The Way We Are (The Sequel)

This photo was taken by our very good friend, professional photographer, Dave Au.


Art and I are in the back. Our children Tiffany and Jonathan are seated. Their significant others are beside them.

There were several questions that were asked in the previous post so I thought I would answer them today.

What happened to Jeff and Susie?
Sadly, Susie returned to Madison, Wisconsin and after a few letters we never heard from her again. I know her family owned a Chinese restaurant in Madison. Whenever Art and I drove through Madison, we would wonder.

Jeff is still unmarried and we hear from him time to time.

Art's proposal?
His proposal was rather unexpected for both of us. We were together one evening and he said, "I think we should get married." I said,"OK."
He thought about it and asked for clarification, "So, are we getting married?"
I think I said something stupendously earthshaking like, "OK."
The following day I called my mom from work and told her I was getting married. She listened and said, "OK." I was surprised at how calmly she took it.

When I got home, the phone was ringing. It was my mother throwing questions at me without taking a breath. "Did you say you were getting married? WHO are you marrying? When are you getting married? Where is Art right now?"

I couldn't tell her that he was on a date with another girl he was dating at the time. As I said, it was all rather unexpected.

Where did we get married? Was it a large wedding?
We were married at the Nuuanu Soto Mission Temple. My grandfather was a zen priest and had ties to this temple. Our guest list was about 225 people. We had one of the most economical weddings of all my friends. The reception was held in the basement of the temple and food was catered in. We did have a band. A friend of ours took the photos. We sewed our own attendants gowns. My gown came from JC Pennys which I then loaned to my Maid of Honor for her wedding. The table decorations of bamboo vases and anthiriums were cut from their forests and greenhouses and flown in with relatives and friends from the Big Island.

What next?
Art convinced me to get my Masters in Education (just in case we moved from the islands). My mother was thrilled that I married a "local boy" because she was convinced that we would make our home on Oahu. Ironically, we moved to Chicago in less than two years while my brother married an Irish American and stayed in the islands.

Art separated from the Air Force (His next assignment would have been Greenland.) and went back to school to get a Master of Science in Public Health.

And then?
Art got a job with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago and I stayed home to raise first Tiffany and three years later, Jon until I went back to work teaching 1st grade at a public school.

My first impression of Chicago was how cold and bleak it looked. We'd arrived in late fall. I worried about prejudice from all the stories I heard. I worried about gangsters in every corner. One of the first people I saw as we entered Chicago was a fellow standing on the corner holding a violin case. I remember raising my eyebrows at that. Could a machine gun fit in there?

Art reassured me that people are people no matter where you go. There are always kind people and people with problems. He was right and we had a very happy home in Illinois for 34 years. It wasn't easy to leave the mainland but now we're back in Hawaii and building a life here which is another adventure we have embarked on.