Away From Chaos: Discovering Ourselves As A Couple Through Romance And Excitement In San Marcos

San Marcos River, San Marcos, Texas

"In the pause that followed, the night's soft voices sang to them tellingly. On the other side of the short woods the creek trickled and rippled its restless luring message..." ~Marion Hill, Georgette, 1912

What's a better way to kick off a new relationship than by traveling together? After our first casual date, which I mentioned in the last post, Michelle and I hung out a few more times over the next month. Mid-November rolled around, and we decided to take a trip together — a Thanksgiving getaway. I threw out the idea of San Marcos, Texas. My company had just opened a new pharmacy there, and I spent a couple of weeks setting up all the tech stuff. I loved my time in San Marcos. It's a beautiful place with the San Marcos River running through it, just a bit south of Austin. It's super chill and friendly, and I couldn't wait to show Michelle around.

But before diving into that Thanksgiving trip, let's backtrack a bit. Like I mentioned in the previous post - Finding New Beginnings Amidst Life's Rough Patches - before meeting Michelle, I was pretty much on autopilot since separating from Kerri on January 1, 2016. We were supposed to figure things out in six months and either get back together or divorce. I was juggling two households on one income. Seven months in, I told her I couldn't keep it up, and she didn't believe me. But come August 2016, we filed for bankruptcy.

I know some of you might wonder why I let the separation drag on if it was supposed to be just six months. Well, I was focused on taking care of my daughter, my job, and did so on autopilot. Even though Kerri and I were apart, I believed Madisen and I had a good relationship. I'd help her with homework, sometimes even while I went on the road for work. More than once, I'd pull over on the highway to help her with Trigonometry and Calculus. I didn't mind because it kept us connected. In the summer of 2017, I helped her with all the supervised driving hours she needed for her license. We'd go out driving together while her mom worked. In October 2017, Madisen invited me to watch her Drama Club's one-act plays. It was a great day for us, watching together when she wasn't on stage.

Then everything flipped overnight. A week after those plays, I met with her mom to talk about whether we had a chance of getting back together. Nearly 22 months had passed since we separated. She said no, that would not happen. So, I told her I'd be filing for divorce in November. We'd been apart for almost two years, and it was time to move on with our lives. That day at Madisen's school was the last time I saw or talked to Madisen. Not a word after I told her mom about the divorce. I have no idea why she cut off contact. I thought we were good. Why invite me to her school if things weren't okay? She was sixteen and could decide if she wanted to see me or not.

Michelle was dealing with her own ex issues while I was going through my separation and divorce. Remember from my previous post, we met at a dog park. Her ex threatened to split up her two dogs if she went through with the divorce. She knew he'd do it because he was abusive, which is why she kicked him out. This dragged on for months until she agreed to let him keep both dogs. They were a mother (Paisley) - daughter (Gracie) duo and had never been apart in their five years together. It was a one of the toughest decisions she ever had to make, but she couldn't separate them, and he wouldn't let her have both. Before this, he made her life miserable, harassing her with his friends and sometimes getting physical. She couldn't always avoid him because they shared the dogs, even though he didn't care about them until she kicked him out.

We both needed a break from all the chaos. So, a week in San Marcos over Thanksgiving seemed perfect. Some might think, wow, they've only been seeing each other for a little over a month. And that's okay. We talked about it when I suggested the trip. But we're both adults — I was sixty-two, and she was forty-seven — and we needed this trip for our sanity, given everything around us. The week together was a chance to really get to know each other without work and negativity getting in the way. Turns out, we're great travel buddies. We both love hiking, sightseeing, early mornings, and not staying out too late. We enjoy a drink or two without overdoing it. Most importantly, we love being together.

One of the high points of our trip was Ivar's River Pub, right by the San Marcos River. It's a cozy spot to eat and have drinks. If you ever head that way, check out Ivar's. The food's great, the staff is friendly, and the river view is amazing! The picture is of Michelle from an overlook near Ivar's.

Sadly, the trip ended too soon. But we found out we have similar travel interests. The success of our San Marcos trip led to many more adventures together.

Moving on, no more mentioning the ex's, next week I'll talk about our engagement and wedding, followed a week later by the fun of buying a new manufactured home and getting it setup in a city ninety miles away during the COVID-19 shutdown.