She was the most complicated person I knew---on the outside, but also the warmest, and simple on the inside.
She spoke her mind no matter what and even if it hurt she always told the truth. With her there was no holding back. If you didn't know her, at first you wouldn't like her, but five minutes after a brief conversation or small disagreement, you knew that there was nothing that you couldn't love about her.
Though stern and stubborn in her own views, I always respected her. She was always the same person, every time you saw her, she never changed for anyone. She was the most real person I will ever have the honor of having a part in my life.
When Rhiannon and I moved in together, I moved all my things in one day and two days later, I was back on the road. The next time I came home, we were having a little housewarming party/birthday party (our birthdays were only 3 weeks apart so we combined the party). She failed to tell me that the vacuum cleaner was being testy and I cleaned the day of the party. When vacuuming I noticed that it was a little hard to push, so I adjusted the settings and went on about my business.
The party was a hit of course, the carpet was nice and clean, the house was immaculate. Everyone had a great time, some too great! :-)
A few days later, I'm back on the road, and I get a phone call. It was Rhiannon calling to let me know that I had broken the vacuum cleaner and that I was going to pay to get it fixed. Come to find out, that little wheel that goes around and around while you're vacuuming , well, it had gotten so hot that it had fused itself to the vacuum and now it would do nothing. I really had no idea there was a problem and Rhiannon never let me live it down. She always cracked jokes when it was my turn to vacuum. Of course, I paid the bill and Mike installed the new wheel and we all lived happily ever after.....but, I'm still a little wary about vacuum cleaners. But hey, we all got a laugh in the end, and it only cost me $30. :-)
I really did love her. She was the greatest.