Happy Birthday, Samantha!!! Love, love, love, Teresa

My History with Sam

I don't keep a journal like I know Sam does (via blogging these days), but I remember how I met Sam and how our relationship developed. Some of what I remember is included below in celebration of Samantha's 40th & as a reminder to her about how much I love her & how happy I am she is in my life.

Laramie 1995
I first met Sam at the University of Wyoming Conference on English in June of 1995 when she answered Marlene's question "Who needs a ride?" with a "Us!!" and came and jumped into the car. During the conference after that moment we were hardly ever separated. Few images remain, but here's one that captures the Sam of 1995 (I think she copped the beer can from somebody else for that authentic look).

The days of the conference were filled with jokes & drinking & somewhere in there we all did our papers for the conference, too. The conference culminated with an open-bar reception, which our group followed up with a trip to The Cowboy, a bar in Laramie that needs no explanation; I think the name says it all. We were all still in our suits & gewgaws from the conference but managed to get so drunk that we could hardly move the next day. Sam was maybe the only wise one who didn't get toe-down drunk that night (if I remember correctly).

San Diego 1998
I next saw Sam--and Marlene!!--in San Francisco right at the end of 1998. Marlene had a room for MLA in one of the conference hotels because her university was hiring and she was on the hiring committee. The room was a suite because it was the place where the committee held its interviews. Sam and I would roll out of bed whenever we were ready to, while Marlene would be up early conducting interviews in the other room. I don't know how many of Mar's colleagues Sam & I met while we were still in our pajamas, hair in full bed-head mode. In fact, Sam remarked that we were like Mar's kept women: Mar was next door doing all the work & we were lounging about in our sleepwear in the posh room, being waited on.

Sam & I also got to tour the city, one I had never visited before. We walked a lot, down to the wharf & to the Castro. We got to talk a lot, too. Sam & David had been dating a little while at this time & I was in the midst of a relationship, so there was much to discuss. Here's a picture of Sam being Sam:


[Ill-fated trip to Daytona Beach elided here 'cuz an ex-partner of mine who will remain nameless nearly ruined it. Also, I can't find my pictures. Memorable lines from this trip include "It's a Kimono Dragon!!" & "They're wild pigs!!"]

San Diego Summer 1999
My first visit to San Diego was, of course, courtesy of Samantha. This was after she and David had been dating and had just moved in together. Marlene and my ex also made the trip. Luckily my ex ditched us most of the time, & we three got to spend lots of time together. There was hiking, which included meeting "Steven Spielberg," Marlene telling me she could "polarize the fuck out of that cliff" when asked for some technical advice on photography, and the dance moves seen below.

We also went the beach (forgive me for not remembering the name, Sam, especially since you've taken me there twice) and played on trees that inspired Dr. Seuss.

Mar & Sam are truly two babes:

San Diego 2001: Sam and David's Wedding
Sam and David's wedding was the reason for my next trip to San Diego. Sam took the day off two days before the wedding for--yes!--more hiking and general hanging around with Marlene & me. We paused for pictures before heading out.

We also got a preview of the wedding dress.

On the day of the wedding Marlene & I headed out for lunch for ourselves and the bride. Luckily, there was good fast food nearby. I still keep this magnet on my refrigerator.

I'm glad we weren't gone long enough to miss Samantha getting her dress on & modeling it for the assembled crowd of female friends & family. I have many more pictures from right before the wedding but just couldn't scan them all for this blog.

The night of the wedding was, naturally, a blast. Sam & David danced the night away among people who were there for no other reason than to celebrate the happy couple's love and our love for them. I'm happy & proud to say I was there!

San Diego, Summer of 2002
Comicon!!! Yes! I finally got the chance to attend this event that Sam had kept me updated on through the years. I must've taken 20 pictures of Joss Whedon & still prize my Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster signed by the man himself.

The best part of the trip, though, was the time I got to spend with Sam--and David, too!! Every suggestion Sam made about things we could do was perfect, & I enjoyed each outing. We went to Tecate, Mexico, ate wonderful & wonderfully cheap Mexican cookies, toured the brewery, ate tacos in what was little more than a stand on the street, and tested out David's immigration status. This was the first time he had been able to leave the country since his arrival!

Then there was the lemon martini & karaoke night. Many more and more drunken pictures exist but I do want to continue to be Sam's friend. I did a few songs, myself. During my rendition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," Sam repeatedly asked me, "What are you doing?!?" Obviously she wasn't into my Axl Rose impersonation.

We traveled to the Hotel Del. We walked around the building & on the beach. I can't really remember all the things we saw and did there, except for the fact that we talked the whole time, about relationships & family. It seems every time we meet that we talk about the same issues but with different &, I hope, better perspective. I always learn something when I'm with Sam, something important about, well, life. And this was particularly important on this trip because I was at the start of a new & glorious relationship, so I talked Sam's ear off.

We tried to travel to Orange County, but a wreck on the interstate cut that trip short. We turned around at a closed rest area along with about 1000 other people.

We took a boat ride in the bay & I got to take lots & lots & lots pictures of the Cornonado bridge. Lots. But here's my favorite. I was gonna put a red sports car into the picture, on the bridge & a body falling over into the water. 'Cuz now that I'm a huge Veronica Mars fan, I love yelling out things like "I've been there!!" when I'm watching the show. And this is just about where Lynn Echols killed herself.

On the same day, we rode a merry-go-round on which Sam made the greatest faces ever. Here's just one example:

And Sam took me back to that beach that I can't remember the name of for another beautiful day.

Anniston, Alabama, March 2004
Sam came to visit me over Spring Break in 2004. I don't think Alabama surprised her, though she was particularly disappointed with downtown Anniston on a Friday night. Not much was going on. We did find a Dollar General store that was selling grave markers made from styrofoam, plastic, and fake flowers. I think Sam took pictures. Also, few of the mannequins in the store window had all their fingers, another Alabama highlight.

We did have fun hiking--Samantha even waded across a stream in her bare feet--and, in Birmingham, going to the Civil Rights Institute. After this, we ate at a place called Jim & Nick's 11th Avenue Grill, where Sam was heard to remark "This is the best meal I've ever had" about her brisket & fried apples.

Also, I am proud to say that Sam got her first experience raking leaves in my yard. Again, I think Sam has pictures. I regret to this day, however, that I didn't take Sam to see one of Anniston's claims to fame, the world's largest office chair. No, seriously, this is a claim to fame, along with being named "Toxic Town" most recently by 60 Minutes in 2002.

Summer 2006
This summer we were supposed to get together again. A proposed Memorial Day trip, that would've also included my partner, Marlene, & Jacob fell through. And then a trip to Cancun just turned out not to be quite the right venue for us all to get together. So much has happened with Samantha & David over the past few years that I desperately want to catch up face-to-face. Jarrah has entered their lives, and though I do read Sam's blog sometimes, it's still not the same. Maybe soon that get-together will happen?

Anyway, happy birthday, Sam! Know that I love you & wish I could be there for the big day.