Time in a Bottle

I'm somewhat mortified that it has been 3 full years since the wife and I tied the knot. I have a post about our wedding partially written.. that may or may not get posted today.. maybe I'll save it for our 4 year mark. It's crazy because the last 3 years seem to have flown by and at the same time, I have so much trouble imagining life before October 15, 2005.

I have been watching my "friend list" on facebook grow over the past few months as more and more of my old grade school classmates from Windsor Locks join FB. I remember being friends with the kid version of some of these people. It's surprising to see pictures of them with spouses and children. I can separate my FB "friends" into distinct categories.. "relatives", "Windsor Locks" (i.e. grade school), "Uha" (i.e. college), "Jesters" (i.e. the college friends from the schools I didn't go to.. long story), and of course, "30'something" (i.e. now).

It's remarkable to look back and see how friendships have come and gone over the years.. how the world has changed.. how I have changed. I remember thinking that the world revolved around a few grade-school and pre-grade-school friends. Now they are just links on my Facebook page with pictures of adults who look vaguely like someone I used to know.

I think about the fact that there are a few of my ex's listed with my Facebook "friends". Do I really see these people as "friends"? Well the gay guy.. definitely.. I really don't even know McDreamy anymore.. so I don't count him. That leaves my two significant long term relationships prior to me finding Shiela. (btw.. yes, Bill.. I *DO* consider you to be my friend.. no worries, you old fool!)

I think about the fact that I've been with Shiela for more than 8 years now. More time than I spent in high school and college combined. I think back to the people we were when we met. My lord, we were just kids! Everything was SO dramatic! We've come through some major crap over the years. We've both changed, for better or worse.. who knows. We've both grown up. Our priorities have shifted. We're closer now than we ever were in the past, even though it didn't seem possible.

I'm watching Ben grow up in little tiny baby steps. He has his own set of friends now. He'll specifically request to play with some of his friends. I think back to my old childhood friends. I wonder what path Ben will take in life. Will he find friends in his childhood that are in his life forever? Is that even possible?



I take pictures because it is my little way of trying to capture individual moments. Now if I could just figure out how to make my new camera stop blurring those moments!