20 year mark!
January 8, 2004, UCLA campus. That day was special. I was the newly commissioned officer's girlfriend, but he and I had marriage on our minds. A single long-stemmed red rose was placed in my hands to include me as one beloved. My airman's presidential commissioning would be the first of many ceremonies and formalities I would attend by his side. I wore a soft pink sweater and a long tan coat I'd purchased in China with my teacher's salary several years prior. I hadn't needed to wear the lined overcoat much but it was a chilly, overcast January day in Los Angeles. Despite the weather, I reached out to warmly welcome family guests who drove in. They knew my basic history and could relate to a degree, having lived overseas and traveled broadly. At lunch that day, my future father-in-law was highly impressed as I spoke Chinese with the waitress and poured tea for all at our round table. Both language and custom came naturally and smoothly. I was...
