White Christmas in Colorado

Things were getting much more serious between Jess and I; as our conversations began lasting an hour or longer, new questions began to surface:

Where was this relationship going?  Were we "exclusive?" What is it that we want from each other?

The line of questions that a couple usually reaches at a certain point in the relationship. We agreed, with a little coaxing, that we were committed to one another and that we would see where this would lead us.

Following our third (and successful) date, we made plans to meet up again over the Christmas holidays.  We decided to get together at her timeshare condo in Steamboat Spring, CO; it would be a 2-day date in a literal sense.  It would also be the first time we spent substantial period of time together.  To through a twist in the date, we were also joined by her Aunt and two cousins, as well as her sister Chris and her two nephews, Aaron and Baby Alex.  Not only would this be a date with her family, I felt it was a two-day interview process.  The first thing that hit me as I first entered the condo, was not the number of new people, but the temperature of the condo!!  I think it was at least 78 degrees in there, coming from the frigid cold and snowy conditions outside, it slapped me in the face.  (Let me preface that before I got married, the thermostat in the house would always be set to 65.  I like a cold house.)

Our first photo together

Some, including I at first, would be in fear of the situation, especially how uncomfortable the situation could have been.  But her family were so welcoming to me and appreciative of the kimchi I had brought up from Aurora that my mom had recently made.  It was like bringing a dozen roses and showered everyone with gifts. They were so thankful that I had come and welcomed me with open arms.  I am not a very outgoing person, but everyone more than made up for my shyness. We all went out for dinner to a grill your own steak "restaurant" and I took over as the head "griller" of every one's steak.  I tried to do my best impression of Bobby Flay, but ended up looking more like Ricky Bobby.  Dinner was a success though and we all enjoyed the meal.  We needed all the energy for a long day of skiing the next day; but before calling it a night, Jess and I exchanged gifts.  She got me some Chanel cologne and I gave her an iPod Touch that I had engraved with "iBelong to Jess."  It had a duel meaning: (1) She had lost her first iPod and so I wanted to replace it and (2) it was a subliminal message the I belonged to her.  She got neither as she didn't open it and I all but had to force her to look at the back.  She loved it.  And I loved the new cologne.

The next morning, we gathered our skis and boards and took the shuttle to the ski resort.  Her cousins would be taking lessons and the oldest nephew Aaron would learn to ski for the very first time, so it would be Jess and I for the majority of the day.  Granted I hadn't skied in over a year, but I was a Colorado native and had learn to ski when I was 8.  Like riding a bike, I made my way down until I got the skis under me again and proceed to speed up.  Jess, being very competitive herself, had to stay ahead of me.  She was a much better boarder than I was a skier and it showed.  I spent the entire day chasing her down the slope and by mid afternoon, my legs where so sore.  So we decided to grab lunch with her cousins and had our very first picture as a couple.  I wish my legs were more in shape as well as my whole body, but we could only manage one more run before my shins and feet had given up.  Needless to say, it was quite the memorable day, even if we had to cut it short.

The next day we all headed out and drove back to Denver, Jess and I in one vehicle and her family in the other.  Jess had proclaimed at the start of the trip that she never sleeps in vehicles, especially with someone new driving.  And as ironic as it sounds, within 30 minutes, she was passed out in the front seat.  It would be another hour until she would wake up, embarrassed but rested.

Let's do this again

I got that second opportunity a couple weeks later; I had to pick up my dogs from my sister, who graciously helped me by babysitting Miles and Louis, along with her own Wheaten Terrier, Milo. The three terrors were quite the handful, but my sister was more than happy to watch them. Jess and I agreed to a second date, this time to Sushi Den; a common passion of sushi drew us to this place and as this was Jess' favorite sushi restaurant. Much like the first date, things were moving along well, until the subject of meeting her dad came up.

"He wouldn't like you," she claimed.

"How do you know? He never met me," I promptly replied.

Instantly things went south and instead of a start to a great night, it turned sour and ended with both of us returning to our cars, unsure of our futures together. I drove home thinking, how could things have gone so poorly. I thought we clicked, I thought she was the one. Deep in my heart, I knew that to be true; I would not let a bad date ruin what we had started. So I called her back that night and set up one last date. If she didn't have fun or if we didn't click anymore, then that would be it. She agreed and we had one last date before I left Denver to get back to Green Bay. I told her I would set everything up and that she had to promise me to try to have fun.

