Thankfully I was never very good at math.
Posted by Ron

OK, I don’t really remember all of these years flying by but they certainly have.  I leave tomorrow to return to my “ancestral” home of Kenova, WV.  Why?  To attend my 50th high school reunion.  50th!  The last one I attended was the 10th and that seemed to be just a few years ago. This week Gayle I were at  a private dance lesson.  I never danced when I was in high school.  So I decided to change that for my reunion.  Our lovely teacher  could not believe I was old enough to be attending the 50th anniversary of my graduation from high school.  It was funny to watch her add up the numbers in her head.  I know I can barely add them myself anymore!  I can only thank her for noticing what seems obvious to me.  I’m too young to be attending a 50th anything!  Well, they say 60 is the new 40.  I hope that’s true.  Does that make 70 the new 50?  We’ll see in a couple of years.

There are a lot of numbers in that first paragraph.  Back to the real math, however.  Gayle is almost 15 years younger than me.  Why else would we be writing a May-December blog?  Here’s the frightening part!  As I was walking across the stage in that dark old auditorium at C-K High School, Gayle was not quite 4 years old!  Do the math, people!  That is definitely scarey!  So let’s check some chronological high points, keeping in mind the 15 year difference in our ages never changes.

1960 – I graduate from high school.  Gayle is being spoiled by her doting parents in Chicago.

1969 –   I graduate from college and have three children.  Gayle is still in Chicago and will be 12 in a few months.

1972 – Gayle’s dad has passed away at the age of 54 (less than two weeks age difference between him and her mother.)  Gayle and Goldie move to Dallas from Chicago.  I have just joined Gulf Oil in Pittsburgh, PA and am well on my way to a career in oil.  Gayle will soon be 15.

1981 – I move to Dallas and meet Gayle at the oil company where we both now work.  She is married and will soon be 24.  It was instant dislike on her part, by the way.  After all, I was “replacing” the boss they all loved.

1986 – In the years since 1981, I moved to Kansas City and a new oil company, left that company, and returned to Dallas.  It is November and Gayle and I have reconnected and are now getting married.  She must have overcome her dislike of me, although sometimes I’m not positive about that!

Now, skip forward to today.  June 20, 2010.  It’s almost exactly 50 years since I walked across that high school stage and Gayle and I will soon be married 24 years.  That’s another amazing mathematical fact since those years also seem to have been a blur.  I’m preparing to reunite with people I haven’t seen for 40 or 50 years.  I believe Gayle will be a surprise to them.  As I look at her sometimes she surprises me.  How on earth could I be lucky enough, and justify, being married to a woman who was 3 and a half years old when I last saw many of the people who will attend the reunion?  Like I said, I was lucky!  We waited until the age difference was no longer an issue (to us at least) and here we are, almost 24 years later.

Stay tuned. We will be posting and photo blogging as we walk down this long memory lane.  There will also be an intermediate stop in Kentucky to visit with 2 of our 4 kids and 8 of our 13 grandkids.  Aren’t numbers wonderful?

Posted by Gayle

This quote is right on for all of us!  Not just those of  who are May-December Lovers. Enjoy….

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.” – Gail Sheehy

Facebook | Gayle Luster

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Watch out!! We’re coming out of the closet!

Posted by Gayle

I officially feel like a kid in a candy store!!!  I am finding so many articles about May-December relationships.  A year ago I was lucky to find one a month and those were usually coming from the U.K.  I’m wondering if the new TV shows Modern Family and Cougar Town have generated more interest in age gap relationships.  Whatever the case may be, I am a happy camper.

Please take a moment to read what Mr. Dad has to say on the subject.  He is right on in my book!

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May Decembers are swimming in the mainstream more and more.

Posted by Gayle

I’m not exactly sure what to think about this clip.  What I do know is I’m very happy to see the topic of May-December dating coming out of the closet!  It’s great to hear it being discussed for real people – not just celebrities.

May December Dating | Relationship Blog.

It’s the Little Things

Gayle’s Post

What a special treat this morning’s awakening was!  Most mornings I get coffee and dogs thanks to Ron. What was once just a kind gesture has turned into a sweet ritual.  This morning when Ron brought me coffee accompanied by two of the cutest beagles ever, he informed me that I might be getting a day off. Why Lo and behold Irving, Texas is covered in beautiful pristine snow.  We Texans shut down the city when the white stuff shows up.  I’ve been piled up in bed with those dogs and hot mug of coffee ever since!

Ron can’t bring me snow everyday, but it’s the little random acts of kindness and the thoughtful rituals that bring life to our marriage after all these years.