13 years ago in Bloomington, IN there was a humongous swarm of cicadas. I love cicadas. I love the noise that they make; it always reminds me of summers gone by. Cicadas remind me of the movie Lucas. I love finding their little shells all over tree trunks. That summer the cicada chorus was more of a deafening roar than a sweet summer serenade. They were EVERYWHERE! We couldn't walk outside without being reminded of their presence. One even flew into my face that summer as I walked across a hot parking lot, prompting much face swatting and spitting as the guts got all over my face and hands. Yuck.
I will never forget that summer of the cicadas, but they were really only one highlight. You see, that was the summer that I met Andy (my now husband). That was the summer that I trained him to be a server at ChiChi's. We went out for drinks with friends, after his week of training during which I had been flirting with him mercilessly while still also pining for a stupid boy that really had no interest in a relationship with me. After that week of training, we went out in a big group of people for a much needed night of drinks. That night, Andy asked me to go on a date with him the next day, and I said, Yes!"
The next day, with cicadas blaring, I played my very first round of disc golf. We laughed so much, and I was surprisingly nervous. He drove me home to shower and change, and picked me up later so we could go to dinner and a movie. We watched the Bourne Identity (whoa that was 13 years ago!), and went to dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant that has since been razed. Afterwards, we went to play pool at a local watering hole famous for their signature drink the AMF (Adios Mother F*****) and for the bras that hang from the rafters. He took me home. We talked for hours, and then he was going to leave. He was going to leave without kissing me. I could not abide that, and kissed him instead.
The next day, we hung out again, and every day for the rest of the summer too. I was hooked! I was done for and didn't even know it yet. That summer was filled with hours of hanging out, going on dates, working together at ChiChi's, and lots of kissing! It was wonderful.
Here we are a mere 7 months after we met...on the Spring Break when he asked me to marry him!
So this summer, when the 13 year cicadas came out and started their deafening din, my first thought was of that summer 13 years ago. My second thought was how much has changed since then. My third thought: how much really hasn't changed at all. While our lives have moved forward and we've been on so many adventures together and separately, we still love each other just like we did that summer 13 years ago when we fell in love.
Where will we be when the 13 year cicadas come back out? I honestly have no idea. We will have a 20 year old Annika and an 18 year old Mayzie. Now THAT is a frightening thought. Another thing I know for sure: we WILL be together, hopefully sitting on our porch swing drinking glasses of wine and remembering that summer in Bloomington when we met.