I decided that this date needed to be fun and the best way to get the endorphins flowing is to get us moving, doing activities. First place would be bowling at Lucky Strike, I hadn't bowled since I was on the Carl Vinson a few years back, but I always had fun. Jess is very competitive, even to the point that she really gets in to something; bowling was no different and I had to pull out a few good frames in order to beat her. She started to have fun and open up again, that was my plan; so it was off to Dave & Buster's for some pool. Jess said she was very good at it; but heck I am a sailor, that is like drinking a playing poker and drinking, it is what we do. So I took on the challenge and played a little 8-ball action. I "let her win" the first game and "took" the second. Unfortunately, she was the one that was dictating who was winning and losing as I was schooled on the third and final game.

It was a fantastic date and we both had a great time. So we decided that the previous date was not an indication of things to come, but a blip on the radar. I had accomplished my goal, I showed her that I was committed to this relationship, as early as it was. This would be a defining moment in our relationship.

"When Joey met Jess" or "Sleeples in Saratoga"

Let's start from the beginning, way back in July of 2008, back to New York City. My parents and I traveled to NYC and did all the touristy stuff, expended a lot of energy and building a huge appetite. We stopped in to a Korean Barbeque in Korean town on West 32nd Street and chowed down and delicious bulgogi and kalbi. My mom turned to me and asked those word a single 31 year old guy hates being asked, " When do you plan on dating someone and eventually getting married?" I replied, "I tell you what mom, you find me a nice Korean lady and I will see what happens." We all laughed and enjoyed a few more bits of kimchi and rice and topped it off with a few shots of soju. The next day to took the train back up to Saratoga Springs and did not even think about the conversation I had with mom.

It would only take a few days until my mom calls me out of the blue to tell me that she just met a nice lady and Neiman Marcus with her mother in-law, and they thought the lady's sister would be a great match for me. She was Korean, single and graduated from CU with a Political Science degree. Her name was Jessica Kim and they all thought it would be the perfect match. I was shocked, it took my mom 4 days to already find someone for me. Boy she is quick. It took me 4 days to build up the nerve and try to write her an email introducing myself. In military fashion, it was short and concise.

Hi Jessica,

My name is Joey Trudeau and I have been asked by both your sister Christina and my mother, to introduce myself. This isn’t something I have ever done, just blindly meet new people online, so I guess I will be brief.

I am in the Navy and have been serving for almost 10 years now, currently as a Naval Nuclear Propulsion instructor here in Saratoga Springs, NY. This is definitely something I hadn’t thought about doing when I left college ten years ago (I too went to CU, but as a physics major). I have the pleasure of being an owner of two lively Wheaten Terriers named Miles and Louis; they occupy a majority of my time when I am not working. Currently, I am actively pursuing my next endeavor, a post-military job. Outside of that, I enjoy golfing, softball, photography and catching up on my recorded shows on TiVo.

So tell me a little bit about yourself.

Sincerely,

Joey

Jess was nice enough to write back to me almost immediately; we started with small talk, then some more probing topic. We eventually were exchanging page long emails to each other, so the next logical step was to start calling each other. And from there, we made an instant connection. My hours of playing World of Warcraft, raiding and questing, shifted to talking to Jess about hot topics, small talk and daily happenings. All I wanted to do was call her and find out how her day was, I had to meet her in person.

I got my opportunity later that fall in Early October, I was on terminal leave from the Navy making my transition to civilian life. I flew out to Denver to see the family as well as my first date with Jess. The night was going to be a simple dinner, little would I know, that it would be the night I knew she would be "the One." We decided on the Denver Chophouse and would meet there in separate cars. Having not bought any nice clothes in years, I enlisted my sister to help me buy some clothes that wouldn't make me look like a bum. I settled on some khakis and a nice comfortable shirt, prime and in style, ready to impress. We had exchanged website information earlier, so I already knew show was beautiful, but when I first laid eyes on her outside the Chophouse, I was blown away.

"Sorry, I am late. I just got out of work," she said smiling at me and I couldn't help my heart from beating rapidly as I heard her speak. "That's fine. I didn't wait to long." We moved inside where I had a table waiting on us. Now most first dates, when dinner is the setting, the lady usually lingers on the menu then finally choosing something light. Not Jess, she knew exactly what she wanted and ordered Tenderloin Tips and Mushrooms, I was impressed how quick and decisive she was, but also how confident she was. The bread basket and butter basket came to our table, she grabbed one and began to butter it with the delicious Chophouse concoction. It sounds odd, but it was that small gesture, that click a switch in my head,"This is the woman I will marry." We finished dinner and she dropped me off to the parking garage where my car was. We gave each other a big hug and agreed to see each other again when I come back. That couldn't come fast enough for me.

Well it is time to catch up (Episode 4)

Two life changing events blessed my life since my last blog:

1) I married the best person in my life.
2) She gave us a baby girl to fill our lives.

