The Beginning of a Great Adventure

My husband's brother Brian and his wife Maggie came to visit us in Portland. I love hanging out with these two. We made a day of it by going to a truly British Fish and Chip shop (my sister in law Maggie is Scottish and it got her seal of approval) and then watched Brian play rugby. It was a great day, and Maggie called me a week later to say how much fun she had. During our conversation she mentioned how much work she and Brian put in on Maggot Fest. Now, Maggot Fest if a huge semi-pro rugby gathering in Missoula, MT; sponsored by the Missoula's Semi-pro team named The Maggots. This is a big event that brings in teams from all over the US, Canada with The Maggots flying in a team from further away. I've have always wanted to go to this event. When Maggie mentioned how worried she was about this years event, I asked if she would like me to come and help. It just came out of my mouth.
Later that night, I talked to my husband about the possibility of going. We both decided that since I was unemployed, all I would need was gas money, and I had been trapped in the house since my surgery; it would be a good idea for a cheap vacation. I called Maggie and set it up. I was so happy! A change of scenery, a change of my mind set - which was getting pretty grim from searching for work - this was definitely a cure for my blues.
My husband Steve, mentioned to me that the first thing we had to do was update my IPod. Steve is the guy with 15,000 songs, we had to get a computer with a terabyte of memory just to deal with his music collection! So for him, updating an IPod is damn serious business, so I handed over mine.
Steve took it and disappeared into the office. For days. Meanwhile, I packed and got ready for my vacation. The night before I left Steve came out of the office with my IPod and informed me:
"I have made you some comps for your trip. You must listen to "The Road Flows Ahead" as you drive to Missoula. On your way home you must listen to "The Road Too" on your way home. "
Now, I was kind of looking forward to just listening to my little comp of my favorite dance tunes, but since Steve had worked so hard I decided to listen.
The morning of my trip, I stopped at my favorite bakery, got coffee and brioche. I got in the car, plugged in the IPod and started Steve's comp. The first song was by one of my favorite singer Lou Reed, the song was "Beginning of a Great Adventure" this was followed by another of my favorite jazz standards "Someone to Watch Over Me" and from there it kept getting better. It was like Steve had timed out my trip so the perfect music played at the perfect moment. Jazz came on through the most beautiful part of the Gorge. Hard rock while going through the boring vistas of The Dalles, beautiful esoteric music through the hills of Eastern Washington. Jazz, Metal, Classical, experimental all the music I loved filled my cars over the hours of my drive! It was the best soundtrack I could wish for.
Do you remember how you fell in love with John Cusack's character in High Fidelity? How romantic it was when he made comp. tapes; and that idea of a person taking the time to tell you how much they loved you through music. It was on this trip that I discovered that I was married to my own John Cusack. As the music played, I felt Steve's presence with me, felt his love for me in every song choice and I fell in love with my husband again.