The first time I had a conversation with David was the second time he dropped by the sandwich shop where I worked.  His large hands were lightly clasped together on top of the high counter.  Deep in the creases of his hands I noticed what looked like engine grease.  I asked him if he worked on cars.  He admitted that he liked to work on engines.  I was attracted to that.  I liked that he knew how things worked and how to fix them.  I instantly loved his hands.

During that brief and awkward conversation (we went on to discuss the classes we were signed up to take that freshman year) I noticed his wild and crazy hair.  It was long, black and curly back then.  His hair was one of the features about his face that I loved (besides his eyes and his lips). 

Dave just celebrated his 37th birthday.  It has been 19 years since I met him.  I've known him longer than I haven't.  I have noticed that some things change (like wild and crazy hair), and some things don't (like greasy hands).  That is just how it goes and it is okay.  

We had a before school birthday party with the kids to celebrate Dave's birthday and an after work scooter ride down to La Dolce Vita with several friends.  It was our first scooter ride of the season.  Riding together...that's something else that hasn't change.  

Happy Birthday Dave!  How about 37 more?