In early 1980, I came home to Oregon from living 11 1/2 years in Kansas, (I couldn't fine any red slippers, but spent the whole time there clicking my heels together and saying "I really want to go home and Dorthy was out of her mind--and her little dog ToTo too")
Because I had always loved the coast, I settled in a little commercial fishing and logging community on the Oregon Coast. I was hired as a morning bartender at a local tavern and spent the next 20+ years working mostly as a morning bartender.
During my shifts Mon.-Fri. I listened to a local radio station, KNPT, and fell in love with the voice on the morning show, JJ the DJ.
One day, on my day off, my room mate, Suzie, and I had gotten up early and spent the morning playing on the beach on a bright, sunny day. At around 10:00 A.M., we decided to leave the beach and go have lunch at the bar I was employed at. We came in laughing, giggleing and joked with the few patrons that were there.
I had noticed a very handsome man sitting at the end of the bar, obviously nursing a hangover and trying hard to ignore Suz and I as we giggled and played with an order of "little smokies". We had been there about an hour when the bartender spoke to me, using my name.
At the mention of my name, the very handsome man literally leaped off his bar stool and shouted "OH NO! I JUST DIVORCED ONE OF THOSE!!!" I immediatley recognized the voice as the voice I listened to every day on the radio. That was when I met John Jurgensen.
John and I became instant friends and entered into a close relationship that lasted for over 20 years. Even when he moved out of town, we kept in close touch and when I came back to live in Portland, he too lived in Portland and we took up where we left off.
John and I were married on August 15, 1999 and enjoyed a wonderful life as Husband and Wife for 1 1/2 years when I lost my Beloved to Cancer, January 26, 2001.
We lived only about a mile from his ex-wife and her husband and saw them socially and at Holidays. We were all close friends. His ex-wife, Molly, and her husband, Roland, along with John's wonderful children Shawn and Sarah gave us our wedding in their beautiful backyard and Molly played the flute for the wedding. Sara and Shawn were Maid of Honer and Best Man for us.
Please join me now down memory lane as I reminisce and take you through our beautiful wedding:
Here is the announcement
. The setting, Roland & Molly Rodway's backyard
Isn't it Beautiful! The weather was bright, sunny and warm.The Groom
The Blushing Bride
Our Hostess, Molly
The Beautiful Maid of Honer, John's Daughter, Sarah
The Best Man, John's Son, Shawn
I need to pause here and ~GIGGLE~ at the memory of watching other people's faces as they went through utter confusion and bewilderment when we told them: our "family" consisted of: John's ex-wife, Molly, and her husband, Roland and their families, and that we were ONE BIG FAMILY and love each other very much.
On with the Wedding. We had the two most precious little people as our Ring Bearer and Flower Girl, Kevin & Emily Rodway:
Aren't They just DARLING!!! They are the children of Molly's Husband, Roland's Son & His Wife.(~giggle~)!
The Minister was the very Beautiful Rev. Joan Beck. She was the Minister of Molly & Roland's Lutheran Church
--This is the Bride's Escort, Chris Vitron, Sarah's Boyfriend at the time, and a Beautiful Soul:
The GROOM,Patiently Waiting
MOLLY plays The Wedding March
