The Engagement
| Last year, I went back to square dancing. Those of you who've know me a long time know it is an old and dear pastime for me. I started taking lessons here in Vancouver, then when I went, as I've been doing for three years now, to Arizona for the winter, I transferred into a class there. That first night, I was placed with another single dancer, also a student, Jim Whitworth, and we've been dancing together ever since! |
| Jim is also retired. He moved to Arizona last June, planning to live there full time. Like me, he was a "retred" in the class, having danced for years before he quit when his wife became ill with Lewy Body Dementia. He lost her about three years ago but he is still quite active in the LBDA, a national charity supporting research and education about LBD. Our first long trip together was to a LBD event in Miami, FL. |  At the Nationals in Portland Oregon |
 Jim's home in Mesa, AZ By the time we graduated, I'd sold my trailer and was living in Jim's lovely manufactured home. Also by then, we were engaged and had bought a van together. As seemed approprite, we made the engagement formal during a class dance. |
 In Calif. on our way north. That's our blue van. |
When it was time for me to return to
Vancouver, I brought him (and the pretty blue van!) with me. We were
struggling about where to make our permanent home. Jim loves AZ, and
I'm partial to Washington. Snow-birding is fine for a while, but we
want some-thing permanent too. We decided to wait on formal-izing our
relationship until we could come up with an answer to this dilemma.
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 My home in Vancouver WA |
| Even before our Alaska trip, we'd met, or in one case, talked on the phone, to each other's children. We feel fortunate that they've all given us their blessings. Originally, we planned to invite as many as could come to our wedding, but when we decided to wait a while, that changed. Let's just get married without a fuss, and tell everyone afterwards, we said. |
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Center: Mungo Lake, Sunset at 11pm |
Then my son-in-law, Randy, asked us to
drive a 21 foot Xplorer van to his home in Fairbanks, Alaska. Of course,
we jumped at the chance. Jim loves to drive and the Alcan was a trip
I'd always wanted to make but never had.
 We saw awsome scenery, wild animals (and these musk oxen at a farm in |
 Palmer, AK). We stayed all but one night of that three week, 2500 plus mile journey in Randy's little van. We had a wonderful time and finished the trip good friends. We still haven't decided what to do about a permanent living arrangement, but we know that wherever it is, we want to be together. |
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Jean
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Mish
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Jackie
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Leanne
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Sue
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Ken
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