They say you never know what you've got till it's gone.  I disagree.  I knew exactly what I had.

I fell in love with the best man I ever knew, and he fell in love with me.  It was instant.  A connection that has not died.  We could talk without speaking, make love with a glance, know each other's thoughts by posture.  I am not sure how I have made it these 8 months, 5 days, 12 hours and 2 minutes without him. 

We met in a bar.  I was the chef of a small, but busy restaurant out in the middle of nowhere MN.  I guess I should tell you first how I came to this town.  I have lived in, currently, 13 states.  I moved to Minneapolis in the early summer of 06.  I bounced around, as per my norm, between a couple different jobs.  Had a pretty good saute cook job, I mean the people I worked with were allright, @ the most horribly named Sunshine Factory restaurant.  I was in a relationship that I am not even sure why I was in it.  I didn't love him, I had no respect for him, but it was there.  I got tired of where my life was NOT heading.  I started to look for another job somewhere else. 

I found a restaurant hiring for a chef in a small town south of the Twin Cities, named Dennison.  My parents had moved to Dennison, OH just a year or so prior.  So, what the hell, I thought, maybe it's serendipity.  I applied.  A few days later I drove down for an interview.  As I was pulling into the parking spot my car flipped 100,000miles.  I walked in and met an older couple @ the bar, while I was waiting for the owner, that had the same names as my parents and were drinking the same beer my parents drank then when they went out.  I sat down, looked up and saw a t-shirt that said "F U   Fireside University" (the name of the restaurant is Fireside Lounge).  If you know anything about me, and obviously up to now you do not, you would know that I found that hilarious.  So I went through the interview, got the job (of course LOL), and moved down there a few weeks later, starting on my 34th birthday.

Some months went by and it turned to winter; MN winter that is.  I was working 10-12 hours a day 5-6 days per week and had two dogs that I hardly spent any time with, so I patheticaly (is that even a word?) tried making up for it by buying them bones from the local butcher shop.  One day I was going to drive over to the shop during my lunch break.  It had snowed quite a bit and I am not known for always being the most observant person, so I drove around what I thought was the back way.  It turns out I was driving on the snow-mobile trail!  By the time I realized it I was committed.  I could keep going in my Hyundai Accent until I really got stuck, or I could stop and get myself out.  I stopped, got my floormats wedged under my front tires, put it in reverse and gave 'er hell! 

Meanwhile, the guys in the butcher shop - I had not as of yet met *him*, I had met his friend (we'll call him) Sparky and the owner - could see me out the window.  They thought I was Sparky's girlfriend because she had a car very similar to mine at the time.  They started getting their Carhartts and boots on to come out to rescue the damsel in distress, but by the time they got out there I was already out and gone down the road.