In my younger years

I was picked on a lot when I was a little kid.  Back in the day bullying was part of life.  I got more than my fair share for sure.  I was a nerdy kid on what I later in life learned on the bipolar spectrum.  I got beat up a few times by the neighborhood bully.  He was a total shithead and probably still is because was stupid. 

In middle school I decided if someone was going to start something I was going to finish it and that served  me pretty well through high school.  I learned to fight back.  What I never really figure out is why some other nerd would pick on me.  I made it my point to insure they would never touch me again.

Bullying was just something we dealt with back in the day.  It may have been frowned upon but no one really did anything to stop it besides blame the one who was being picked on.  What was that about?  How about go fuck yourself?!?!

In college something changed.  I went from nerd to gaining confidence.  Started dating and bought my first sports car - it was a 1983 Rx-7 that I bought in 1992.  Decided college wasn't for me and dropped out.  Back in the day it was expected that one go from high school to college.  I didn't know what I wanted to and majored in just about everything in college for a partial semester and finally quit after being put on academic probation.  I didn't want to be there.  But my Dad did,  That was a difficult conversation and know for a fact that my Dad was hugely disappointed.  

The year was 1994.  I was working at the Disney Store in the local mall and a part time college student again.  I was happy and full of self-confidence.  Doing rather well in school but ended up quitting again.  I wasn't made for university and university wasn't made for me.  And neither one of us was going to bend,  

I met my wife while working at the Disney Store.  The year was 1995.  I was working the greeter position one evening and it was her first day.  When she walked in, she rocked my world - she captured my attention immediately.  She was assigned to working the children section.  During she shift, I vacated my greeter position and walked over to her in the children's section of the store. Smiled at her, stuck out my hand and said, "Hello - My name is KB,  That may not mean anything to you now, but it will later,"  I have no idea what came over me.  It was a flash of thunder and lightening bravado that only happened once in my life - never before and never again. We were both dating other people at the time.  We started out as co-workers for about 6 months.  I ended the relationship I was in and the relationship she was in ended.  We hit it off and dated for a year and got married in June of 1997.  I wish we had a picture of the first time we met in our disneystore uniforms at the children's pajama rack in front of plush mountain. 

I have a picture from our first trip to Disneyworld in front of the castle taken in 1996.  It was the 25th anniversary of Disneyworld in Florida.  25 years later we took the same picture for our 25th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Disneyworld.  Pretty neat.  It will be cool to take the same picture again for our 50 year anniversary and the 75th anniversary of Disneyworld.  75/100?  That would be something!