High School Sweethearts, Love Was So Brand New, by Lorine

After we graduated from SHS, I went off to Florida State to major in English and Ray started at the University of New Orleans. He then decided that he wanted to transfer to FSU and joined the Air Force Reserve to get some start-up money to go. He was a jet engine mechanic before coming over to FSU our sophomore year.

Ray majored in accounting, and we both went to graduate school right after getting our bachelor’s. He went for a master’s in accounting and I went for a MS in higher education administration. I had spent a lot of time working in residence halls and in student affairs, so higher ed interested me.

We got married June 29, 1991, and our first home was in a dorm at FSU that Ray was running to finish putting himself through school. In January 1992, we moved to New York City and packed all our belongings, including two mewing kittens, in a Mazda RX-7. Ray trained there for six months with Salomon Brothers while they were building a new building in Tampa, Florida. We were living the good life—corporate apartment, stipend, etc.—and took advantage of seeing all the sights.

In June 1992, we moved to Tampa, and then in 1996, Ray’s boss got transferred to run Salomon’s London office and we signed on for the adventure. We sold our house, sold our car, put a lot of stuff in storage, and put three cats through rabies quarantine for six months. While there, I worked for an American university’s study abroad program. We saw a lot when we were there, and I tried to soak it all in as much as possible. Then despite the fact that we no longer lived in a comfortable house, but in a tiny flat, we suddenly wanted a baby and baby Grace was born February 4, 1998, in London.

Then I got homesick! It’s weird; despite the fact that the British speak English, there is a real cultural difference. You miss the weirdest things like sweet iced tea and Oreos. I would have anyone who was coming over to visit bring us goodies from the States. But I think the real thing that did me in was being so far away from family with a new baby.

So we moved back. We couldn’t move back to Florida, though, because Salomon had closed that office, so we had to go back to New York City. It wasn’t as charming the second time around, so we only lasted a year and then we were willing to move anywhere! Ray got a job with Bank of America in Charlotte, NC, and we have now been here seven years. Ray has had a variety of jobs there but now runs Corporate Treasury Operations. Don’t ask me what it is!

Soon after moving to Charlotte, we had our second daughter, Sophie, and settled into family life. Charlotte is such a great place to raise kids. The girls are now in second grade and kindergarten and both do dance. This is Grace’s first year on a competitive team. Grace has also done well with writing and recently won several writing awards on the local, state, and national levels for a story she wrote about how we found cat #4. Oh yes, we also have a one-year-old golden retriever. We practically have our own zoo.

I am involved with volunteering at the kids’ school and spend four afternoons a week at the dance studio with them. I have no real plans on returning to “paid” work because I know the girls won’t be small for long. I still can’t believe we have an eight-year-old and a six-year-old.

We’re looking forward to the reunion and seeing Slidell. The last time we were there was about eight years ago, so I know it’s changed.