My years
I went to college. Went crazy, really crazy. Came home. Became a witch. (I still remember freaking Nick Volker out about that one. Ironically enough he was a priest here in Wichita for a while.) Spent tons of time driving all over the backroads. Wrote. So now that's short version of 1992-1994.
After reading everyone's stuff, was 96 some kind of pinnacle life turning year? It's like we all started to come into ourselves. But I digress, on with my story.
During the whole wicca phase I had started dating Marc. We were very good friends and part of the same group in college. He had recently gotten divorced (let me tell you I was way too happy about that) to his little evil German wife. I say that not out of bitterness, but due to the fact that she really was an evil little German girl. I met her and didn't like her. She didn't like me either. We talked occasionally after that and started dating around Saint Patrick's Day in 1995. He kissed me that night and I was gone. I knew after that he was the one and only. Thinking back though, I can remember sitting in his dorm room chatting, (this is before he was married the first time) and wondering why couldn't I find someone like him. Little did I know!
We dated through all my crazy summer of wicca-ness and he didn't flip out about it. On Halloween of that year I saw Chris Rye (remember him? The guy I just thought I had to marry in 92?) and his friend. We hung out and talked. Turns out he just had to see me and to tell me about his life. (Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like the first guy you've been with telling you he's bi. Not that I'm really surprised. His friend was a black witch and ended up letting some spirit out. This is really a much longer story, but written words just don't do it justice. We returned it to where ever it came from and I never did any witch craft after that.
I moved in with Marc the following January. We got blessed with Decker and married in April a month and a day after Sarah's wedding. Decker was born in November. That was an awesome part of the year, but I will have to say that the very best was Lesley and I were real friends again and my heart wasn't missing anything anymore.
We stayed in Manhattan until Marc graduated and then moved to Iowa. For the first few months it sucked. I called it corn pig hell.
Marc started to slowly love his job. He works for Rockwell Collins in their government department and gets to do some really cool stuff. We slowly made friends, but it's hard with work and kids to find time. Logan was born in 1999 almost 9 months to the day after Sarah had her first child. Arina was born in August the following year almost on Lesley's birthday.
Before Arina was born I fell and discovered I have a disease called fibrous displaysia, which leaves holes in your bones. I broke my femur and spent time on crutches until November after she was born. It was scary. They didn't know what it was at first and I could have lost her. But instead I am lucky.
We also bought our first house around this time and I discovered I really loved photography. I was working at The Picture People and finally working towards my degree. Some of my early stuff is on my www.flickr.com/photos/gwenhyfr page.
Then in 2000 we finally got tired of the long, boring drive to Iowa and being so far away, so we fixed up the house, sold it in 7 days and moved home. I remember talking to Lesley about this and us telling each other we had great news and we were only going to be a little ways apart. But it's not meant to be right now and I'm okay with that.
So we moved back and picked Cheney since it's close to Wichita, but not too close. They have a good school system and aren't too hick-ish. We bought our house this summer and it has tons of space and space for a studio.
I left out on of the important parts though. Right after Marc and I got married, like LeAnn, I found my relationship with God. And like she's said, it's all alright.
So that's my life, at least the short version. It leaves out the gory, crazy years but those are better left buried sometimes. I feel blessed. Blessed with family, blessed with a dream job, healthy kids and of course, hearing from long missed friends.
After reading everyone's stuff, was 96 some kind of pinnacle life turning year? It's like we all started to come into ourselves. But I digress, on with my story.
During the whole wicca phase I had started dating Marc. We were very good friends and part of the same group in college. He had recently gotten divorced (let me tell you I was way too happy about that) to his little evil German wife. I say that not out of bitterness, but due to the fact that she really was an evil little German girl. I met her and didn't like her. She didn't like me either. We talked occasionally after that and started dating around Saint Patrick's Day in 1995. He kissed me that night and I was gone. I knew after that he was the one and only. Thinking back though, I can remember sitting in his dorm room chatting, (this is before he was married the first time) and wondering why couldn't I find someone like him. Little did I know!
