My Bride

Let me introduce you to my bride. She is a beautiful woman that I have been blessed to know since the 6th grade and the blessing was intensified when we started dating just before high school graduation and a little more than a year later we stood at the alter and said that no matter what we would stay beside each other until death do us part.

Things have been pretty good. In fact after 22 years of marriage we were cruising through life. I thought that after 22 years of marriage that I knew her very well. I want you to notice the key word in the last sentence, "thought". As they say that is what you get for thinking.

My world has been rocked recently. Let me first give background for what I think is where this change comes from. A little over a year ago we discovered, okay discovered would implied that we had an active part in this, actually the Army ordered me to Korea. Since I have been deployed to places like Kosovo and Iraq we decided to that she should come with me so we came to the "Land of the Morning Calm." Most Americans here refer to Korea as OINK (Only In Korea) or the "Land of the Almost, but not quite right."

After a year here in Korea and being on the downward slide of the tour I began to notice a change in this woman I call my wife, my friend, my ever present companion in life. Things that had been were no longer. There was this change that had over come my bride. She was herself but not quite. Now understand this is not a complaint it is just a statement.

I first noticed the change one evening as I was sitting surfing the net and she suddenly says to me from across the room if you were going to buy a motorcycle what kind would you get. I had to shake my head make sure that what I heard was from my wife's voice and I knew it was because I have known it for over 22 years. Once I awoke from my shock and was clear about the question I responded with a Harley of course. My bride in her loving way so no kidding what type of Harley?

You must understand that the last time I owned a motorcycle was about 24 years ago and my bride has been against motorcycles so I set that in the back of my mind and did not think of it as a serious thought to consider. So here I am being asked for specifics so with my bride on one computer and I on another the quest began. We settled on the best bike in style was the Dyna Fat Bob. I figured this was just a curious looking so I let it go.

A few days later my bride comes home and informs me that she had talked with the people at the AAFES car sales. That conversation has led to me ordering a motorcycle to be delivered upon our arrival in Junction City, Kansas.

The second piece of evidence of the change that has taken place in my wife is we have decided to purchase a home at our next duty station. I expected to look on line but not put an offer or commit to a home until we arrived in the Fort Riley area. Well we have since not only put one offer in but have countered and countered those offers. Not sure if we will make another while in Korea but even submitting the first ones without my bride seeing the home. For those who know my wife understand that she is a sensing person, thus she needs to see, touch, taste, smell, or hear it before she will normally purchase something. You can only imagine what it would take to purchase a home. See my blog on the home shopping adventure.

The final piece of evidence that Korea has affected my bride is the other night at church she ate something that typically is not allowed in our home. Let me rephrase she ate two serving of this item. The item I am talking about is broccoli.

So what do I make of this. I am not sure but as I have found throughout our 22 years of marriage I have only begun to know and discover who my bride is. It has been an exciting 22 years and I look forward to many more.