ON FACEBOOK TODAY, my nephew, Brad Gray and his beautiful wife, Denise, posted photos of their June 20th Wedding Anniversary visit to St Augustine and Key West, Florida. Their Anniversary trip brings back such sweet memories - for in 1980 my bride and I made a trip to Hawaii to celebrate our anniversary and to renew our vows. But an even better story is how it all began for Dory and me.
About 50 years ago I saw the movie "No Man Is An Island" - the true story of an American sailor, George Tweed, trapped on Guam when the Japanese captured the island. A Filipino family hid him in caves for several years until the American forces recaptured Guam. In the movie, Tweed fell in love with the Filipina daughter played by Barbara Perez, a Pinoy actress then known as the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines. The story of George Tweed is true, the story of their romance was Hollywood - for Tweed was happily married to his wife in America.
But when I saw Barbara Perez, I told myself, "The Filipina is the perfect woman. She has the fire of the Latina with the grace and femininity of the Asian." And that day I decided that I was going to marry a Filipina. I only had one problem - where to find one. Today I know that problem could have been solved by either going to church - or by going to a medical clinic or hospital.
But, in those days, I was not a Christian believer so church was out. And since I was in good health, medical clinics and hospitals were not on my To Do List either. My church in those days was the bars and nightclubs of Southern California - and I was healthy, so no help there. Yet I knew I was not going to find a Filipina in a bar or night club that I could take home to mom.
But God is good. He found me in my place - a nightclub at the Saddleback Hotel in Santa Ana, California. And guess what? The Red Carpet Real Estate company held their weekly meetings on Wednesday evenings in one of the Saddleback Hotel conference rooms. That fateful evening as I was preparing for my evening of frivolity, one of my friends, Lupe, looked toward the lobby and told me, "Bill, there is Rita." Rita was a Filipina I had been dating - but not one I would take home to mom.
I told Lupe, "No, that is not Rita. But I definitely want to meet that beautiful lady." And, to make a long story a wee bit shorter - Dory and her girl friend, Phil, were just coming out of the Red Carpet meeting and were still in the lobby. I managed to introduce myself, we talked for awhile, and a week later, on a Saturday, we had our first date.
The next morning I went to church with her, not my usual Sunday routine, but pleasant. That afternoon we went for a ride, went to a movie at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and then had our first dinner date at the Quiet Cannon (now just named The Cannon) in Dana Point. That was a defining evening. We had a booth which looked out over the Dana Point Marina, it was dusk, and the whole scene had that magical glow. Just the kind of environment to cause love to blossom and start growing.
From that day, we never dated anyone else. And on September 2, 1977, Dory became my wife, partner, soul mate, and eternal love. We were wed at the court house in Santa Ana, California, and had a short honeymoon in Ensenada, Mexico.
I still wanted us to have a real honeymoon and for some reason I wanted us to have a church wedding. Why did I, not a believer, want a church wedding? I can think of several reasons. First, I knew that church was important to Dory. And, second, after having been a Christian believer for over 30 years - I now know that God is always tugging at our hearts, knocking on the door of our hearts (Revelation 3:20), wanting us to choose to be part of His Eternal Family.
So, on September 2, 1980, we had our romantic church wedding in Honolulu and we had our Hawaiian honeymoon.
A wee side note: On our 6th anniversary we decided to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for another honeymoon and to get married again. But, search as we might, and with help from an Hispanic couple vacationing there at their timeshare, the only Protestant church we could find was a burnt-out hull. So, we had to settle for an Anniversary Dinner with this nice couple and their family.
My mom asked Dory, "Why does Bill like to get married again every three years?" Mom was a Southern Belle and did not understand such thinking. Dory told her, "That way he always feels like he has only been married for three years." I told you my Filipina wife is smart!
In 1983, I accepted a position as Western Regional Sales Manager for Phoenix Computer Graphics, a computer graphics company based in Lafayette, Louisiana. One of my stipulations was that I be given the first week of September 1983 off to get married again.
So the president of the company, a very distinguished, white haired lawyer turned businessman, wrote in my offer letter: "And we will give you one week off so that you may legitimize your already legitimate marriage." Who said lawyers do not have a sense of humor?
September of this year will mark MY 34-44-84 YEAR! THIRTY-FOUR years as a Christian believer ~ FORTY-FOUR years wed to my Filipina Bride ~ and on July 23rd, I will be EIGHTY-FOUR years young. God has truly blessed me.
