1st there was The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and lady Diana (July,1981). Then their son Prince Harry married Meghan Markle (May,2018). But the most memorable wedding in the last half-century was....

Luke and Laura

(Nov.,1981)

UNTIL NOW...

PRESENTING

The Life and Times

Of...

Annette and Jeff

Annette and I met in the summer of 1990. I worked with her brothers, Frank and Ed at DWF (Denver Wholesale Florist of Flint). They had introduced us only once in passing and someone in her family encouraged me to ask her out. So, I guess you could call it a semi blind date!

With flowers in hand, I remember her mother (Diane) answering the door with that "Momma Bear" look in her eyes. As she called for Annette, I couldn't help but feel she already had me figured out. Little did I know that in an instant, my life was about to change.

Annette came to the door with her shy and timid smile and the most beautiful eyes that would light up a room. Once I regained my composure, we were on our way. Our destination, the Miracle Twin drive-in to see the movie "Ghost".

HINT:

This is the point in the story I need to tell you to watch or rewatch the movie Ghost. Then the reception will make a little more sense.

"From this moment" on is where our relationship grew.

At this time, I didn't come into this relationship alone. I had brought with me my oldest daughter, Siera Nicole of 2 years old (born June 28th, 1988). Annette and her entire family accepted Siera with open arms. In an instant she was showered with love, as if she was their own.

On March 23rd of 1991, our son Steven Edward was born. Weighing in at 2 lb. and 12 oz. he was our little miracle child.

For the next couple of years, our lives were full of ups and downs. At the end of our relationship, we were months from being married when Annette called it off. I was devastated but, in all reality, I was by far NOT marriage material. Both of us were just coming into the prime of our addictions. With that came my multitude of character defects and destructive behaviors.

In time, looking back, it was the best decision that Annette could have made for herself and our son. She had the strength and courage to stick by her life changing decision. That decision made it possible for us to be where we are today.

Life moved on for both of us, but we never lost contact for too long. 30+ years go by but not without recognizing a couple of very proud moments of our lives...

My youngest daughter

Madison Kay

Born December 17th, 1994

My oldest son

(I found out about 6 years ago)

Ryan Jeffrey

Born April 30th, 1986

Annettes youngest son

Frank III (Some had known him as Zackery-Sean)

Born August 11th, 1997 - December 9th, 2018

Annettes youngest and only daughter

Brianna Marie

Born September 9th, 2000 - July 19th, 2021

Annette and I have battled addictions for decades. Both of us had finally reached our bottoms, separately. We reached out, again, to a 12-step program that has always been there in the past to help. This time it was different... We were willing to go to any lengths to get sober and stay sober. And that's when so many of the miracles began to happen...

I was sitting in a 7:00 P.M. meeting when about 6:58 P.M. I heard someone coming up the stairs. When I turned to look, to my surprise, it was an Angel (Annette). I will never forget being flooded with strange emotions and rushing over to greet her with a loving hug. Little did I know her back story of how she ended up here that day until later.

Earlier that day, Annette was at a doctor's appointment and while she was waiting to be seen, she made a new friend. The conversation turned to alcohol, then alcoholism and then a local meeting in Flushing. Annette was excited to find a meeting closer to home. They exchanged numbers and made arrangements to meet at the 7:00 meeting that night. At the same time, she was pulling into the parking lot that night, the girl texted to say she had to cancel.

While sitting there debating on whether to still go in, a fellow member stopped and invited her in with an encouraging voice. At this point she was committed for a 2nd time!

God was working overtime that day, by putting as many people in our paths as needed, to lead us in the direction we were supposed to be... at that moment ...

"From this moment" on, we began to rebuild our relationship. We had always been friends or at least friendly to one another, but it was a MUST to do things right by starting out at ground zero. We always had a deep seeded love for each other that never died but laid dormant for decades. If we were truly soulmates in Gods eyes, we had to be true to ourselves first in order to grow true together.

We based our newfound love on God, and the Program and Principles that we MUST practice daily in ALL our affairs. Freely given to us a second chance at life as individuals and a second chance at true love together.

Thank you for taking the time to read the autobiography of our past. We choose not to regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it but learn from it for future reference.

NOW,

"This is where OUR STORY ... TRULY BEGINS"!!!