And here's the story of how Jack and I met... warning - this long, and full of little details that may or may not interest you. They interest me, and they're part of my memories.
***************
I had been part of an internet based group of folks who ride the same kind of motorcycle I did. I'd met quite a few folks face to face over the couple of years that I'd been a member, always with Steve at my side, who was my husband at the time. He'd been dubbed by members of the group as The One Who Never Speaks. He never spoke, just observed.
Things went south in that relationship in the summer of 2001. We wanted different things out of life, and neither of us were the easiest to live with as a result. Shortly after we split up, I took a solo trip on my motorcycle. It started the healing process. Everyone should have something in their life that is therapeutic. At that time, riding was for me.
I had been invited to a barbecue in Georgia. Mind you, I lived in Ohio at the time. My friends said "Now, we know it's too far for you to come, but we wanted you to know that you'd be welcome..." I had some vacation time built up and took a little over a week of it. Then I made a comment on my motorcycle groups that I had a week, who wanted me? I know, that was a loaded question for a recently separated lady to ask a group that was primarily men.
I received a lot of offers, but chose people who I knew. Most of them I had met in person, others were married with respectable jobs and families. I made sure to take enough money with me that I could stay in a hotel if I ever got to a place that made me uncomfortable. The group was also very tight knit, and I knew that I'd be safe by staying with the well known list members.
First, I rode to Dalton, GA and stayed the night with a firefighter and his wife. From there, we all rode over to north east Georgia to the barbecue. We all stayed the night there, along with quite a few other folks who had come in. I managed to surprise a lot of people by being there. My next stop was to be in Charlotte, NC, to stay with a guy and his family that had helped me put my bike back together the year before.
One of the folks in Georgia told me while I was in the area, I *really* needed to check out a road that went from North Carolina into Tennessee - the Cherohala Skyway. It wouldn't be very far out of my way, and it was absolutely amazing. Lots of riders come from all over to check out this road - I'd heard about it from the members of the motorcycle groups I belonged to.
So I'm making my way across this road. It is a 50 mile road that goes over the mountains, reaches over 5,000 feet in altitude. There are a lot of places to pull over on the road to take in the scenery. I stopped at every one of them. With every stop, I fell more and more in love with where I was. There was a peacefulness and a beauty that I'd never found anywhere, any time before. I didn't know it at the time, but I really do think it was God's way of telling me where I belonged. By the time I was halfway across the road, I'd made up my mind that I was going to move there, maybe close to my friends in Georgia who weren't too far away.
I'd been keeping my groups updated on where I was, where I was headed, and they all knew I was going to be wearing a school bus yellow riding jacket and had a huge black motorcycle that was kind of rare. One of the groups I belong to has always stressed the importance of wearing good protective gear - full faced helmets, armored riding jackets or suits, gloves, good boots, that kind of stuff. They all knew where I was going to be heading that way on that day.
The Cherohala Skyway ends on the TN side in Tellico Plains. From there, I had to basically turn around and head back east on a different road to get to where I was supposed to stay the night. Once I'd crossed the road and turned off to head in the right direction, I was passed by a rider going the other way. He beeped and waved, I beeped and waved back. I remember thinking "I probably know that guy", but couldn't for the life of me remember who lived in the Tellico Plains area.
I toodled along on my merry way, wondering who it was, but not really expecting to find out until that night when I checked my email and found the person saying "I think I passed Lori today...". The next thing I now, that same person beeped, waved, and passed me, going the same direction, and the chase was on. I followed him to a church parking lot and stopped with him. If I hadn't already had the thought that I probably knew the guy, I wouldn't have stopped, but I was curious about who it was that had turned around to run me down.
We got stopped and got our helmets off. I remember the first thing I notice were warm, hazel eyes. Smiling eyes. Then a friendly, rugged face that was genuinely happy to see me. He stuck his hand out and said "Hi, I'm Jack Hunt. You must be Lori Lovejoy." We chatted for a few moments, he warned me about a place to watch out for speedtraps, and then we were both on our way.
I went on with my trip. I stayed that night just outside of Charlotte, NC. The next night was in Bethesda, MD, with a guy who works for the FDA and his wife. She's from Texas and makes a mean taco. I met a couple other new folks that night.
