my husband and me

This post is for my husband. 
I want to tell everyone and anyone who reads this that my husband is my life.  We have been together for 25yrs!  One quarter of a century.  We have grown to be almost one.  We finish each others sentences.  We call or text each other with the same thoughts.  We make each other laugh everyday.  We are each others best friends.

Dennis and I met on the USS Puget Sound in  late May of 1986.  We knew each other by our last names.  He was McCartney and I was Jean.  (Mary) Porter took me around the machine shop and introduced me to all the MR's.  Petty Officer McCartney was the last one I met.  There he stood.  In his dungarees.  I couldn't read his name that was stamped over the left breast pocket of his shirt because there was a full tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush and I believe some dental floss sticking out of his pocket.  Porter says "McCartney this is Jean"  McCartney immediately impressed me by doing "The Dance"  Up on his toes his fists in front of him pumping. (think Pee Wee Herman, Tequila)  He sang his name to me and then scooted off to dental for his appointment.

We worked with each other in the Machine shop and we talked and got to know each other.  Other than "The Dance" The first thing he did I remember laughing at was he took a piece of  paper that was long and thin and he made it swim in the air and with his best Jacques Cousteau impression he said "This is the male paper fish"  I was  smitten with his humor at that point.

As the days went on and I became more comfortable on the ship and got to know more people McCartney had started to show some interest in me by asking me on a date. One time he asked me and I had duty that weekend. Which meant I couldn't leave the ship at all.  I had to stand watch. I thanked Paul for asking me though.  (doh his name is Dennis. I could never remember that)   It seemed every time he asked me I would already have plans.  Until one day my plans happened to be going to the laundromat to do my laundry and he offered to bring me.  McCartney had a car on base and I didn't so this would work out beautifully.

We got to the laundromat and got the laundry going and sat and talked and learned a lot about each other that night.  When the clothes were in the dryer McCartney looked over and asked "What's that?"  Well come to find out I had left and o.b. tampon in my pants pocket and it went through the wash and now was in the dryer but it was the size of a basketball and all fluffy going around and around and around. Hmmmm way to impress.  McCartney saved a kitten from under a car that night too. He also took me to an Italian restaurant on Virginia Beach.  After dinner we walked the beach and the sun was setting and we noticed on the waters edge there were lots of little jelly fish.  We got our dog tags and started tapping the jellyfish and watched them glow a vibrant green.  How cool that was!  He drove me back to the ship and walked me to my berthing and said goodnight.

What the hell kind of date was that?  He never tried to kiss me, he didn't even try to hold my hand.  I must be a lousy date.  This is embarrassing that I wasn't attractive enough for him to try any moves on me.  Every other boy I had been on a "date" with wanted to be repaid somehow with some sort of sexual favor.  Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? 

Before muster the next morning I was sitting in front of a horizontal boring machine and McCartney sat down next to me.  He started a conversation and if any of you know me I have terrible comprehension issues.  Whatever he had said to me doesn't matter at this point but my answer was totally off the wall and the look he gave me was priceless.  Once I realized I misunderstood what he said  I explained what I actually heard.  To which he replied "oh you had a stupid attack?"   Again I still did not comprehend what was said and answered with "No I'm not Italian."  WOW!  now the look on his face was beyond priceless.  We had our first long big laugh together.  And I got a sparkle in my eye for him.

McCartney and Jean became an item.  We had our first kiss after a date to go see 'Top Gun'  I initiated it.  We were in his 1966 Dodge Polara that I was shocked to find out was his.  I had been walking the parking lot for a month and would always stop and look at this red Dodge.  I loved it but thought whomever owned it was a slob because there was always laundry hanging over the seats and he had 2 house speakers in the back seat.  I was so happy and having so much fun.

In August the ship went to Gitmo to train for battle. Before we left Dennis and I were out sitting on the trunk of his Polara just talking and I jumped down and turned around to him and hugged him and realized "I LOVE THIS GUY"  I LOVE DENNIS MCCARTNEY (yup I remembered his name finally)  It was a wave of feelings I had NEVER had before.  It was the feeling of safety and comfort and forever. I found him and knew he was meant for me.

While we were in Gitmo we had long days on the ship that were so GD hot and almost unbearable but once we were able to leave the ship at night it was a tropical paradise.  We would get care packages from home filled with goodies but for some reason Dennis always ran to the post office and the packages would always be opened by the time he got back to the shop.  He always shared with everyone.  It was a fabulous time.  Then one day while I was in our locker I found a hometown newspaper from Coleman MI tucked way in the back.  I thought it would be fun to read something from Den's hometown so I pulled it out and I read it.  What I read was a shock to me. There was a picture of Dennis and a girl named Valerie announcing their engagement!  : (  Come to find out all the care packages were sent by her.  When he asked me on a date the weekend I had duty he knew I had duty and that I wouldn't be able to go out with him and he was actually on his way to see HER in Indiana at Butler College.  He was laying the ground work. 

We arrived back in VA in September and he called her and explained the situation.  I waited outside the payphone booths for more than an hour while he talked with her.  The man I loved was breaking a heart for me.  She sent back the engagement rings and yes I wore them because he had proposed to me while we were in Gitmo.  We did trade them in for a my own set. 

If I had to do it over again I would in a heartbeat.  It was an extremely trying  event for a young  girl.  I knew he would take care of me though. I never lost my love for him.  So now 25 years later and lots of other trying times we are still one.  We are by no means a perfect couple.  What Dennis and I share is respect for each other and when we find ourselves in a predicament of not getting the respect we think/know we deserve, we speak up and let the other one know about it.  This has saved our marriage over and over.

Dennis I love you with all my heart and there is no one else on this earth that could ever take your place.  You are my bestest friend in the whole wide world and  our journey together till the end will be forever cherished.