A different kind of love story...

A lot of things have changed in the years that I have known Mike. We have lived in 8 different places. We have had 10+ different vehicles! We have had many different friends that have taken many different directions in our life. We have added Matthew to our little equation. We have even had numerous hair styles:-) including a Mike having a mullet years ago. There has always been a few constants through all of the change. The two biggest constants have been our love of Mike's grandparents, and Mike's love of fly fishing. There should be no denying this after seeing the last post. I never thought in a million years Mike would post to my blog all by himself. I was of course forgetting that he might want to share one of his greatest accomplishments!
From a wife's point of view:
There is so much that I love about my husband's passion for fishing. One being that he finds great joy in something so simple. The fact that catching a 5lb Bass at our local pond can make his whole week worth while, even get him to post on my blog. Then there is the fact that it is for the most part free(okay, I may be kidding myself here) Lets not forget that he now has a new fishing buddy that loves fishing as much as he does. As a mother I think there is nothing better than knowing both my boys are spending a few hours a night together doing what they both love. Then there is the fact that my husband is incredibly sexy to me when he is fishing. He makes it look so easy and he is so good at it. I could seriously watch him fish for hours. That is for sure is a consistent in our relationship! I also love when people walking by stop to watch him fish. You do not see a whole lot of fly fishing here in Minnesota, and I might be biased but I have never seen anyone cast as perfectly as Mike. Then there is the last thing......

Mike learned how to fly fish from Clair. He was around 9 years old when Clair was allowed to take him out fishing. Clair had learned to fly fish from his Brother in Law, Cal. Mike will never forget the first trout he caught on his favorite Montana creek with Clair and Cal. That first trout hooked Mike as much as Mike hooked it. In the years that passed Mike and Clair spent many hours together fishing. A few things changed as the rocks around the creek became to much for Clair and they had to move the fishing to a safer private pond....the big fish in that pond made up for that I suppose. There was of course always lunches packed by grandma Dot, and history lessons about the state they shared a love for. Then the biggest of all the changes came to be...Clair lost his fishing buddy to me. Before Mike and I met he and Clair would go fishing anytime Mike was free. Mike spent all of his free time fishing with his grandpa. It is funny how a pretty young girl can change how much free time a young boy has. Don't get me wrong..the fishing did not stop. I loved when they would go fishing together and encouraged it quite a bit. Mike just had a new love in his heart too. He tried teaching me once....it did not go well. I have come to the realization that fly fishing is not for me....however, photography is:-)

These pictures are all from scans of photos that I have that are not that great to start with. In one aspect I am sad they are not better. On the other hand at least I know I have them in a place that will keep them from getting worse.

my absolute favorite picture of Clair.

Mike and Clair getting ready to go fishing back in 92. This was just a few months after we met. Mike was actually wearing the shirt he has on the night we met:-) Oh~ and that car in the garage is Dot's old mustang that we took to prom. I will never forget how proud Mike was that his grandma did not want a typical "grandma" car. A few years ago no one could remember her having this car but the two of us.

This picture is one of the first things Mike looks at everyday. This picture sits in a frame by his sink. He starts and ends each day with a hello to Clair.

My husband seriously goes fishing every night. He gets home from work, eats dinner and heads to the pond for an hour or two. I joke that I have become a fisherman's widow. Yes, some nights I get a little annoyed. I can tell you two things though. I can see Clair in every cast my husband makes. I know that when he goes fishing he feels whole again. I think of it as him going to visit an old friend:-)