I was helping Miimii with her college homework and leaning over a book to read. Lunch, who thought I was her husband, slowly climbed onto my back and made herself comfortable on the back of my neck. And then, in typical cat fashion, she fell asleep.

Around this time we found out we were leaving Fairchild Air Force Base, and Spokane, Washington, within a year. Miimii hated Spokane and we never enjoyed the area as we should have. Washington was gorgeous, and for the most part, we missed it, but I knew sacrifice was a big part of marriage. I knew that if I had to move to a crowded metropolitan area to apease Miimii, then I should. I hoped we could find a place we both liked and Miimii wouldn't be complaining incessantly about the lack of good shopping and employment.

Miimii was turning 26...so I bought her a little cake, took a silly photo when, across from the table, Moo was making a nuisance of herself on the chair. Miimii didn't look like she was approving of our overactive, hairy child.

On the table you see the only known photo of my camera's lense cap, which I lost in Paris on February 2, 2002...*sigh*

After a year of fighting, feeling trapped, I thought,"What could be more important than having our own children?" At the rate we were going, we'd be divorced soon. I couldn't allow Miimii to use donor sperm until I felt I'd exhausted all options at having our own children.
I phoned her and told her my plan. She reluctantly accepted it. I took $11,000 of our saving and made arrangements in Seattle for an operation by which a doctor would surgically remove my sperm (I had millions of them) and use invitro-fertilization on Miimii in an attempt to impregnate her. There was a 16% success rate on this procedure. We did a few trips to Seattle, which by now was almost like our second home, to arrange everything. I learned to give Miimii injections of fertility drugs and shuffled finances to set us up for this expensive procedure.