Dating

2000
Jeff and I were looking forward to his graduation which would be in May. We continued to date and get to know each other better. I instantly loved certain characteristics about Jeff. His personality, his kindness, his willingness to listen and to help when advice was needed, when he would bring me items that he had cooked when I was studying, he would use a broom to shovel snow off my walk and his, he is very funny, we always had a great time together. Still to this day we continue to have a great relationship. We can talk about anything and do not keep secrets from each other. We have grown so much together as a couple and as individuals.

In March we saw our first movie together. (Cider House Rules)In May Jeff graduated with his master’s degree. I was also now done with another semester of nursing school. Before summer classes started we were given an opportunity to go to Sanibel Island, Florida and stay a week at my parent’s condo there. This was our first vacation. We had a GREAT time! We went to a place called Captiva Island which is an island that has a small causeway and connects to Sanibel. While we were there waiting for the sun to set we watched a couple get married. We thought it was really neat. Both Jeff and I love the ocean and the part of being barefoot on the beach when saying “I do”. We made a pact that if we ever were to get married we would do the same thing.

I started back at school taking summer classes. Jeff started a job. It was just that a job. Something to help pay the bills. He did not love what he was doing. While he was working at this job he continued to send out resumes. He got some interviews and one was for a company that works with Boeing. Jeff went to a few interviews in Chicago and Seattle. He was offered the job and reality was setting in that Jeff was now going to be moving to Seattle. I would be graduating from nursing the following May.

Jeff moved to Seattle. This was really hard, but we decided that we would somehow make this work long distance. When I had time off from school for winter break or long weekends that would come available I would fly to Seattle.

We celebrated the New Year in Seattle. We went up to Mount Rainer and stayed in a cabin for a few nights. Mount Rainer is gorgeous and we had a nice time walking around or going up the mountain to look out and find little streams. We continued to grow and decided that once I graduated I too would move to Seattle. I was starting to get used to the city. It was A LOT different from Kent, Ohio! Much more people, lots of traffic, and just bigger in general. The last night that we were at our cabin Jeff started to complain of abdominal pain. The next day when we were at a movie he was really uncomfortable and unable to sit still much less eat anything. Later that night when he was lying on the couch I noticed that he was “guarding”. I went over and palpated his abdomen and was like “we have to go to the hospital, you have appendicitis”. He wanted to blow it off and he thought I was crazy and did not believe me that he could have appendicitis. The funny thing is up until that point I had self diagnosed my own appendicitis that I had the previous July. So we did go to the hospital and I was right. Jeff also needed an appendectomy. We thought it was kind of strange that the two of us both had appendicitis within 6 months of each other. I am so glad that I was in Seattle. I know that he probably had not gone to the hospital if I had not been there insisting. Once he got the Morphine he was feeling good.

I did graduated the following May on schedule with our plans. Soon I would be moving to Seattle too!