Judge Rob Junell and his wife's wildest dreams

I was flattered while in Kerrville when federal district judge and former Texas House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rob Junell came up to introduce himself and declared himself a blog reader. He first began reading blogs, he said, because Eileen Smith of In the Pink Texas was a staffer of his at the Legislature, and he'd stumbled onto Grits thanks to her, he said. (The judge asked me to tell her "hello," so "Hello, Eileen.")

Junell told a story during one of the workshops that cracked me up and I thought I'd share it. When he was first appointed to the federal bench, he said, he came home one night to the missus and bragged to her about the authority of his new position. I'm making life altering decisions every day, he told her, and everyone gives me so much respect. When I walk into the room everyone stands until I'm seated, and they all stand up whenever I leave. When I speak the courtroom becomes quiet as a tomb and everone pays close attention, he said. Honey, did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine you'd be married to someone so powerful?

"Rob," his wife replied, "you aren't in my wildest dreams."