High school. It was summer break and I when I got to my friend’s house, there he was, leaning against his car. I was a pretty confident teen, and would walk up to anyone and say hello. But not him. He was way out of my league, and I was a realist! So I didn’t say a word to him. A few days later, my friend calls let me know that he asked for my number and could he call me. My response was that I dropped the phone and screamed, “JON THOMPSON HAS A CRUSH ON ME!”

We have 39 years worth of memories…it is so hard to choose. It could be when he came home unscathed from the Gulf War in 1991….or when our first son was born with Down syndrome, and while I was crying, Jon read a 200-page book about DS in one sitting, then looked up at me and said, “We got this!” Or when Jon joined the Cincinnati Fire Department, or when he just retired this past May after 34 years of service. But my favorite….when Jon’s PET scan showed no cancer. That’s my favorite.

Travel. When we travel together, it is absolute, pure fun. What a joy it is to travel with him - during the stressful parts, like going through the airport, or standing in line to rent a car, we bust up the stress with our love language - quoting movie/TV lines. For once we would love to book a trip without having to stay within a budget. We’d get that room in NYC with floor-to-ceiling windows, or that bungalow in Sedona where we can sleep on the rooftop, under the stars. Budget be damned!