Corduroy Suit, Cowboy Boots, and a Green Velvet Dress

Kathy said, “Come join my family and me for Christmas.”

I was 23 years old, and I'd never spent Christmas away from my family. Now I was going to travel from Mobile, Alabama, to Denver, Colorado, to be with the Neslunds.

The Brown Corduroy Suit

One month earlier, just before Thanksgiving 1976, I met the love of my life. I was installing software and traini…