There are so many things to talk about and I am not sure how much of it I fully remember; but I will try my best to cover all the major events in my family's life. I figure I could hit the high points and maybe jog the old noggin a bit.  So the game plan over the next few blog entries is to get caught up with all the major events in my life:

• How I met Jess?
• How I popped the Question?
• Wedding day
• Honeymoon
• First Year
• Birth of Ally, our daughter

I figure I could add more post as I see fit, but I wanted to give myself something to build upon so that I can start capturing my current life events with the family in this blog.

Wish me luck!!

To Bring Everyone Up To Speed

Well, let me start by telling everyone that after 10 years of proud service in the US Navy, I decided to try my fate in the real world and see if the "Big Money" is really out there for us nukes. And let me tell you, it is. The best decision I had made up to that point in my life (the other would come shortly after.) So after a few interviews here and there, ranging from Senior Reactor Operator to Auxiliary Operator to Training, I decided that my best transition would be in training as an instructor. So I accepted an offer with Florida Power and Light to be an Operation Training Instructor at their Point Beach Plant in Two Rivers, WI.

It did not take too much thought on my part to accept the offer. I got paid a lot for my job, I did not work shift work and did I mention the money? Not too mention I got paid a whole lot of cash to go to training and class for the next year and a half getting my Senior Reactor Operator certification. So since I had the job, I needed a place for the Boyz and myself to call home. I had put off buying a place while in the Navy, since I didn't want to risk having to be stuck with a mortgage payment if I had to move. So with the help of the parents as my trusty advisers and a few days to house hunt, I finally found a place I could hang my hat in and call it my own. I found a new construction, ranch style, in the northwest portion of Green Bay, near the campus of UW-Green Bay. I could not ask for a better place, a great kitchen, fireplace, a 3 car garage and a spacious backyard for the boys to run around in.

I returned back to Saratoga Springs, NY to pack my stuff, separate for the Navy and begin the long trek from New York to Wisconsin. Surprisingly enough, even though I drove the whole trip solo, it went fairly fast with one exception, Chicago. What a freaking mess that place is on a Sunday afternoon. It took me 5 and a half hours, through bumper to bumper traffic to get out of that hell hole of a city. I still managed to make it to Green Bay at the time I had planned out and so I did not fret too much about the lost time.

Green Bay, is what you might expect. Small town, all about Brett Favre and their beloved Packers. But the town is starting to feel a little more like home, though there is still no mountains and no Broncos. It is how ever home to Brats, cheese curds and Leinenkugel Beer. If not for my fortuitous workmates, I might have never bought a snow blower and I may have been still shoveling snow. My real estate agent told me that it does not snow much in this part of the country and that it just gets really cold in the winter. Well she got the last part right, it was not only one of the coldest winters on record for Northwest Wisconsin, it was also one of the snowiest on record. Ok, so I talked about getting out of the Navy, finding a new job, buying my new house and a little about Green Bay; oh yeah, Jess!!

New Adventures

I have seriously slacked on my blogging and I really should start again. Since my last post, I got out of the Navy, bought my first house in Green Bay, and got an Operation Training Instructor position at Point Beach Nuclear Station. Also during that time frame, I met, dated and proposed to Jess Kim and we will be married next Saturday. So you could say I have been a very busy person. I will do my best to catch up on this blog and try to keep it up to date. In the mean time, enjoy one of the last photos I took of Miles and Louis before I found them new homes.

NYC Trip Day 3

Okay, enough procrastinating on my part; I better write up my experience before my memories fail me. :) So here goes nothing . . .

After a jammed packed day, the night's rest could not be any more welcomed. We would get up a little early to make our way down to the Today Show set in hopes of getting the opportunity to say
"Hi Davin!" to the only audience member we cared to surprise. Much like the previous day, the streets of Manhattan are empty in the morning of the hustle and bustle that fills it during the rest of the day. It was nice to walk the streets without the fear of being run over by the cabbies that zoom up and down.

Getting there a little early, I got the opportunity to take a few pictures without the crowds which was a nice change of pace. There is not too many places or times in NYC were you can have free roam of the area. We got in line, just in the nick of time I may add; a group of about 125 teenagers from some ensemble scurried promptly behind us. We got in to position around the set, observing all the prep work the occurs in front of as well as behind the cameras. From the camera men prepping their shots of the crowd(one being so nice as to direct us how lazy they get and showed us where to stand to ensure we get on) and with Jenna Wolfe "adjusting" herself on camera to make sure she is appealing enough to the audience. After a few shots and segments, even with my ugly mug in the mix; we were able to wave and greet my little nephew 3000 miles away in Aurora, CO. I highly recommend getting to the Today Show set early as we were able to stake claim to some prime positions around the outdoor studio. Once the show finished, we hurried back to the hotel room to fill up on some breakfast and to get a quick glimpse of our morning results on the television. The rest of the day would have us heading south towards China Town, Ground Zero and ending our journey at the Statue of Liberty.

