Yesterday marked one year of marriage for me and Bob. We made it. On our very first anniversary, we woke up in a Quality Inn in Toldeo, OH and ate the free continental breakfast which wasn't bad as far as those things go. In fact, it was one of the very best free continental hotel breakfasts I've had. I usually check them out and then skip them, but this one had bagels that weren't terrible, and real orange juice. The breakfast area was also tidy, not sticky which is a big thing for me. So after the free continental breakfast, we headed across the parking lot to Target. I'm from Minnesota and I grew up about two miles from the very first Target ever and to this day, I can't resist a Target. After stocking up on treats and water at Target we got on the road and drove 75 miles or so to Oberlin, OH.
Oberlin, OH is the home of Oberlin College of which Bob and I are extremely proud and enthusiastic alumni. The best thing about driving from Minnesota to Virginia is that Oberlin is basically on the way and we get to stop in and get ourselves some new Obie gear at the Co-op Bookstore and walk around feeling all nostalgic. We parked the car on Main Street and walked into one of the four or five stores in Oberlin and this is what I saw....
yarn in Oberlin! Lots of it. The population of Oberlin (with 2,500 or so students) is not more than 10, 000, and yet, they have a rather large selection of high end yarn right there in the middle of the fancy carpet/stinky candle/home decor store. This store was not there when I was a student and I think this is proof that knitting is indeed, the new yoga.
After dropping some cash in the Co-op bookstore, we walked across the street to "the Con," as we call it. The Con is the Conservatory, as in Conservatory of Music. When I was a freshperson (Oberlin remains very P.C. and gender neutral), I swore that I would never call the conservatory "the Con" because I thought it was about the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Within a few weeks, I was not only calling it "the Con," I was also referring to myself as a "Connie" which is what the college kids called the music people.
Bob and I never dated while we were at Oberlin. From the moment I laid eyes on him I had a huge thing for him and he knew it and even though he had no interest in me at all, he milked my crush for all it was worth and then dated my roommate. That's probably the shortest version of our long story that was ever written, but I'll keep it that way. Look y'all, I married David Filner and here we are on our first anniversary in front of the beloved Con. For those of you who think my husband's name is Bob, you aren't wrong. That's what I call him, but he's really David Filner. 
Some days I wake up in the morning and he's there and I still can't believe that I'm married to David Filner. If, on this day ten years ago, someone were to have told us this would happen, I probably would have peed my pants with happiness and joy, and he would have run screaming. You never can tell what's going to happen. Happy Anniversary Bob. You're stuck with me.
Tomorrow I'm getting on yet another plane and taking yet another vacation. I swear that I do sort of go to work sometimes, just not yet. My symphony's season doesn't start for another two weeks, so after spending just 36 hours in Richmond, tomorrow I'll be heading to Portland, OR to celebrate the collective thirtieth birthday year of the Pepto Ladies. From there I will continue on to San Antonio, Texas, for a week in Bob's new hometown.