Lynn’s Small Recollections & Reflections #9

Where Were We?

Oh, that’s right the summer of 1975!

Well if you think things couldn’t get crazier, buckle your seat belt.

While this post might be kind of boring, at least boring for me, there is so much more to come…..

My First Adult Boyfriend

Yes, I met a guy in the summer of 1975. He was older than me. He was a man!!

He owned his own business and he came into the loan company where I worked to bring applications for the customers who wanted to borrow money to buy furniture from the store that he owned.

He was charming and handsome. He was also balding and I was starstruck. Why I had a thing for men who are losing their hair? I have no idea.

I had a mad crush on Johnny Carson and Robert Redford and he was a cross between the two. I liked funny, balding and charming!!

Our First Date

I don’t remember where we went but I know that after the date, I wasn’t very impressed with him and he felt exactly the same way about me.

Then he needed a date for something a few weeks later and didn’t have anyone else to ask. I didn’t have anything better to do so we went on a second date.

For what ever reason? Maybe we weren’t trying as hard, maybe we were more relaxed but we fell in love. We rarely left each others side.

I moved out of my parent’s house and into a little studio apartment in Des Plaines, IL so that I had the freedom to come and go as I pleased.

Getting an Apartment with Laura

After a year in my little studio, my friend Laura (first high school friend) was looking for a roommate to share an apartment with.

Laura and I decided to get a proper apartment together. Two bedrooms, two baths. We signed a lease for a brand new apartment in Palatine, IL.

At this point I was working for the loan company at their corporate headquarters in Oak Brook , IL. It was about an hour drive from where we lived.

Laura was still hanging around with our old high school friends and I was having a great time doing things with them too.

The Effects on My Relationship

The relationship that I had was suffering. He was older and ready to settle down.

I met him when I was 18 and I still needed to figure out my life.

I quit my job as the commute was rough and I started working for my boyfriend. I think we both thought that this would bring us closer together.

Long story short, he broke up with me!

Dealing with a Hard Break-Up

I was devastated but I also knew that while he was ready for marriage, I was so far from that, it wasn’t even funny.

While the timing wasn’t right, he was definately the love of my life. I had both understanding and regret about us for years.

Our working together and breaking up also left me without a job.

Moving to Rockford

As luck would have it my cousin and her husband were also in the same business that I was leaving but in Rockford, IL.

They needed help with building a business just like I left and I had the inside track.

I packed my bags and moved to Rockford a little more than an hour from my current home.

It was actually a fun move. I had cousins, aunts, and uncles in Rockford so I had family around. I also found an old Victorian farmhouse in town that had an apartment on the first floor for rent.

I loved my little house.

The kitchen had old metal cabinets and an original farmhouse sink. There was a claw foot tub in the bathroom.

I had a huge kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom and I made another room my walk-in closet. It was perfect for me.

It was definitely a home that was decorated in my 70’s hipster (boho) style.

My first three apartments really brought out my love for design and making my little homes cozy and inviting.

PS

Interesting side note. When I turned 18 the laws in Illinois made it legal to drink wine and beer at 18. So my young adult life was very grown up in that I was able to go to bars and by wine when I was first living on my own.

When I turned 21 the law changed back to 21 for all alcohol. When reflecting on my early years, it was probably a good thing that they made it harder for young people to have so much access to alcohol.

On my blog Living Large in A Small House, I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. You can find my full Disclosure Policy HERE

#1 – The Introduction

#2 – My Parents and their Friends in the 60s

#3 – A Lonely Kid

#4 – The Day I Ran Away TO Home

#5 – The Tornado

#6 – Moving Away from My Friends

#7 – The Summer of 1975

#8 – Living with the Devil

As I find pictures I will update posts. This particular post only has one photo that I could find but I know others exist. I’m slowly but surely going through all of my old photos.

Sharing is caring!