Introducing my family, there is Candice P. Gold (my wonderful mother-in-law), Heather Y. Bowen (my wonderful wife), and Dan H. Bowen (myself). I expect that I will be the main poster in this blog but, I know that Heather and maybe even Candy will blog some as well. We also have our beautiful FurBabies: Our big girl is Sasha, she is currently a 13.5 years old Siberian Husky and then there's Zoey Bear she is an energy filled 3.5 year old Shih-tzu. We lost our big boy in October 2014, Nikita "Nick Nick" was 14.5 years old. We all miss you something awful!
Sasha
Zoey Bear
RIP Nikita :(
Heather and I met on, June 6th 1987 "long time ago." She was 15 and I was 16. We had a family friend named Bonnie that set up a blind date for myself, my friend Granville, a girl named Missy, and Heather. When Granville and I entered the home to meet the girls, I liked Heather quite a lot at first glance. She was very cute and all I could think about was what it might be like to kiss her. It was kind of funny, Bonnie meant for Heather and Granville to like each other and Missy and I were to be the other couple. I really don't think Bonnie had much thought about Missy or me, the real reason for the whole event was to hook up Granville with this great girl Bonnie knew.
Dan
Heather
Later in life, I found out that Heather looked at me and she told Missy, "That one is mine!" and she was indicating me. Very flattering to know she liked me as much as I liked her. We never did kiss that first night. But we talked and talked until I had to go home. Heather and I connected on many levels not just physically but emotionally as well. I have always considered her to be my kindred spirit.
So we began to date. Heather was the first girl I ever made out with. I had kissed before but never like this, I could never seem to catch my breath and I seemed to shake a lot. As a 16 year old, this was very cool stuff. I had a girlfriend!
Semoran Skateway
Our favorite place to eat
There was some issues, like I relied on a friend to take me over to Heather's house. He began to date another friend of Heather's and things went smoothly for around 8 weeks. A lot happened all at once, Heather was told I was hitting on another girl at the Semoran Skateway, in Casselberry, FL ( I didn't, I would never) I think my friend who had no curfew just wanted to stop dragging me home before he wanted to go. But...Heather and I did break up.
Within a few months, I was in foster care, removed from my father's home for being abused. Within 6-7 months, I had found my birth mother living in Chicago, IL and she flew me from Orlando, FL to Chicago, IL so I could live with her.
Yep, that's me
Fast forward to some time later. I had gotten out of the Marine Corps and I looked Heather up and we started talking. After about two months of us talking for hours a day on the Phone...I just had to see her. So, I flew down to Orlando, FL and spent a week catching up and doing a LOT more kissing. It was a great experience for us both. During the trip Heather and I talked a lot about building a future together. Things looked so great.
Then I arrived back in Chicago and Heather had changed her mind. It was just too much to fast for her. The idea of moving to Chicago, IL, leaving family, and she had a fear of my mother. It was not going to happen. So we stopped talking again.
Then out of the blue in 2004, I got a letter in the mail. It was from Grants Pass, Oregon, and it was from Heather. She wanted to talk and hopefully reconnect with a Friend. I was overjoyed, Heather had always held a very special place in my heart. A place that no one else could/had ever filled. We talked a lot and she came out to Atlanta, GA where I was living. We spent a few days together. Then she left on a cruise with her mom and sister. This time it was my turn to have cold feet and I broke it off.
I had been dating someone else on and off at the time. About two months later she was dating me again. I just kind of followed the flow and felt detached about it. I moved back to Colorado and she came with me. Suddenly a baby was coming! I did what I thought was right and I married her immediately. It was not a good marriage. I stuck to it and even had a second daughter with her. Danielle Maria Bowen and Emma Erin Bowen were the only happiness I had in the marriage. After 9 years of both of us being unhappy we divorced. It was messy, there was a lot of damage done to the kids and to me. It makes me very upset when I think of how things ended, it could have been much easier if things ended in the best interest of my daughters, but I didn't.
