Our Story
"Here's the story, of a lovely lady..."
Jimmy
I graduated Owatonna Senior High School in 2000. I thought I could be a computer animator, so I went to a school in Minneapolis for it. After 9 months, saving you from the details, I didn't think that computer animation was the right path. So, I worked different jobs after that. I then joined the MN National Guard in August 2003, after meeting a coniving (not really) recruiter at the SCFF. I went to Basic in Feb. 2004, AIT April through June, and 4 months after all the training, I was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom for 23 months. I was, and I am still a Shadow UAV Mech/Tech in a Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Platoon. My National Guard Training weekends are conducted mainly in Camp Ripley now.
I worked for Verizon Wireless as a "Can you Hear me Now?" guy for about a year. After that I got called up by some guy asking me if I would like to be a Hunter UAV guy in Iraq as a civilian contractor. At first I said no, but after a little thought I decided it was a good opportunity to make some extra money to pay off the bills and the wedding. So I had to go to training in Arizona for a couple months. Now I have been in Iraq working on an entireley contractor operated Hunter UAV system since February 2008 and I will be here for a year including a couple 2 week vacations. I am a crew chief/mechanical/technical systems maintainer so I don't fly them, I just maintain the planes.
Kelly
I graduated Owatonna Senior High School in 2001. I went on to college at South Central Technical College in North Mankato, MN. While attending college I did an internship with Starr Design and worked with them throughout the summer as a CAD Drafter. After finishing college I worked up in the cities as a drafter. I worked on mostly residential and some small commercial buildings too. I gave up the drive to the cities a couple of years ago when I stumbled across a job at home. I have been designing kitchens at Lowes in Owatonna ever since.
Meeting Jimmy
I have known Jimmy's Brother Chris since first grade. We were in the same class together, and we graduated together too. Well, as we got older in highschool and in college I went to the Harbal's bonfires during the summer. They always had a computer set up with speakers to play music and I usually saw Jimmy there too. He was always on the computer trying to figure out which song to play next.
One night Chris had invited a bunch of people to go bowling. So, I went bowling with everyone that night. I remember Jimmy coming and sitting down next to me and we started talking about school, and drafting classes that we took, in between our turns to bowl. Well, it was freezing cold at the bowling alley that night, which I get cold easy. Anyways, Jimmy noticed that I was cold and he offered me his classic black leather jacket to wear that night. Of course as soon as he offered me his jacket Chris overheard and told him to stop flirting with me. I went home that night, my mom still remembers this; I woke her up just to tell her how sweet Chris's older brother was. I was really impressed that he had offered me his jacket to wear.
Fast forward a few years and I was setting up my new myspace account, and looking for people to add. I came across Jimmy's page and I had seen that he was in Iraq so I thought I would write to say hi. From there we started writing each other everyday. When he got back home from Iraq in 2006 I went to his welcome home party, a bonfire at the Harbal house, and after that he asked me out on a date, and we have been together ever since.
