Whining again

I'm a professional whiner. Practiced for more than 50 years.
Today I'm whining. I want to go home. I have a sick tummy. But how do you tell your boss, I'm sick. REALLY.
Oh, well.
It's cloudy outside. Big, heavy, black gray clouds. Fits with my mood. It is also Friday. I usually get excited to see Fridays.
But I have to work Saturday.
And in three weeks Jennica will be married to Tyler.
I remember when I found out I was pregnant with Jennica. It was on Halloween of 1986. Really.
And the doc said she would arrive on July 4.
Umm. Nope, I said. The kid would arrive three weeks early.
I was right. Doc was wrong. After all, she was baby No. 3 and Baby No.1, Terra and Baby No. 2, Chad were both born three weeks early. They share the same birthday. Terra will be 30 this year and Chad will be 28.
Of course I have two older children, who came with their dad. Brandon was our best man at age 5 at our wedding in 1979 and Nicole was one of the maid's of honor at age 3. I made sure her bouquet looked like mine, except with tiny flowers. Rod had custody of the kids.
I remember when I knew I loved him. We were already engaged. I got off work at the Utah School for the Blind at 10 p.m. where I worked as a dorm counselor, fancy name for baby-sitter. I drove all the way from 2nd Street in Ogden to Syracuse to see him. At that time it seemed like a long drive because there were few, if any houses on the roads. He opened the door, wearing basketball shorts and yellow rubber gloves to protect his hands while he did dishes. Behind him on the floor were stacks of neatly piled folded clothes.
He was so cute and I knew I loved him.
So when he is ticked off at me or I'm ticked off at him, I remember that night and what he looked like. He was so strong, but so vulnerable. He loved his children.
I just wanted to marry a man who would love my children. My father bailed out when I was five and my step-dad, well, that's a story for another day. One that I'm not ready to put in print yet.
So I hope when Jennica is thinking of dumping Tyler she remembers the day she knew she loved him.
I hope when Terra thinks of dumping Josh she remembers the day she knew she loved him.
I hope when Chad thinks of dumping Megan he remembers the day he knew he loved her.
I hope when Brandon thinks of dumping Ann he remembers the day he knew he loved her.
And I hope when Nicole thinks of dumping Corey she remembers the day she knew she loved him.
It's not the day they fell in love, but the day they KNEW.
It's different. Really. And it helps those days when all you want to do is whine.
Anyone got some cheese?