My Life part seven

Thinking about this blog 'series' and I've definitely left some things out, not consciously but in trying to keep things moving. So eventually I'll update/add some stuff.
So I'm married at thirty one. Living in a cool condo downtown and working at Channel 3, the NBC station (see, I mixed up traffic reporting which I didn't start doing yet with this tv gig). Anyway I'm 'vacation relief'' which means I do all kinds of stuff: still storer, teleprompter, master control, satellite control etc. And walk the picket line when we go on strike. I meet the gal who, to this day, cuts my hair - minus the years she spent working in NYC.  Back then she cut it in her apartment, as we shared a joint. Later she was make up and hair for many 'stars' including Gweneth and Marlo.
J and I had a belated honeymoon - three weeks in Europe, my first visit. It was spectacular - London, Paris, Spain and Portugal. We were lucky enough to know someone married to a Frenchman and living in Paris and spent two nights in a Parisian apartment - at the time I didn't appreciate it fully. They also showed us around a bit. Very cool. We rented a car apres and drove to San Sebastian stopping at a couple of rural villages and spending the night along the way. Portugal was great - we drove the Algarve stopping wherever we wanted, spending days on the beach and nights meeting people from all over the world and eating delicious seafood. Our frantic drive to Lisbon to make our flight was ridiculous - we ran thru the airport like manics, but got on the plane in time. It was a simpler time - we called home once from a pay phone, no internet etc.

Back to CLE and then I was working as a traffic reporter. Split shift and still singing in bands. Good thing I had the energy of youth. After five years I got pregnant with M and we decided to move to the 'burbs - Tremont was still pretty sketchy and not a place to walk with a baby. Altho our Newfoundland, Butch, was a pretty impressive walking partner and anyone even thinking of messing with me usually crossed the street when they saw him. 140 pounds of pure baby love, but I wasn't going to tell them that.  We found a great home, still live here, in the suburb where J was born and raised. Had three children in six years - crazy - and I was still reporting, altho only mornings now -and we didn't need any help cause J stayed home till I got here at 9:30. Back then he was dad in charge of breakfast, lunch making and taking/getting them to school.  The morning of 911 I was waiting to do a traffic cut in on the CBS morning news (by now I was a traffic reporter on both radio and tv) and they showed the plane flying into the tower. No cut in that day. I went home and watched tv and talked on the phone with my sister as we found out what was going on.
So rock and roll was out, parenthood in and we raised all three kids here. Good kids. One bout with anorexia. One gay coming out. So not always without drama, but pretty great. The toughest time was about 2006-7 when I left reporting and apprenticed (it's a two year process) as an appraiser. Market died and work/money was tight. It ended up fine, I like the flexibility and money I can earn now, but it was a low point emotionally for me.
smiling now,
L