Happy Birthday, Monte!

I meant to write this a few hours ago however life got in the way. What I mean is Monkey needed me more than this posting.

June 13, 1950. Sixty one years ago my husband was born. Life has taken him all over the USA. He has driven through nearly every state for his job as a truck driver. He played college football on a scholarship until a knee injury wiped out his career in his senior year. He went on to work in a bank, as a car salesman, working in the family business until finally he found his calling - a truck driver. He loves driving and seeing the country. He was married and divorced. He has two adult children - a son and a daughter. They mean the world to him.

Fate works in strange ways. If you would have asked me fifteen years ago where I saw my life I would have told you working and helping to raise my sister's kids - two boys and a girl. I couldn't see myself married with kids. Then one day a little over thirteen years ago I met someone new at work. I was covering someone else's desk. Even though I had a full plate at home with the kids and a Dad dying from Leukemia I still could do favors for other people. My co-workers needed me to change my shift for a short while. Difficult yes with having to take Dad back and forth to the hospital and seeing the kids off to school but not impossible. One day I glance up and meet this man who is so easy to joke around with and could make me laugh. He was quite a bit older than I but that made no difference. We had so much in common. About four months later my Dad died and Monte is my rock. A year after that I get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and again he is my rock. I'm dealing with tons of pain and finding life hard to deal with yet here he is. My sister has problems and I take her kids in full time. For close to three years my life is almost world war three every day because the kids can't cope with their lives. Yet he stays. The kids finally return to their Mom and my health starts to decline and he doesn't walk away. I give him an out and tell him what my life could get to. I might become wheelchair bound. He tears up and says he isn't going anywhere. We decide because of all my health issues not to have a child. One dream I wanted and never thought I'd get was gone. Then in steps Fate again.

Fate decides that I need that child and we are blessed with our now five year old son. Monte's oldest granddaughter is older than our son but he doesn't care. This baby is his joy. I think he wanted another girl but he loves his son. Things are sweet. He moves in full time about 18 months later so we can be a proper family. What happens then. Just as we are cruising along another speed bump hits. I can no longer work due to my health issues. Now Monte is shouldering all the responsibilities for our family while I stay home and do the best I can to raise our son. A few months later another speed bump. Monte has a massive heart attack. Thank GOD it happened while we were in the ER and the nurse went and checked on his gut feeling. I almost lost my rock that day. He recovered and life went on. Fast forward a few months and it is Christmas. Santa leaves me a gift. Poor Monte because Santa wrote his name on the tag not Monte's so Santa was going to be a bigamist. Luckily, I figured out the mistake and told the right man yes. A few months later we get married in a courthouse with just a few family members. Not what we wanted but what we could afford.

One year later and we have been happily together now for over thirteen years. Life is not easy and you never know when it is going to end. He gave me a scare last night with chest pains and stubbornness. He doesn't listen and I'm a pain but here we are.

Saying Happy Birthday and I love you just doesn't seem to be enough. He is my best friend, my rock, my sounding board, the father of my child and my everything. I tell him all the time that he is lucky to have me. Well, I'm lucky too because I have a husband who loves me very much.

Happy Birthday, Baby. I LOVE you more than you'll ever know.