Diane and Fred

How did you meet?

Fred’s first wife, also Diane, and I became good friends when our sons became best of friends in high school in 1990.   We would attend their sporting events, class functions and have parties at each others house.   We had our special place at Nordstrom to meet to go shopping or just to lunch.   She was a wonderful lady.

I filed for a divorce in Sept. of 2001.   She was very supportive of me and helped me through some difficult days.   Then, in November of 2002, she passed away.

Needless to say, her family and friends missed her dearly.

I would see Fred and his children on occasion, but never once thought of seeing him as a “date”. But one night in 2005 after attending a party at his house, he walked me to my car and then kissed me good night!!!   I think it surprised both of us!   And then a week or so later, he called to ask me to attend a concert with him and some friends. I said yes.

How did you relationship develop into marriage?

I had know Fred for about 15 years when we started dating.   I had observed him in various settings.   I knew he was a wonderful husband to his first wife. He was a caring and devote father. He had qualities that surpassed my highest expectations. And I knew, as my father would say, “they don’t come any better”!!

After we had dated for about 6 months he started talking about getting married. It scared me at first.. After going through a divorce, I was a little “gun shy”. But I realized that this would be a good thing.   We set a date and started thinking good thoughts about the rest of our life!!

Did you have any surprising challenges or issues and how did you resolve them?

We each had 4 children …I had 4 boys and he had 2 boys and 2 girls. Even though they had known each other for a number of years, I think the thought of us getting married was a little difficult for some of them at first. But after they recovered from the initial shock, they came together to support us and learned to appreciate our new, bigger family.

We now have 14 grandchildren.   Watching them all play together and love each other is very special to these grandparents….us.

How did you create your wedding to match your style?

Fred wanted something elegant.   I wanted something simple…on the beach.

We compromised. The Balboa Bay club had an outdoor area on the water.   They also had an elegant room for the reception.   It was a beautiful wedding.

WE had a great band, delicious food, dancing, a big cake and lots of family and friends to help us celebrate our wedding day.

What was unique and different for you as a couple?

I’m not sure there is anything unique or different for us as a couple . It’s a second marriage for both. Maybe we each learned something from our first marriage to help us in our second.

We have 30 immediate family members. Our family parties are big and loud and fun. The kids all enjoy each other and the grandchildren love to see each other. We’re lucky to have a large back yard….swimming pool, basketball court, ping pong table, pool table, trampoline, playhouse in the yard and play room in the house.   Hardly a chance for boredom to set in!!! We love hosting our family parties. Hopefully, we will continue the tradition for many more years. WE are lucky!!!