We gathered enough courage to actually figure out the mass transit system, and thank god we did. Like everything in life, once you figure out the basics and how it works, it becomes second nature. It all came down to figuring out what direction the different stops served and which trains it serviced. First stop, China Town.

Piss hole, street vendors, and not at all what I had imagined prior to. I might not have explored it enough to give it justice nor was our intent to spend much time there; so we promptly worked our way south downtown by foot through the early afternoon heat and humidity.

We strolled our way down Broadway to Vesey Street, where Saint Paul's Chapel stands. Across the street, the rebuilding around the World Trade Center was in progress. The whole time there, it feels quite surreal; the atmosphere still felt stagnant, with only the sounds of cars driving by and construction vehicles constantly running. Its hard for me to place in words what I felt looking over the site from the mezzanine of WTC 3; but it brought me back to September 11, 2001 on board the USS Carl Vinson, huddled around the TV in the lounge, watching in horror as the second plane is filmed crashing in to the WTC as we steamed through the night to the Straits of Hormuz. Much like the USS Arizona site and Iwo Jima (which we passed by during my 2002 deployment), there is a serene sense of solitude that fell over me. The sheer number of lives lost in a single point of history, the families who would never have the chance to see their loved ones again and the pure senselessness of the act; one can not feel disheartened by the lack of respect for human lives that was displayed that fateful day. Today, I still can remember that day as vividly as it were yesterday. After going through the 9/11 Memorial (which is free for military) and passing by the WTC firehouse and memorial, we made our way down to Battery Park to finish off the last leg of our trip to the Statue of Liberty.

For those who want to go to the Statue of Liberty, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to this website and pre-ordering your tickets. It saved us about a hour and a half of waiting in line, not to mention, we were able to actually go insidethe statue. So after the first set of security check points, we all get herded on to the tour barge to make our way to Liberty Island. I have met some colorful sailors during my time, but no more colorful then the staff of the barge that took us to and fro. I was quite surprised by their language and lack of respect for the passengers aboard their vessel; maybe it was to give us the added experience of what it might be like being an immigrant in the 1900s. I personally thought it was quite humorous, made it worth the value of the ticket for the on board entertainment whether it was intended or not. After a short 20 minute ride, we set foot on Liberty Island.

After taking a few pictures of the NYC skyline and Ellis Island, we made our way to the second set of more intrusive security check points to enter the Statue of Liberty. The most fascinating thing I found while inside, was that there was an elevator inside, which was a welcomed surprise as my legs and feet were really wearing down from the long walks of that day as well as the previous. Inside is a very interesting walk through of the history of not only the statue but of the island as well.The view from the Statue of Liberty is quite amazing, with the Manhattan Skyline and Ellis Island on one side, the Atlantic Ocean and sailboats on the other. All this under the shadow of this immortal monument. The masonry and iron works that it took to build the statue is astonishing to say the least. You can't help yourself but to take many pictures of everything around you, which means lots of work when you get home trying to go through all of them. I know its an excuse but there really a lot of pictures, really.

After a quick bite at the island vendors and a few by the massive horseflies that infest the area, we left Liberty Island for Ellis Island. This was one area I had hoped to spend a little more time at. But as the day waned on, so did our legs; and the thoughts of having some Korean BBQ for dinner hastened our walk through of the exhibit at Ellis Island. I took some departing pics of the area and made our way back to the ferry back to the Big Apple. If you have some thoughts of going to this trip, I suggest investing a large amount of time just for the sheer fact that there is quite a bit to look at and ingest. As we departed on the ferry, the sun began hiding behind the clouds, making the departing image of the sky amazing from the aft end of the ship. This is one of my favorite photo from the entire trip.

We took the train back uptown and exited off the Broadway and 32nd Street station, and what did we find? The elusive Korean Town that we had unsuccessfully did not find the day before; we were about 2 blocks from finding it and stumbled upon it by blind luck. Literally there are Korean BBQ's all lined up on either side of the streets. After a delicious dinner and a few shots of Soju to warm the belly, we made our way back to the hotel room to rest our feet and legs and enjoy the welcoming AC that seem to have eluded us most of the day. After a couple of beers and some Korean snacks we bought at some Korean store, I made my way back to Time Square to take some final pictures. The nights rest would bring an early morning departure back home to Saratoga Springs, sans huge delays. Although it was a short trip, it was one of the more gratifying ones since I got to share it with loved ones and it was jammed packed with as much as one can do over a weekend. I will return one day, for as much as I did over two days, there is about a hundred of other things I would love to see and experience. Thank you NYC for a great time. See you soon.