gatos because our fellow colleague, Loren, who was in a band, was performing that night. It was an interesting experience to say the least... someone bumped into me and spilled their beer all over my silk shirt. Um... who the heck wears a silk shirt to a bar, hello?! (Me!) And the following year we moved to a new campus -- off Meridian and Foxworthy. If you live here, you knew that we taught in a strip mall basically! The poor students did not have a playground -- just a patch of grass to run on for months and months before a playground was approved! It was so sad! Anyway, that was the year Kelly, Kate, and I drove to Lake Tahoe when Syd and Cheryl (also teachers) got married. Oh, that was fun! Kate was pregnant and felt uncomfortable most of the time. We had to share a room because we couldn't find 2 rooms at the last minute... It was a beautiful wedding -- and an interesting weekend!
Then when Vince and I were married in 2000, he sang at our wedding. His voice is so beautiful that I can cry just thinking about those beautiful songs he sang for us!
We have not seen each other since Ethan was 6 months old! We ran into each other ONCE at some random corner of Steinbeck and Santa Teresa when he was driving in his car and I was walking the children... We would email back and forth trying to make plans to see each other but just have had such busy lives. And today, he made it to San Jose to visit us. And guess whom we still have yet to meet? His partner of almost 6 years, Robert! Robert works for United Airlines and is often flying here and there and everywhere! So, perhaps when Morgan gets married we will finally meet Robert! (Seriously, I hope not!)
The children had a great time with Uncle Kelly:
Come back anytime, Uncle Kelly! We miss you already!
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