We dated through all my crazy summer of wicca-ness and he didn't flip out about it. On Halloween of that year I saw Chris Rye (remember him? The guy I just thought I had to marry in 92?) and his friend. We hung out and talked. Turns out he just had to see me and to tell me about his life. (Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like the first guy you've been with telling you he's bi. Not that I'm really surprised. His friend was a black witch and ended up letting some spirit out. This is really a much longer story, but written words just don't do it justice. We returned it to where ever it came from and I never did any witch craft after that.
I moved in with Marc the following January. We got blessed with Decker and married in April a month and a day after Sarah's wedding. Decker was born in November. That was an awesome part of the year, but I will have to say that the very best was Lesley and I were real friends again and my heart wasn't missing anything anymore.
We stayed in Manhattan until Marc graduated and then moved to Iowa. For the first few months it sucked. I called it corn pig hell.
Marc started to slowly love his job. He works for Rockwell Collins in their government department and gets to do some really cool stuff. We slowly made friends, but it's hard with work and kids to find time. Logan was born in 1999 almost 9 months to the day after Sarah had her first child. Arina was born in August the following year almost on Lesley's birthday.
Before Arina was born I fell and discovered I have a disease called fibrous displaysia, which leaves holes in your bones. I broke my femur and spent time on crutches until November after she was born. It was scary. They didn't know what it was at first and I could have lost her. But instead I am lucky.
We also bought our first house around this time and I discovered I really loved photography. I was working at The Picture People and finally working towards my degree. Some of my early stuff is on my www.flickr.com/photos/gwenhyfr page.
Then in 2000 we finally got tired of the long, boring drive to Iowa and being so far away, so we fixed up the house, sold it in 7 days and moved home. I remember talking to Lesley about this and us telling each other we had great news and we were only going to be a little ways apart. But it's not meant to be right now and I'm okay with that.
So we moved back and picked Cheney since it's close to Wichita, but not too close. They have a good school system and aren't too hick-ish. We bought our house this summer and it has tons of space and space for a studio.
I left out on of the important parts though. Right after Marc and I got married, like LeAnn, I found my relationship with God. And like she's said, it's all alright.
So that's my life, at least the short version. It leaves out the gory, crazy years but those are better left buried sometimes. I feel blessed. Blessed with family, blessed with a dream job, healthy kids and of course, hearing from long missed friends.
posted by Jen Nuessen at 12:09 PM
4 Comments:
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I ran into Nick a few Christmases ago, on the plane ride back to Chicago!
I remember your Wicca phase producing some interesting discussions, that taught me a lot about spirituality. In fact, whenever I start to say "my friend Jen," Tim finishes: "the Wicca you went out to the lake dock with, talked spirituality, and drank the Lynchburg Lemonades. I know, I KNOW."
Anyway, I don't know if you remember that particular evening (a shot-sized Malibu rum, too), but I still think of it.
I wish I remembered it better. But you were like this bright shiny oasis of friend love for me during that time. I don't think I would have managed as well without you.
Well in that case, this was the evening:
No one else was around. Just us. I remember being 18, and you 21. 18 and a hot summer would have meant I just finished my first summer as a church camp counselor, and I believe I had just come home from a difficult week as a counselor at a camp for children of alcoholic/ chemically dependent parents.
We were driving around the countryside, and ended up in Florence, at the tiny liquor store there. We bought a six-pack of Lynchburg Lemonade and a airplane-sized bottle of Malibu rum.
From there, we went to Our Dock on the lake, laid there with our drinks under the stars and talked about everything in the world.
I think it probably left such a memory for me because the summer had been the first of my church camp counseling years, and I was big into Christianity then. I think hearing your perspective on Wicca made me think about what *I* believed in.
Or maybe because what you said then is more towards where I lean now. I don't remembe exactly what you said, I more remember the impact the evening had.
I too have a really REALLY poor memory for details, but a few things stick with me.
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