Twelve years ago, my fiance arrived on a plane from Chicago with my son. She had left Long Island by car to pick him up in Newark, New Jersey. (They were meeting for the 1st time. He was 16.) I had sent my son via airplane to help Leslie drive her car to Champaign, Illinois where she was going to give her car to her future step-daughter. (The car didn't meet California smog requirements, so Leslie decided to give it to Joanna, a student at the University of Illinois.)
Joanna then drove Leslie and Joel to Chicago where they flew to LAX. They arrived July 4th, 1998. That December Leslie and I married. Six months or so later, Joel went away to college. That left Leslie, I, and 11 year-old daughter Danielle to be the new Evans family. Six year later, Danielle left for Florida. She returned a year or so later and lived back at home for about a year before setting off to complete her four year college degree.
Now, all the kids are out and about: Oregon, Maryland, and British Columbia.
Now, it's "just" Leslie and I holding down the home front.
Today, in addition to celebrating the start of a country... I'm celebrating the start of a new life with Leslie: by the grace of God... my second chance. I'm very grateful.
Happy 4th of July!
(Here's some pics of the visiting grand-kids. Oh yeah!)
