We Are Married Again!
On 8 August 2017, we got married. Again. 32 years, almost to the day, after the first time. As in 1985, we got married at the county courthouse; then, Tarrant County (Fort Worth); now Arapahoe County (Denver). The Honourable Justice Douglass presided. The short civil ceremony included the exchange of rings. Shelly had kept my old ring for the 22 years since I took it off and gave it back to her in 1995. She put it on my finger for the second time. It is never coming off again!
Shelly’s best friend, Susie, was the Maid of Honour. Her son, Rob, was my best man. They were the two witnesses who signed to make the marriage “official”. The only two others in attendance were Justice Douglass, and Erin, the Court Clerk.
After the ceremony, the four of us went to True Food Kitchen, in Cherry Creek (a suburb of Denver) for a quiet champagne lunch. Then, just to two of us went to Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in the Denver Tech Centre for our first as-married meal alone together.
There are more pictures on the Wedding page.
We Are Back Together Again!
We met in 1983 and were great friends for years. We got married in 1985 at the Fort Worth Courthouse. We left immediately for a wonderful honeymoon in San Antonio.
We were married for 10 years, but for a number of reasons, we divorced in 1995. The day the divorce was finalised, we had lunch to tie up all the loose ends: what we loved, what we hated, what we would do different if we could have another chance. We promised then to always be friends. Then went our separate ways.
Jim moved to California, back to Denver, and then to Australia, first following his career with IBM, then a number of technical, management and writing jobs, including his own consulting practice.
Shelly trained to be a fashion and hair stylist and had her own very successful business for 20-plus years, staying in the Denver area.
We kept our promise to stay friends, and in January of 2017 we decided to get back together. Some people, unfortunately, cannot remember why they got married. We cannot remember why we got divorced.
(We are now married – see above. We are leaving this entry for continuity.)
The Next Adventure
Jim has lived in Australia since 1998. Shelly has been in Denver since 1995. We are now together; one of us is going to have to change countries.
Our next adventure is to move to Australia. There are a lot of details to work out: flights, but to where? Are we going to work or retire, and if work, at what and where?
We are looking at a lot of options, including house sitting in different communities in Australia. This would allow us to “sample” different areas before we drop our anchor anywhere. The plus side of this adventure is we get to move around a lot and see a lot of different places. The down side of this is we have to move around a lot, taking everything we own with us.
Our family is in USA. Shelly has sisters in Arizona and Michigan. Jim has siblings in Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan, and children in Texas, Arizona and Washington. And Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Shelly has a son in Colorado.
But we both love Australia. The land, the people, the culture, the food, the vibe of the place is not to be missed.
For the next few months we will be completing all the details: what to take, where to take it, how to get there, what we do when we arrive, who and how we say goodbye, and a million other.
We hope you will be in communication with us. Offer us encouragement. Ask us questions. Offer support if you want.
We will update our progress here. Come back often!
Friendly
We have both had long careers where we need to be friendly. Shelly, as a hair stylist for over 20 years, is truly great with people. Jim, while very technical, has had leadership, management and sales roles where he connected with others as part of his success.
Professional
Throughout our careers, we have nurtured what people think of us. We have been successful in no small part because we treasure our reputation. We care what people think and won’t intentionall harm or demean anyone. We know or job and do it well. And with pride!
Responsible
Both of us have had children who have grown up to be healthy and successful in their own ways. We have owned homes and taken care of them. We have rented homes and apartments and have taken care of them as though they were our own. We are neat, honest, clean, with no smoking and no drugs. You can trust us.
Pet Lovers
Both of us have owned pets – a lot of pets. Jim grew up with dogs and cats and mice and rabbits and gerbils. Later in life he owned a farm with horses, goats, sheep, ducks and chickens. Shelly is a cat-person. She loves them and they love her.
Contact Us
We hope you will contact us with encouragment, questions, or anything.