John and I knew each other as kids, probably age ten or so. Our dads fished together. One of our first memories was on a salmon charter out of Ilwaco. We were both horribly seasick. Not exactly the best experience. He also remembers setting up duck blinds together at Round Lake. We went to different schools, hung out with different friends, and went on to have families of our own. After 49 years, we reconnected in late 2017 over a simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs at Ernesto's. Over the next few weeks, we realized very quickly that we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives. With five adult children between us, three adorable grandchildren and two more on the way, we are excited for several more chapters to be written. Living in Bend, we have a huge playground of options for our family to explore. We can't wait to teach our grandchildren to ski, to fish, to camp, and to bike.

Unbeknownst to me, John had been planning for several months. He wanted a beautiful mountain setting, or a stunning Central Oregon lake to be the backdrop. However, all we got was a wildfire smoke-filled summer. So, on a hot and smoky August evening, we went to dinner in downtown Bend. Afterwards, we took a walk by the historic Mirror Pond. We stopped to take in the red sunset and that's where he asked me if I wanted to marry him and to share our lives together. And, of course I said YES!