What to call your Ex

I got divorced a couple of years ago and I have finally figured out what to do when refering to my ex-husband, before, during and after the marriage. Before we got engaged, he was my boyfriend. Then my fiance'. After the wedding it is husband. After the divorce it is ex-husband. But what do I call him when I am refering to a happening during the marriage and I am speaking after the divorce? Husband doen't sound right because now he's not. To say that I went somewhere in 1992 with my ex-husband and his family sounds awkward. Former husband is also an awkward term for me. First husband sounds like I am calling on a reserve of men lined up. I am not. I just want something that could refer to my spouse during the time we were together without sounding like we are very angry at each other or are still together. Husband-that-was comes close but can be confusing to outsiders. It also sounds like maybe he died. I have decided to refer to him as then-husband. "I went with my then-husband and his family to the Black Hills." Understand, I don't talk about him all the time, frequently, a lot or often. I just want to be able to refer to him on occasion. And now that I have figured out how to do it, I'll probably never refer to him again.