It all started here,...

It was the end of 1994 when my first husband was diagnosed and subsequently passed away from pancreatic cancer when I was just 24 years old. Being left with very little, I had to return to work to support my, then, 5 year old son.  I went to work at an international mail order company working in their payroll department and it was there that I met and befriended Evelyn.  She was a dynamic woman that I was instantly drawn to and we spent so many hours just sitting at the kitchen table visiting.It was after several months of our working together and friendship that she informally introduced me to her son, who was living in small northern California town, about a three hour drive from my home in Southern Oregon.  We proceeded to develop a long distance relationship, getting to know each other over the phone with a few weekend visits in between.  He was phenomenal with my little boy, taking him to do "boy things" and presenting himself to be a positive role model for my son. We married in December of 1996 and its been an incredible ride ever since. My little boy is now a handsome 6'2" man of 21 that is int he midst of his junior year at the University of Oregon.  Mitch and I also have a daughter, Shelby, who is a freshman in high school. I couldn't be more proud of my family and what it represents,.....