the things we do for love.

again - i don't know why i allude to things in my past, without going into more detail.

especially when it comes to Jacqui and i researching our belief that we were separated at birth.

so. get some No-Doz, some coffee and settle back. Grandma's about to tell another tale from her past, kiddies.

i don't remember what year it was. only that i was in luuuuuuv.

his name was Dan - a guy i had a serious crush on, back in my Rainbow Girl/high school days. he felt it, too - it was kind of those 'bam-smack-wow-Disney-Channel-ABC-Afterschool-Special' things.
complete with the animated stars in our eyes.

so as we sat, yakking, i, the high school junior, asked him if he had started researching colleges yet.
he looked at me blankly.
"college? i'm only in junior high."

(note: back in the day, junior high was what we old-timers used to call the 7th & 8th grades. oh, and you could also get a hamburger, fries & shake at McDonalds for $2 and get change back, dagnabbit.)

oh my. junior high. well, that kinda puts the kibosh on things, doesn't it?

fast forward a few years. we met up again, i don't remember how or where. only that we felt the same attraction we did before and that that HUGE three year age difference in high school wasn't so bad now.
we started dating. and it was goooood. fun.

so, when his mom (who i loved) asked if i would help them out, i went for it.

seems that Dan's stepfather had worked for Disney Imagineering for a few years, then left to start his own business. he built the control circuits for the animated figures you see at Chuck-E-Cheese, Disneyland, and such.

move over, Disneyland, we're going to IAAPA - the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. in Dallas.
Dan's stepdad and his business partner were going, but couldn't get to the convention until the day the show started. Dan was driving the booth equipment for the show floor out there, but they didn't want him driving by himself, so would i please go with him? we'll pay for all your expenses, blah, blah, blah.

why sure! i never get to go anywhere, so heck yeah, i'll go to Texas!

they rented a big ol' truck, filled to the gills with all that electronic equipment. a few of the figurines. and us. we took off for a fun week.

or so we thought.

somewhere outside someplace in New Mexico, the truck broke down. in the middle of the desert. in the middle of the night. in the days before cell phones.

we were stuck until morning. and it gets way freaking cold in the middle of the desert. i pulled out all my clothes from my suitcase and put them on, so we could stay warm.

next morning, Dan walked...yes, walked to the nearest town to get help. i stayed with the goods. the minutes turned into hours and my overactive imagination had already designed that Dan had been kidnapped by some psycho killer (after all, don't they all live in the desert?), and tortured into telling them where i was - when the truck pulled up.

Cletus and Billy Bob were in it. Dan had sent them out to tell me that he was coming with help. so no, i wasn't going to die in the desert with a huge Chuck-E-Cheese figurine.

we were towed into Deming, New Mexico where we found a hotel, showered and then collapsed in a room with paper-thin walls, favored by truck drivers.

let's just say it was a very *ahem* active hotel.

the truck rental company was coming to deliver a new truck, but it wouldn't be there until the next morning. Deming was our temporary home until then...when the Texas adventure could continue.

Next: we roll into the Big D.