From MD, I went on to Newport, RI, and stayed with one of the guys who helped to pay for the motor in my bike, and his girlfriend. After RI, I rode up to the middle of Maine and stayed at Piper Pond with a retired engineer and his wife. He had the ultimate setup - a barn full of bikes, and lived right on the edge of a gorgeous pond. If it weren't for the ultra short riding season there...
From Maine, I rode south and met up with another guy on the group, who rode with me as far as the New York state line. I stayed that night in Stanton, NY, then went on to Pittsburgh for the next night and stayed with a couple I'd met at a group gathering or two. After that, I went on home, figuring it was time.
I rode over 4,000 miles in 8 days. I put a lot of faces with names on the internet. It was a very fun trip, and I had a lot of time to think about things. I saw new places and revisited places I'd lived when I was little. I was a lot more at peace with my life than I was when I left.
When I got home, I couldn't get the north Georgia/SE Tennessee area off my mind. It was stuck there, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew I was going to move there. I started talking more with my friends in the area, getting a feel for the job market and how much it cost to live there, that kind of stuff.
The guy that I stayed with in Maine made a comment on our group list about how Jack should have to pay a special tax because of the great place that he lived. I quoted that and wrote to Jack privately and said something to the effect that I didn't realize he lived in such a prime location and asked if he wanted a room-mate. It was a light-hearted attempt to be friendly. I still remembered his eyes and how friendly and warm they were, but I wasn't looking for anything more than a friend.
He wrote back with a long explanation of how he'd been through a horrible marriage and divorce and had been living alone for a long time and wasn't sure he wanted to try again, but he thought it was time and he was wondering if there was anybody out there for him and .... it was pretty long, and pretty deep stuff. He ended it with an apology, saying he didn't mean to lay all that on me.
I remember this so clearly... I wrote back these words - "You never know, we could be made for each other and just not know it yet." From that point on, we emailed back and forth daily, sometimes several times a day. It got to where I was anxious to make it home to check my email to see what he had to say. We had so much in common. We had a lot of the same ideas about life, relationships, what we wanted in a life partner, all kinds of stuff.
Then came 9/11/2001. I was in an internet chat room when the planes hit. The first person I thought of to call was Jack. Our first real voice-to-voice conversation was that day. I guess you could say that was the beginning of our deeper relationship, the beginning of what we have now. We finish each other's sentences, give voice to the other's thoughts. We'll be married for 3 years this May. It feels like it's been forever, in a good way. We just fit together in so many ways, so well. I am so blessed.
I had been invited to a barbecue in Georgia. Mind you, I lived in Ohio at the time. My friends said "Now, we know it's too far for you to come, but we wanted you to know that you'd be welcome..." I had some vacation time built up and took a little over a week of it. Then I made a comment on my motorcycle groups that I had a week, who wanted me? I know, that was a loaded question for a recently separated lady to ask a group that was primarily men.
I received a lot of offers, but chose people who I knew. Most of them I had met in person, others were married with respectable jobs and families. I made sure to take enough money with me that I could stay in a hotel if I ever got to a place that made me uncomfortable. The group was also very tight knit, and I knew that I'd be safe by staying with the well known list members.
First, I rode to Dalton, GA and stayed the night with a firefighter and his wife. From there, we all rode over to north east Georgia to the barbecue. We all stayed the night there, along with quite a few other folks who had come in. I managed to surprise a lot of people by being there. My next stop was to be in Charlotte, NC, to stay with a guy and his family that had helped me put my bike back together the year before.
One of the folks in Georgia told me while I was in the area, I *really* needed to check out a road that went from North Carolina into Tennessee - the Cherohala Skyway. It wouldn't be very far out of my way, and it was absolutely amazing. Lots of riders come from all over to check out this road - I'd heard about it from the members of the motorcycle groups I belonged to.
So I'm making my way across this road. It is a 50 mile road that goes over the mountains, reaches over 5,000 feet in altitude. There are a lot of places to pull over on the road to take in the scenery. I stopped at every one of them. With every stop, I fell more and more in love with where I was. There was a peacefulness and a beauty that I'd never found anywhere, any time before. I didn't know it at the time, but I really do think it was God's way of telling me where I belonged. By the time I was halfway across the road, I'd made up my mind that I was going to move there, maybe close to my friends in Georgia who weren't too far away.