Emma Erin Bowen
Danielle Maria Bowen
About a year into the divorce (yeah, it took two years to get the divorce completely settled!!!) I was living in Cheyenne, WY and I got an email from LinkedIn. It was from Heather and it was completely random and unintended. I decided to take a chance and I wrote an email back to Heather. I asked for friendship. I didn't expect anything else. Not after the last break up we had, as it had broken Heather's heart.
It took her a few days and she did write me back. I was elated. We talked and talked. At first, it was slow and Heather had some things to say to me that I think helped her to cope with the last break up. It had hurt her even more than I had imagined it had. But she did open up and we shared all kinds of silly questions in an attempt to learn more about each other on a deeper level. I learned she likes Coke, not Pepsi. And while I knew she loved animals, I was shocked to discover she had 3 dogs! I'm used to one dog at a time, so that was a lot for me to take in.
About 4.5 months later, we agreed I would move down to Orlando and live with Heather and her mom. I had bought a plane ticket for Heather so she could drive with me from Denver, CO to Orlando, FL. Everything was in place. Then came the weather. A huge snowstorm was headed toward Cheyenne, WY and even though I was supposed to pick up Heather the next afternoon in Denver, I made a decision to leave that minute. Heather was so upset because she was looking forward to spending so much time together driving. However, my two wheel drive pickup would never make the trip to Denver, CO in bad snow, let alone across the country. I really didn't want Heather to sit alone in a hotel room in Denver, CO waiting for me to show up in a few days. The storm did blanket the U.S. with snow and ice and it took almost a week for things to clear up. The storm chased me the entire time that I drove to Heather. I Left at 8pm on December 2nd, 2013 after being up all day. I drove to the point of exhaustion, and had to stop at about 2:30pm the next day in Metropolis, Illinois. I slept in a Super Motel 8 for the rest of the day and night. I woke up early in the morning and left at 5am. I finally arrived on December 4th , 2014 at 9:00pm.
Exhausted but excited, i joined Heather and her mom Candy in Orlando. I had always thought Candy didn't like or approve of me. It was a feeling I developed in my childhood and never resolved it completely. But, I was welcomed, like I was family, and treated very well. It changed my feelings completely.
When Heather and I were talking she asked me if I had ever considered remarrying and I could not imagine it and I told her so. I knew it was something that was on her mind and while she didn't pressure me she did let me know it was something she wanted. I searched my heart and I examined the way we felt, both of us did. I'll be honest I was scared to try again. I wanted to make sure we would both work together in the marriage. That we would work to get through any issues we might have. I wanted it to work. The last thing I wanted was to fail, again. Plus, Heather meant so much to me, I knew I could never bear the thought of her being broken hearted again.
On February 20th, 2014, we were engaged. And on March 17th, 2014 "St. Patrick's Day" we were married by our Best Friend Christie May on the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It was a very special place for both Heather and I. It was also a town that I had lived & surfed in, as a child. During the exchanging of vows we both were very emotional and it was clear we both felt the seriousness and importance behind what we promised each other in front of God, family, and friends. Unlike my first marriage, I suddenly realized that I had a real partner who deeply cared about me.
It has not all been roses but that fact still shines clear. Heather loves me, cares about both of us and works and expects me to work as well on having a solid and happy marriage. So far, so good. I can't help but wonder why I didn't marry her in the first place. I will forever kick myself for that loss.
In April 2014, we moved to Hernando, FL for a year and we talked about wanting to move to Washington or Oregon at the end of the rental lease. However, Candy kept asking us our thoughts on other places overseas. We looked at and talked about dozens of places before we talked about Ecuador. I had spent time in Central and South America while in the U.S. Marines not in Ecuador, but in places nearby. I looked into it very closely and after about a week we all agreed it would be better for us to move there. I will write a post explaining all of that in a while. My poor fingers need a break. :)
You two are so courageous and strong. I wish I had a fraction of your strength and commitment. May God bless your marriage always. Best of luck in Ecuador and anywhere else that life will lead you.
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