There's a Time for all Things....

When I was in college I realized that life does not always go the way you'd like it to go.  Many of my friends went to college to get their Mrs..  Being handicapped, I realized that that might not happen for me.  I dated some, but not a lot.  So I began to make plans for my future.

I was an Art History Major and my parents had a Gallery which specialized in American Art.   My plan was to go to graduate school and get a M.A. in American Art, so I could write and help my Father in his Gallery.  I wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania, where my paternal Grandfather had gone.

I distinctly remember telling  a group of my friends, that I did not want to get married until I was at least 24 years old.  To me at that time it seemed like a long time from being a senior in College.  Just as soon as you say you don't want something, things begin to conspire against you.

I was vice president of the senior class and had to take a turn at selling tickets to the senior class dance.  I reluctantly got up in time to set up a table and put up a sign to sell tickets to the dance.  I did not want to do this at all.  I had brought a drawing I was working on, and sat at the table sketching.  A young man walked up a asked if he could sit down.  Basically I said, "Of course, it's a free world."

He asked me how long I had been going to Old Dominion, "four years," I replied.  "How long have you been here?"

"This is my first year," he said.

"Oh are you a freshman?"

  "No, I am a teacher"

Open mouth insert foot.  Nothing like making an idiot out of yourself.

That evening we had our first date.  we went to talent show at school and to a frat party.  To get to the party we had to cross a large puddle, so he pick me up and carried me across. I think I fell in love that first night when he kissed me good night.

So much for all those fancy plans I had made. The next day I took my GRE exam .  I could not concentrate.  I was head over heels in love. We were married later that year and a year later we had had our first child, Christopher.   I worked part time during art restoration for my father at his gallery.  I was busy being a wife and a mother. I dabbled some in art, but nothing serious.

We moved at one point to Vermont.  The two boys, Chris and Scott were getting older and I started entertaining myself with my art, painting still life, in oils. One of the first paintings that I remember doing was of brown eggs and wooden salt and peppers.  I gave this to my parents who kept it.  A local gallery in Vermont said they would pay me $50.00 a painting.  I was busy with family and didn't have time, or maybe I was just too scared that I could not do more.  Looking back we see things more clearly than at the time when things were happening.

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