OUR STORY

IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 1982.  WE MET IN JERSEY CITY NEW JERSEY AT MY BEST FRIENDS HOUSE.  HE WAS THE BEST FRIEND OF HER BOYFRIEND AT THE TIME.  WE LIKED-DI-DID EACH OTHER, SO WE BECAME BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND.  AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE A DAUGHTER IN NOVEMBER 1984. ANTHONY HAD A DAUGHTER FROM A PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP WHO WAS 4 AT THE TIME.  WE SPENT THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS RAISING OUR DAUGHTER, AND EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO GO OUR SEPARATE WAYS. THAT WAS IN 1986.  IN SEPTEMBER 1988 OUR DAUGHTER AND I MOVED TO CALIFORNIA. SHE WAS 3 AND A HALF YRS. OLD.  DURING THE TIME THAT WE LIVED IN CALIFORNIA, ANTHONY MOVED TO JERSEY CITY, NJ FROM QUEENS, NY.  IRONICALLY, HE MOVED 4 BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY FATHER’S HOUSE WHERE I GREW UP.

                ANTHONY STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS, AND WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, DURING THIS TIME HE MARRIED. AFTER SOME YEARS HIS MARRIAGE WAS DISOLVED.

  I WAS LIVING IN CALIFORNIA, GOING TO BEAUTY COLLEGE AND RAISING OUR DAUGHTER.  SHE WAS ENJOYING HER VISITS WITH HER FATHER DURING THE SUMMER   EVERY YEAR AND SOME SCHOOL BREAKS.  SHE BECAME QUITE THE TRAVELER. I WOULD ALSO VISIT JERSEY CITY OFTEN THROUGH THE YEARS, AND ANTHONY AND I WOULD SEE EACH OTHER WITH OUR DAUGHTER. 

      ONE YEAR DURING A VISIT FOR MY BROTHER’S WEDDING AUGUST 2001, I INVITED ANTHONY TO MY BROTHER’S WEDDING AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME THAT NIGHT. WE TALKED ABOUT EVERYTING, THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.  IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND THE NEXT THING WE KNEW THE SUN WAS COMING UP AND WE WERE STILL SITTING ON THE FRONT PORCH OF MY FATHER’S HOUSE TALKING.  WE PLAYED THE WHAT IF GAME!

* WHAT IF WE GOT BACK TOGETHER?

*WHAT IF YOU MOVE TO CALIFORINA?  (ANTHONY)

*WHAT WOULD OUR DAUGHTER THINK?  (WHO WAS NOW 16 ALMOST 17)

AND SO ON.  IT WAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT.  IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ADVENTURE.

     SEPTEMBER 2001 THINGS BECAME MORE SERIOUS, AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WANTED TO BE TOGETHER.  SO ANTHONY PROPOSED TO ME AND I ACCEPTED. SO ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 I RECEIVED AN ENGAGEMENT RING VIA FED/EX MAIL SINCE HE LIVED IN NEW JERSEY AND I LIVED IN CALIFORNIA.  HE WANTED ME TO HAVE IT BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY WHICH IS SEPTEMBER 12. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST AND SCARIEST DAYS OF MY LIFE, WITH THE WHOLE TWIN TOWERS SITUATION GOING ON. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT DAY FOR SEVERAL REASONS:

*THE FACT THAT ANTHONY DROVE TO MANHATTAN FROM NEW JERSEY, INSTEAD OF TAKING THE TRAIN (WHICH WOULD LET HIM OFF UNDER THE WORLD TRADE CENTER THAT MORNING) SO WE WERE RELIEVED TO FIND OUT THAT HE WAS OKAY!!

*ALSO THAT ONE OF THE LAST FED EX PLANES THAT TOOK OFF THAT MORNING FROM THE EAST COAST HAD THE RING ON  IT THAT HE WAS SENDING TO PROPOSE TO ME,(THAT I STILL WEAR TODAY , ALMOST 10 YEARS LATER) IT MADE IT SAFELY TO CALFORNIA ON SEPTEMBER  11 ,2001.

*LASTLY FINDING OUT THAT EVERYONE THAT WE KNEW THERE WAS OKAY!!!

       IN FEBRUARY OF 2002 ANTHONY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA WITH ME AND OUR DAUGHTER.  IT WAS A BIG CHANGE FOR ALL OF US.  IT HAD BEEN 15 YEARS SINCE WE HAD BEEN TOGETHER IN A RELATIONSHIP.  I CAN SAY THAT WE’VE BOTH LEARNED A LOT, AND STILL LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER AND OUR RELATIONSHIP DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT WE’VE BEEN TOGETHER.

   SINCE WE’VE BEEN TOGETHER WE AQUIRED A HOME AND STARTED BUILDING OUR FOUNDATION FOR OUR FAMILY.  WE’VE ALSO LOST PRECIOUS LOVED ONES (ANTHONY’S MOTHER AND ONE HIS SISTERS).   WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON OUR RELATIONSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR FUTURE.