2003 – 2007
These were exciting years with lots of wonderful changes happening. First, we bought and moved in together in a new house in Almaden, San Jose. Coincidentally, the house was just 5 minutes away from Alex and Ilene so I could spend a lot of time with my grandchildren.
We were very lucky with this purchase. We bought it in an auction. The house was worth a lot more than what we bid or we could afford and we did not think we could have gotten it. But, such were the circumstances that we ended up winning the bid and got a great bargain.
Then, on April 27, 2003 we were married. It was a sweet simple ceremony with just family and close friends.
Alex gave me away. Bill’s brother Art and Annemarie represented each side of our families joining together.
All of our grandchildren took part. Garrett, the oldest grandson was Bill’s best man. Jamie, the oldest granddaughter was my maid of honor. Little Ivy was the flower girl.
And in order of age, one from each side of our families, came Connor and Erin, Ryan and Kyra, Kevin and Sophie.
We went to Spain for our honeymoon in the beautiful island of Majorca.
We got a puppy, a Golden Retriever we called Zeus. We took him on several trips to Carmel and the Russian River where he loved to go swimming.
In 2004 we went to Hawaii where we went parasailing and went to Napa where we took the wine train and went on a balloon ride.
In 2005 we went to Romania, where Bill got to meet my family and visit with my wonderful Aunt Verona who at 92 was still living in the same house she, as well as my Mother, had been born in.
My cousin Alex drove us all around Romania, from the sea town of Constanza where my family comes from to the beautiful Carpathian mountains. We walked on the same steps that my parents used to take when dating, by the Casino in Constanza. We saw the theater that my Father used to act in, still intact.
We visited the palace the infamous Ceaușescu built in Bucharest, also Vlad the Impaler castle where the inspiration for Dracula came from and typical village homes.
“Dracula Castle”
In 2007 we went to Krysta, Bill’s niece wedding at this secluded place in Mexico called Verana, where our room and bathroom were in the open air out in the jungle.We stopped at Puerto Vallarta on the way back where I got to experience one of my dreams coming true. I went swimming with the dolphins!
