Just some memories-back in the day.

I was driving home from work today, listening to the radio...a song came on that made me think, "That'd be a good bar sing-along song." My next thought was of so many Friday and Saturday nights spent at a little country/western club on base in San Diego when I was married to my first husband. I've never been a drinking woman but my favorite thing to do once I learned how, was to go two-stepping there or at Mulvaney's in Santee with some friends. Within a few seconds, I was smiling thinking back to those days and all the friends I met during those years. People I hadn't thought about in so very long. Strangely enough, though I haven't seen them in about 20 years, I still remember their names, where they were from, what they looked like, what ship they were on. I have one of those great, photographic-type memories that can be helpful (when I need to remember very specific things) or annoying and torturous (regarding things I wish I could forget). The one thing I remember most is how we all loved to get together-most of us very homesick, culture-shocked Southerners who lived for the weekends when we could talk, laugh, dance, and just enjoy being together. San Diego is home to several naval bases and there were some Marines mixed in to make it interesting. I often wonder what happened to them all. I kept up with a few after I left but years have passed and I doubt they'd remember me now. Some very interesting characters, though. Jack, from my husband's ship the Germantown, was our version of Henry Cho. Half Filipino, dad was from Tennessee and Jack was born in Texas. Everybody kept expecting him to know Tagalog but if he did know any, he spoke it with a Southern accent. Very funny guy. Saved me from me a snake once. Keith, the Marine,the flirt, from tiny Jonesville, Louisiana. He was the Don Juan of the place, the cause of much drama. I used to stand back and just watch him work the room and laugh-he got a little frustrated that I always knew he was full of crap. But always a gentleman to me. His friend Ryan, the Marine from Round Rock, Texas. After I divorced was when I met him, and we dated for a short time-very much a Texas gentleman. He used to tell me he'd never get married, that he'd be the old man on the porch with his dogs telling everybody to get off his lawn. I used to think it'd be fun to look him up and see if he'd married and had a handful of children now, but I never have. Chris, the single dad from Missouri. He's the one who introduced me to Alabama Slammers. "Kelli, it has a straw in it because you're supposed to sip it. Not drink the whole thing right away." :) Rico, from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The one who taught me to dance and was my very favorite dance partner. He claimed I was a pool shark because once I beat him-I'm actually horrible at pool. I just got lucky. :) He taught me how to cook green chili stew, make pico de gallo and homemade salsa. I'd invite him to the house sometimes just to cook. "I'll take you to the store and buy whatever ingredients you need, you can destroy my kitchen...if you'll come make green chili stew," I would say to him. Todd from South Dakota. (we made him an honorary Southerner) I used to joke with him that I didn't think people ACTUALLY lived in South Dakota til I met him. Dave, our token Yankee from Minnesota-he was a long time friend that I regret losing touch with. We used to make fun of each others' accents but man, that little guy could dance. Tommy from North Carolina-he was always in our group that would go to Denny's to eat when the bar closed and make us laugh when he'd try to charm the waitress, thinking he was smooth but he was really just tipsy. :) Then there was Casey, who I wrote an entire blog post about. I miss him most of all. If anyone still believes that very incorrect line in "When Harry Met Sally" about how men and women can never be just friends, I'm here to set the record straight. With the exception of Ryan, all those guys were just my friends. They missed a soft, Southern voice that sounded like home and someone who'd cook for them or bring them treats to the ship when they had duty, or talk to them about their problems, because they had no one in faraway San Diego. I was thankful for their friendship then...and today when I was a bit down, their memories came back to make me smile again.