1988. He was stationed at Patrick AFB, in Cocoa Beach, Florida. I was a high school senior. (20 and 18). Fell madly in love. He was sent to Kunsan AFB in Korea, I went to Oswego State University, in New York. I wanted to work in Zoology. He left California to explore the world, and this was his chance. Stayed in touch via letters. Phone calls were too expensive. He called, and said something about seeing other people. My heart was shattered, but life went on.

Married in 2012. Have rescued dogs together, since 2010. Honeymooned in Costa Rica with family and friends. When we took photos on the beach, a dog ran behind us in the perfect romance novel fashion. On another occasion, a dog came to me in my dress. We jumped into pool from our balcony. A crew filming a story about a couple who were reunited, came up to us when we were on the shoreline. The asked about our story, and took our info. We always wondered if they ever did anything with our story!

My passion in life is animal rescue. I've loved & rescued animals my entire life. DeWayne didn't have much experience with animals, but he has a big heart. We started rescue in 2010, as a couple. We have been owned by ten Bull Terriers, and assisted with rescue of hundreds more. Think Spuds Mackenzie or the Target dog. We would donate at least 10,000 to rescue. The rest to help pay off credit cards for said Bull Terriers. We've lost several seniors in the last few years. Expensive but worth it!