Hindsight is 20/20

I made the mistake of driving by my old apartment Friday evening.

Mistake as in the east side was flooded with out-of-towners trying to get to Summerfest. (Cue the non-ladylike profanity. Must get rid of that before I become a Southern Belle).

And mistake as in it reminded me of different - not necessarily better - days.

While I still had the taste of excitement for post-grad life - before health insurance became a phrase I used often, and while I still had the title "intern" tacked on after my name, there was the promise and glory of life living downtown Milwaukee. It may have momentarily become a distant second behind my first love - New York - but let's face it, it's not really a high achieving life goal to marry an Irish bartender and reproduce as much as possible living in a tiny efficiency on Long Island.

Not that that wasn't an option. The job was there. But the HR contact's comment of, "You can get a waitressing job," was not so consoling. Here's hoping Martin the Bartender isn't still holding out for me. But I trust that he keeps my picture close to his heart, as he probably does for all the other college co-eds that happened upon his bar over spring break and fell in love with the idea of marrying their own Boondock Saint.

And so, there was Milwaukee. And even though there were drunk homeless men digging through my garbage, a colony of ants that declared war on my toothbrush (make that new toothbrush every other day), no air conditioning, and ridiculously non-Amy friendly parking situations, that little overpriced apartment and the surrounding neighborhood will always hold a special place in my heart.

It's the place I got to call 911 for the first time. Damn elevator. The place I was when the first African American was elected President of the United States. The place I discovered that even the brightest of Marquette grads can lose their cell phone in their mailbox after a night of too much whiskey. The place Seth and I shared our first kiss and our first "I love you." The place Lauren and I sat for eight hours straight reading the last Harry Potter book. And the place I eventually outgrew when I knew that my life wasn't just for one - but two.

It's kind of like all my old clothes that are too big for me now. They were glorious - quite tasty days - but as my body seems to have shrunk, my dreams and my life are bigger than I could ever imagine. Helps to have the best guardian angel around. :)

And just to be fair to Seth the Southern Charmer, any photo of me and another man must be balanced with a photo of me and MY man. I love you honey!