The next man....

Thirty years ago, I was a 25 year old single woman who owned my own home and had just bought my first brand new car (here's a good description and photos on another blog http://mjgradziel.com/honda.html). I had already worked for IBM for nearly 4 years at this point and had just returned from a six week trip to Israel and Europe where I traveled alone with stays with friends in Jerusalem, London, the Netherlands and Antwerp.

In telling our story through the years I have often joked that when I got home from my trip, that I had vowed to marry the next man I met but it wasn't quite that simple.

Wow, 30 years.

So I just passed the 30 year anniversary yesterday of my first day at IBM. It was in Rochester, MN, and I was immediately told to head for CA. I had rented an apartment already and had not realized I would be leaving so soon. I had been told about the temp assignment but did not know it would come so quickly. I was able to get out of the rental though and packed my stuff to go. I guess they gave me a week to get out there, because I drove in my 1973 Mercury Capri pulling my Honda 350 on the trailer my Father built for me. I had shipped my big items, like my stereo equipment.

I took a northern route through North Dakota and drove through Glacier National Park on the northern border of Montana, then down through Oregon. I remember driving along the northern border of Oregon and being able to see Mt. Hood on one side and Mt. St. Helens (pre-eruption) on the other.

Little did I know then what California had in store for my future.

Our paths are about to cross....

Thirty years ago, today, Geoff began working at IBM in Rochester, MN and he learned that he would be sent immediately out to San Jose for a one year assignment.

Meanwhile, Ellyn had been working for IBM for nearly four years in San Jose.

The plot thickens.....

It started in June 1977

In a few weeks, it will be the 30 years since our chance meeting at IBM. And now it's been 4 homes, 2 sons, 5 additional Star Wars episodes, and countless stories to tell.

We'll be adding to this blog throughout the weeks leading up to our April 16, 2008 30th Anniversary so we can share some of our stories with our family and friends. We'll try to keep them short and maybe even a little interesting.