diff --git a/add.go b/add.go
index 96df708..25b6248 100644
--- a/add.go
+++ b/add.go
@@ -125,6 +125,6 @@ func (c *Cluster) BlankFields() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *Cluster) AppendEvent(e *Event) {
-	c.Events = append(c.Events, e)
+func (epb *Events) AppendEvent(e *Event) {
+	epb.Events = append(epb.Events, e)
 }
diff --git a/change.go b/change.go
index f7e57a3..3a788af 100644
--- a/change.go
+++ b/change.go
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func (c *Cluster) ChangeDropletState(d *Droplet, newState DropletState) error {
 	now := time.Now()
 	e.Start = timestamppb.New(now)
 
-	c.Events = append(c.Events, e)
+	c.E.Events = append(c.E.Events, e)
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func (c *Cluster) DropletMoved(d *Droplet, newh *Hypervisor) error {
 	now := time.Now()
 	e.Start = timestamppb.New(now)
 
-	c.Events = append(c.Events, e)
+	c.E.Events = append(c.E.Events, e)
 
 	// update the droplet record
 	d.CurrentHypervisor = newh.Hostname
diff --git a/cluster.proto b/cluster.proto
index 0d07d5a..0c2616d 100644
--- a/cluster.proto
+++ b/cluster.proto
@@ -8,7 +8,12 @@ import "event.proto";
 message Cluster {
         int64 id = 1;
         repeated string dirs = 2;
+
 	repeated Droplet droplets = 3;
 	repeated Hypervisor hypervisors = 4;
-	repeated Event events = 5;
+	// repeated Event events = 5;
+
+        Droplets d = 6;
+        Hypervisors h = 7;
+        Events e = 8;
 }
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 5528731..1d7ca3d 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -47,14 +47,11 @@ func (c *Cluster) ConfigSave() error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	var e *Events
-	e = new(Events)
-	e.Events = c.Events
-	if err := ConfigWriteJSON(e, "events.json"); err != nil {
+	if err := ConfigWriteJSON(c.E, "events.json"); err != nil {
 		fmt.Println("events.json write failed")
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := ConfigWriteTEXT(e, "events.text"); err != nil {
+	if err := ConfigWriteTEXT(c.E, "events.text"); err != nil {
 		fmt.Println("events.json write failed")
 		return err
 	}
@@ -68,7 +65,7 @@ func (c *Cluster) ConfigSave() error {
 	newc.Dirs = c.Dirs
 	newc.Droplets = nil
 	newc.Hypervisors = nil
-	newc.Events = nil
+	newc.E = nil
 	if err := ConfigWriteTEXT(&newc, "cluster.text"); err != nil {
 		fmt.Println("cluster.json write failed")
 		return err
@@ -88,45 +85,6 @@ func backupConfigFiles() error {
 	return backupFiles(srcDir, destDir)
 }
 
-/*
-func (c *Cluster) ConfigLoadOld2() error {
-	if c == nil {
-		return errors.New("It's not safe to run ConfigLoad() on a nil cluster")
-	}
-
-	// erase or zero fields that shouldn't ever be written to the config file
-	c.BlankFields()
-
-	// load the cluster config file
-	if data, err := loadFile("virtigo.json"); err == nil {
-		if err = protojson.Unmarshal(data, c); err != nil {
-			fmt.Println("broken cluster.json config file")
-			fmt.Println(err)
-			return errors.New("cluster.json file is broken")
-		}
-	} else {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	var e *Events
-	e = new(Events)
-	// load the events config file
-	if data, err := loadFile("events.json"); err == nil {
-		if err = protojson.Unmarshal(data, e); err != nil {
-			fmt.Println("broken events.json config file")
-			return err
-		}
-	} else {
-		return err
-	}
-	// copy them over. is this needed? does the memory free otherwise?
-	for _, a := range e.Events {
-		c.Events = append(c.Events, a)
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-*/
-
 func (c *Cluster) ConfigLoad() error {
 	if c == nil {
 		return errors.New("It's not safe to run ConfigLoad() on a nil cluster")
@@ -177,20 +135,51 @@ func (c *Cluster) ConfigLoad() error {
 		c.Hypervisors = append(c.Hypervisors, a)
 	}
 
-	var e *Events
-	e = new(Events)
-	// load the events config file
-	if data, err := loadFile("events.json"); err == nil {
-		if err = protojson.Unmarshal(data, e); err != nil {
-			fmt.Println("broken events.json config file")
-			return err
-		}
-	} else {
+	if err := c.loadEvents(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	// copy them over. is this needed? does the memory free otherwise?
-	for _, a := range e.Events {
-		c.Events = append(c.Events, a)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *Cluster) loadEvents() error {
+	var data []byte
+	var err error
+
+	if c == nil {
+		fmt.Println("cluster == nil")
+		os.Exit(-1)
+	}
+
+	if c.E == nil {
+		fmt.Println("cluster.E == nil")
+		c.E = new(Events)
+	}
+
+	if c.E == nil {
+		fmt.Println("cluster.E == nil")
+		os.Exit(-1)
+	}
+
+	// load the events config file
+	if data, err = loadFile("events.json"); err != nil {
+		fmt.Println("broken events.json config file")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = protojson.Unmarshal(data, c.E)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Println("broken events.json config file")
+		// json load failed. try loading prototext
+		if data, err = loadFile("events.text"); err != nil {
+			fmt.Println("broken events.text config file")
+			fmt.Println(err)
+			return errors.New("events.text file is broken")
+		}
+		if err = prototext.Unmarshal(data, c.E); err != nil {
+			fmt.Println("broken events.text config file")
+			fmt.Println(err)
+			return errors.New("events.text file is broken")
+		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/helpers.go b/helpers.go
index 49f8cfb..6a8fe69 100644
--- a/helpers.go
+++ b/helpers.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package virtbuf
 import (
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/protojson"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/prototext"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
 )
 
 // human readable JSON
@@ -77,3 +78,7 @@ func (d *Droplet) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 func (e *Events) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 	return protojson.Unmarshal(data, e)
 }
+
+func (d *Droplet) Unmarshal(data []byte) error {
+	return proto.Unmarshal(data, d)
+}
diff --git a/test.proto b/test.proto
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8079240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test.proto
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+syntax = "proto3";
+package virtbuf;
+
+message Cluster {
+        int64 id = 1;
+        repeated string s = 2;
+	repeated int i = 3;
+}