In closing, this collage is my memories if how it all got started - all because of a movie! I thank Brad & Denise Gray, my Alabama family, for their new memories which they have been creating this week in Florida - gave me another blessed deja vu moment leading to this blog.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
About 50 years ago I saw the movie "No Man Is An Island" - the true story of an American sailor, George Tweed, trapped on Guam when the Japanese captured the island. A Filipino family hid him in caves for several years until the American forces recaptured Guam. In the movie, Tweed fell in love with the Filipina daughter played by Barbara Perez, a Pinoy actress then known as the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines. The story of George Tweed is true, the story of their romance was Hollywood - for Tweed was happily married to his wife in America.
But when I saw Barbara Perez, I told myself, "The Filipina is the perfect woman. She has the fire of the Latina with the grace and femininity of the Asian." And that day I decided that I was going to marry a Filipina. I only had one problem - where to find one. Today I know that problem could have been solved by either going to church - or by going to a medical clinic or hospital.
But, in those days, I was not a Christian believer so church was out. And since I was in good health, medical clinics and hospitals were not on my To Do List either. My church in those days was the bars and nightclubs of Southern California - and I was healthy, so no help there. Yet I knew I was not going to find a Filipina in a bar or night club that I could take home to mom.
But God is good. He found me in my place - a nightclub at the Saddleback Hotel in Santa Ana, California. And guess what? The Red Carpet Real Estate company held their weekly meetings on Wednesday evenings in one of the Saddleback Hotel conference rooms. That fateful evening as I was preparing for my evening of frivolity, one of my friends, Lupe, looked toward the lobby and told me, "Bill, there is Rita." Rita was a Filipina I had been dating - but not one I would take home to mom.
I told Lupe, "No, that is not Rita. But I definitely want to meet that beautiful lady." And, to make a long story a wee bit shorter - Dory and her girl friend, Phil, were just coming out of the Red Carpet meeting and were still in the lobby. I managed to introduce myself, we talked for awhile, and a week later, on a Saturday, we had our first date.
The next morning I went to church with her, not my usual Sunday routine, but pleasant. That afternoon we went for a ride, went to a movie at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and then had our first dinner date at the Quiet Cannon (now just named The Cannon) in Dana Point. That was a defining evening. We had a booth which looked out over the Dana Point Marina, it was dusk, and the whole scene had that magical glow. Just the kind of environment to cause love to blossom and start growing.
From that day, we never dated anyone else. And on September 2, 1977, Dory became my wife, partner, soul mate, and eternal love. We were wed at the court house in Santa Ana, California, and had a short honeymoon in Ensenada, Mexico.
I still wanted us to have a real honeymoon and for some reason I wanted us to have a church wedding. Why did I, not a believer, want a church wedding? I can think of several reasons. First, I knew that church was important to Dory. And, second, after having been a Christian believer for over 30 years - I now know that God is always tugging at our hearts, knocking on the door of our hearts (Revelation 3:20), wanting us to choose to be part of His Eternal Family.
So, on September 2, 1980, we had our romantic church wedding in Honolulu and we had our Hawaiian honeymoon.
A wee side note: On our 6th anniversary we decided to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for another honeymoon and to get married again. But, search as we might, and with help from an Hispanic couple vacationing there at their timeshare, the only Protestant church we could find was a burnt-out hull. So, we had to settle for an Anniversary Dinner with this nice couple and their family.
My mom asked Dory, "Why does Bill like to get married again every three years?" Mom was a Southern Belle and did not understand such thinking. Dory told her, "That way he always feels like he has only been married for three years." I told you my Filipina wife is smart!
In 1983, I accepted a position as Western Regional Sales Manager for Phoenix Computer Graphics, a computer graphics company based in Lafayette, Louisiana. One of my stipulations was that I be given the first week of September 1983 off to get married again.
So the president of the company, a very distinguished, white haired lawyer turned businessman, wrote in my offer letter: "And we will give you one week off so that you may legitimize your already legitimate marriage." Who said lawyers do not have a sense of humor?
September of this year will mark MY 34-44-84 YEAR! THIRTY-FOUR years as a Christian believer ~ FORTY-FOUR years wed to my Filipina Bride ~ and on July 23rd, I will be EIGHTY-FOUR years young. God has truly blessed me.
In closing, this collage is my memories if how it all got started - all because of a movie! I thank Brad & Denise Gray, my Alabama family, for their new memories which they have been creating this week in Florida - gave me another blessed deja vu moment leading to this blog.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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