The past...

Mom never really dwells in the past, because why? It's gone, it can't be changed, and more importantly, it really doesn't matter now.  It's a pretty freeing thing honestly, you should try it. Much less stress...

BUT, she was reflecting recently on her past relationships and how they all led her to where she is today....which is EXACTLY where she wants to be. Seriously, it was worth the wait.

She was looking back at all of her relationships and found that each one taught her some pretty valuable stuff...so here's a throw back to the crazy days.

The names have been changed to protect the identity of these strapping men who made her laugh...and really  appreciative of her current situation.

Young High School Love:  Four years of awkwardness, butterflies, and leaving to study abroad (which led to the ultimate demise of this relationship). Turns out though, getting over our heartbreak and staying friends paid off. Oh, and it turned out that he ultimately preferred boys in the end. 

French Guy 1: Rebound from high school love, which taught mom to slow her enthusiasm and not involve other people in her attempts to mask emotion. Sorry, French Guy 1. But they had pretty good time, mostly mom, who forced poor French guy to drive her around France for two years.

"I'm Technically Separated" Guy:  Mom's first intro to the real world. She wouldn't classify this as heartbreak, but more of a lesson in trusting your gut.  Needless to say, she learned a ton, and she also got pretty decent payback. Not really by intention, but retribution none the less. He was a chronic fib teller, and unfortunately, after 10 years, it's still the case.  Mom also learned it had NOTHING to do with her. But they had fun, and there are no hard feelings.

French Guy 2: Yea, she found another one. This guy was semi insane, but there was NEVER a dull moment.  They traveled and laughed a lot, but that insane part was a little too intense for mom...but he was super rich, which she apparently thought was cool at the age of 22. Mainly, she was just loving the awesome sushi dinners! 

Boat Guy:  Boat Guy was probably the most serious, but mom knew something was off.  He fit her perfect description physically, was a SUPER nice guy, friendly, funny, and successful, but he just didn't "get her."  Because, "I'm Technically Separated" guy taught her to trust her instinct, she did.  She regretted it at first, but then realized how smart she had been! That was a close one! Mom can't deal with no sense of humor...unfortunately, he just thought mom was a sarcastic jerk.

Ex Husband: Yup, mom was married briefly. Briefly, meaning LESS than note worthy, which is probably why you haven't heard about this debacle. He was a really great guy, just not for mom, who ignored her gut and got married because it was convenient and she thought she could grow to love the situation...and maybe him too. That clearly wasn't the case.  He was really mad at her...even up until a year ago or so. Lesson: let things go...it's better for your health.

Hot Headed Business Partner: Yet another rebound from the previous relationship.  Mom didn't learn the first time. She finally grew some self esteem, and realized that being ok alone really is the only way to be...in general.  They parted ways amicably and they still run their business together, despite the SAME issues that caused the doom of their relationship the first place.  Thankfully, 8,000 miles in between help.

Current Dude:  Well, he's been around forever.  Little did she know that 10 years of friendship would result in two kids and enough airplane rides around the world to make anyone go crazy. They actually met through High School Rave Guy and French Guy 1...in 2006.  So yea, Current Dude knows EVERYTHING, which is pretty cool, and he still loves mom for it.

Then there were the short in-between "relationships" that now make mom laugh out loud when she talks about them. She'll just list off some names and brief descriptions...

- The Alcoholic Navy Seal. Needless to say, mom caught on after seeing him steal a half empty drink while out and dinner with friends. Yikes.  Who does that?

- The "I'm going to get another girl's number right in front of your face" guy.  He's still single, shockingly.

- SNORE. Mom just couldn't deal with his nasal passage long term.

- 23.  Mom was just bored. But he made her laugh, and not because he was funny.

- 21.  He was SO nice and SO innocent. Like, mom felt so bad for ever even talking to the poor sap...

Mom had a LOT of fun between the ages of 17 and 29. But she says we are a whole different kind of fun!