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| Zoey Bear |
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| Zoey Bear |
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| Luna Lovegood and Molly Moo Moo |
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| Bella Boo Boo |
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RIP Nikita 2000-2014 :-( |
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RIP Sasha 2001-2016 :-( |
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 I had it my way, 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 , 2013 at 9:00pm.
Exhausted
but excited, I joined Heather and her mom Candy in Orlando, FL. I
had always thought Candy didn't like or approve of me. It was a
feeling I had 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 brokenhearted again.
On
February 20th, 2014, we got 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 in, as a child. In addition, both Heather and I had both Surfed at Cocoa Beach as teens. 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 of time forever.
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.
On April 2nd, 2015, our family of humans and furbabies got on a airplane to move to Cuenca, Ecuador. In July 2015, we packed it up and moved to the countyside in Cumbe, Azuay, Ecuador.
Then in Feburary of 2016, Heather and I decided to buy a house and move back to the USA.
I will write more soon explaining all the craziness of life. My poor fingers need a break. :)
On April 2nd, 2015, our family of humans and furbabies got on a airplane to move to Cuenca, Ecuador. In July 2015, we packed it up and moved to the countyside in Cumbe, Azuay, Ecuador.
Then in Feburary of 2016, Heather and I decided to buy a house and move back to the USA.
I will write more soon explaining all the craziness of life. 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.
ReplyDeleteNice bog Dan, I look forward to the updates and the transplant. I wish you all the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jason! And Anonymous! Jason, I would love it if once we get settled to have you visit. I could use you to mule down all the things you can't get in Ecuador. I promise to feed you a ton of veggies and fruits! I might even find a duran for ya! lol I hope your doing good!-Dan
ReplyDeleteDon't kick yourself, Dan, for not marrying Heather earlier. Things work out the way they are suppose to work out. My husband and I met in 1966 and dated for two year then went our separate ways. Sixteen years later, after my first husband died, I looked him up and 8 months later we married. That was 30 years ago and we couldn't be happier. March of this year we just moved to Cuenca and are loving it!
ReplyDelete