Lunch Date at the Student Union . . .

Bob and I both went to college right here in Bozeman at Montana State University. We didn't know each other then as he had graduated before I started.

Bob got his undergraduate degree in 1960 and then went into the Army and ended up in Yuma in the summer and Alaska in the winter for most of his time. He worked in R&D for climatic extremes for testing wheeled and tracked vehicles. I guess that is why he was in Arizona in the summer and northern Alaska in the winter. I always thought that was strange.

I graduated in 1968 with my undergraduate degree from MSU and then came back and got my masters degree in 1978. Bob actually worked on campus for a few years in between those times after he was out of the army, but our paths never once crossed on campus. I first met Bob while I was a teacher in Helena and he was working for state government there. We actually dated for a year (35 years ago?) and then we went our separate ways. My life took me to Billings and then on to Denver where I lived for many years. We reconnected about 18 years ago when I was traveling through from Colorado. We have been married almost 17 years.

Anyway, back to the date today. We went to the Student Union - well I guess the building is called the Strand Union Building. This recent picture (borrowed from the MSU website as there is only snow everywhere now) is what is looked like when we were both on campus. It has been remodeled several times and there are lots of additions on the back, but the front still looks the same. Inside it is very nice and very different from how it looked all of those years ago. There are lots of restaurant choices with a food court and we selected what we wanted and enjoyed the ambiance of the young finishing their first week of classes and preparing for a three day weekend. After lunch we shopped in the bookstore and then stopped at the coffee shop for a coffee before heading out. It was a very special afternoon for us both.

We go to lots of activities on campus, but we have not "gone back in time" before today. We both left campus feeling very blessed and very much in love.