Wife Life

Hard to believe, but I have been a married woman for five weeks! Our life is pretty normal and calm, and I am loving it. I've been quiet here, so I guess it's time to catch up on the everydayness.
I am still working part time for the fraternity and for the funeral home, so I am finding myself busier than I want to be, especially with the holidays coming. I am trying to work my volunteering back into my schedule, but I haven't been too successful yet. You just can't keep adding things without taking something away, can you?

When I last wrote, we had just come back from our half honeymoon. Our car is still enjoying Wyoming, but we haven't seen it. This week we were finally going to pick it up, after the dealership called and said it was ready. All was well, the weather was good, and we were going to take a road trip. But they called us back to let us know it had failed the test drive, and now the transmission is out of commission......AGAIN.  At this point, we will likely decide to have it towed back to Iowa, rather than gamble on winter weather. I am hoping to to return to Laramie, even if only to visit The Second Story Bookstore again.

 This building was built in 1889 as a public hall, and was the site of many large concerts and dances. Some of the events were the Annual Brakeman's Ball, Machinist's Ball, and the Union Pacific Orchestra Gala. Wyoming was a Railroad Town!

The building became a hotel in the mid 1890's. Downtown Laramie was right in the middle of the Red Light District for several years, and all the little rooms and alcoves which are now filled with books were well used by the local cowboys and "soiled doves"

 The upstairs bookstore was renovated and rented to the owners in 1992. They have owned the building since 1995 and are delightful. This was the favorite place we visited on our half-a-moon. We have a love of books and book shops in common. (Remember, we had a book theme wedding!) We had our own version of books on tape on our trip. He drove and I read aloud. I haven't done this since my children were small. John loves to learn about World War II and airplanes, so our book was "Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe" by Robert Matzen. That's not a book I would have normally read, but I really enjoyed it. And now I know a lot about fighter pilots.  I would have probably picked a cozy British mystery. He usually reads non-fiction and biographies. We are a very well rounded couple. I am talking about our literary tastes, not our size, but, yeah, that, too.

Tune in again for "Wife Life: The Times and Adventures of an Elderly Newlywed"  Maybe someday people will be reading this aloud on road trips!