Background for Perspective

So, I was thinking as I was folding the laundry, weighing my bags (that's right, bagS. So sue me.), and wondering what I was forgetting, that this Kimber/Kimba person is something of an enigma to many of your reading this blog. Since you won't/can't fully understand the magnitude of the next 10 days until you know the whole story, let's tell it, shall we?

The year was 1985. I had just graduated from law school. Luke was 3. We moved to Dodge City and lived one block west of my mom on La Mesa. Dad was the district judge.

Kimber was the Hutchinson News Dodge City Bureau Chief. She was a recent graduate of Kansas State University and native of Wichita.

It must have been a slow news day because Kimber called and asked to do a story about me practicing law in my dad's district. Something clicked that day between us and we became fast friends.

We shared many, many laughs. Here are a few: while house sitting at my dad's (read: drinking his alcohol, eating his food and swimming in his pool), we called the PTL Club and made a sizable pledge in Donie's name. Of course we provided his name and address. Apparently, he got reminders to pay and follow up letters for quite some time afterwards. Then there was the time that I represented her in city court in Garden City (She did NOT run that stop sign. No. She did NOT. The police officer was clearly visually impaired. Blind as a bat. Not paying attention.). Kimber was found guilty but no fine imposed because her defense was so entertaining. As was her attorney. Or what about when we "helped" with a murder mystery weekend at the Cimarron Hotel, had too much to drink, one of us went skinny dipping in a farm pond (A FARM POND!) while the other one laughed when the cops came. Might I add at this point that I have never laughed so hard? Until I cried, that's how hard.

We took Luke to Colorado one summer and stayed in the Smith cabin in Green Mountain Falls. On that trip, we went to the ladies' room at the Broadmoor Hotel and were so impressed with the linen hand towels that we thought we needed a picture of them. Never one to be without a camera, I got ready to take the shot, when a drunk woman came in. She wanted in the photo, so I have a picture of Kimber, linen hand towels and some strange drunk woman. I think the poor drunk is still trying to convince people that she really had her picture taken in the bathroom that night!

I moved on to Ottawa University and Kimber moved to Oregon and we lost touch with each other. During the intervening years, we both lost our fathers, got married, I continued to raise Luke and she had 2 daughters.

When I started at Kansas State, I was going through files and found a KSU Collegian (the student newspaper) article about a bad rental property written by, you guessed it, Kimber Williams. That was in 2002. Seven years later, Kimber found me and I'll see her for the first time in 25 years tomorrow.

I can't think about Kimber without thinking about laughing and giggling and snorting and laughing and guffawing and laughing. Sometimes while sober. She and I are alike in many ways, not the least of which is that we have never met a stranger. I'm telling you, there is a book in here somw

Oh yeah. This trip has success written all over it.