I'd been keeping my groups updated on where I was, where I was headed, and they all knew I was going to be wearing a school bus yellow riding jacket and had a huge black motorcycle that was kind of rare. One of the groups I belong to has always stressed the importance of wearing good protective gear - full faced helmets, armored riding jackets or suits, gloves, good boots, that kind of stuff. They all knew where I was going to be heading that way on that day.
The Cherohala Skyway ends on the TN side in Tellico Plains. From there, I had to basically turn around and head back east on a different road to get to where I was supposed to stay the night. Once I'd crossed the road and turned off to head in the right direction, I was passed by a rider going the other way. He beeped and waved, I beeped and waved back. I remember thinking "I probably know that guy", but couldn't for the life of me remember who lived in the Tellico Plains area.
I toodled along on my merry way, wondering who it was, but not really expecting to find out until that night when I checked my email and found the person saying "I think I passed Lori today...". The next thing I now, that same person beeped, waved, and passed me, going the same direction, and the chase was on. I followed him to a church parking lot and stopped with him. If I hadn't already had the thought that I probably knew the guy, I wouldn't have stopped, but I was curious about who it was that had turned around to run me down.
We got stopped and got our helmets off. I remember the first thing I notice were warm, hazel eyes. Smiling eyes. Then a friendly, rugged face that was genuinely happy to see me. He stuck his hand out and said "Hi, I'm Jack Hunt. You must be Lori Lovejoy." We chatted for a few moments, he warned me about a place to watch out for speedtraps, and then we were both on our way.
I went on with my trip. I stayed that night just outside of Charlotte, NC. The next night was in Bethesda, MD, with a guy who works for the FDA and his wife. She's from Texas and makes a mean taco. I met a couple other new folks that night.
From MD, I went on to Newport, RI, and stayed with one of the guys who helped to pay for the motor in my bike, and his girlfriend. After RI, I rode up to the middle of Maine and stayed at Piper Pond with a retired engineer and his wife. He had the ultimate setup - a barn full of bikes, and lived right on the edge of a gorgeous pond. If it weren't for the ultra short riding season there...
From Maine, I rode south and met up with another guy on the group, who rode with me as far as the New York state line. I stayed that night in Stanton, NY, then went on to Pittsburgh for the next night and stayed with a couple I'd met at a group gathering or two. After that, I went on home, figuring it was time.
I rode over 4,000 miles in 8 days. I put a lot of faces with names on the internet. It was a very fun trip, and I had a lot of time to think about things. I saw new places and revisited places I'd lived when I was little. I was a lot more at peace with my life than I was when I left.
When I got home, I couldn't get the north Georgia/SE Tennessee area off my mind. It was stuck there, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew I was going to move there. I started talking more with my friends in the area, getting a feel for the job market and how much it cost to live there, that kind of stuff.
The guy that I stayed with in Maine made a comment on our group list about how Jack should have to pay a special tax because of the great place that he lived. I quoted that and wrote to Jack privately and said something to the effect that I didn't realize he lived in such a prime location and asked if he wanted a room-mate. It was a light-hearted attempt to be friendly. I still remembered his eyes and how friendly and warm they were, but I wasn't looking for anything more than a friend.
He wrote back with a long explanation of how he'd been through a horrible marriage and divorce and had been living alone for a long time and wasn't sure he wanted to try again, but he thought it was time and he was wondering if there was anybody out there for him and .... it was pretty long, and pretty deep stuff. He ended it with an apology, saying he didn't mean to lay all that on me.
I remember this so clearly... I wrote back these words - "You never know, we could be made for each other and just not know it yet." From that point on, we emailed back and forth daily, sometimes several times a day. It got to where I was anxious to make it home to check my email to see what he had to say. We had so much in common. We had a lot of the same ideas about life, relationships, what we wanted in a life partner, all kinds of stuff.
Then came 9/11/2001. I was in an internet chat room when the planes hit. The first person I thought of to call was Jack. Our first real voice-to-voice conversation was that day. I guess you could say that was the beginning of our deeper relationship, the beginning of what we have now. We finish each other's sentences, give voice to the other's thoughts. We'll be married for 3 years this May. It feels like it's been forever, in a good way. We just fit together in so many ways, so well. I am so blessed.
1 comments:
mushy. gushy. BEAUTIFUL.
And just when do you think that you and jack might motor west? I'd love to meet him and see you again. We'll be home for Christmas I think. If I don't kill my Mom the next time she comes out here. Sigh.
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