March 25th, 2008 - Today's the day

that I celebrate Hilary's 37th birthday with her! This is the 15th birthday that I have had the pleasure of sharing with Hilary.

We met in the summer of 1993. Hilary was the night manager at a restaurant where my roommate Lisa got a job a a waitress. I used to go and drink coffee and pick Lisa up. Back then I was pretty frightening! Shaved head, Ox Blood Red Dr. Martins, jeans and white t-shirt, and a smoke behind one ear. Yup, I was a Dyke!! I think Hilary saw through the rough exterior pretty instantly. We got to know Hilary and through several bizarre chains of events, Lisa and I ended up moving into her apartment with her.

However, Hilary and I did not start going out until December of that year, when we were no longer living together and after we had survived what we now refer to as "that summer".

You may have heard some of my stories from "that summer"... the dead hooker, the good drug dealers with the good guns, that I decided to date sleep with men..... it really is a wonder we survived!!

To give you an idea of what "that summer" entailed, here is a list of things that occurred either directly to us or to our group of friends. And no, I won't tell you which ones happened to us!!

• Getting arrested
• Drugs, drugs and more drugs
• homelessness
• destitution
• hustling pool for smokes and $$
• abortion
• pregnancy scares
• murder
• baby dying of SIDS
• rape
• stealing to survive
• suicide attempt

But we made it through to other side. Life wasn't instantly perfect, but it did get infinitely better. Jobs were found, Hilary got an apartment in a not so scary area and we realized that this was not the life we wanted to be living at the wise old age of 23.

And so in true Lesbian fashion, I moved in with her a day or two after our first official "date". And we have never looked back!

Since then we have found careers, moved across the country together, bought our first (and now second) house and adopted a baby together. Hilary is my love, my friend and my light! She makes me happy in a way I never knew possible and I love her with every fiber of my being.

Happy Birthday Hilary!