Since '62, spent several years paying my way through school, graduating finally in '69 from Ga State College, the last year before it became Georgia State University. In '64, thanks to a careless roommate, I came home one evening and found Richard Courtney (Atlanta band drummer, class of '60) on the couch, magic in the air and our future was clear. Despite the problems of youth, tempers and Vietnam, (his one country without me) we married in '71, lived in Okinawa '73-'76, New Mexico '77-'86, and Washington State ever since. We are still best friends and know how lucky we are.
Together we.
Have been to 70 countries and 6 continents. Have swum with seals in Mexico, stingrays in the Caribbean and sharks in Bora Bora. Have tickled the tongues of dolphins in Moorea, bison in US and belugas in Canada. Cuddled koala, wallaby and kangaroo in Tasmania. Have climbed the Sydney Bridge, the Dolomites, Statue of Liberty and the big Buddha monument in Hong Kong. Have tied wishes to a prayer tree in Japan, been blessed by a Buddhist monk in Singapore, rubbed the heel of a Buddha in a stupa on the top of Borobudur in Indonesia, sipped from the three springs of the Virgin Mary in Turkey and tossed coins into the Trevi Fountain in Italy. Have been to the red heart of Australia and seen the Olgas & Uluru at sunrise and sunset. Have snorkeled the GBR, the Belize reef, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Have loved a lot, played a lot, traveled a lot, worked a little and usually the pleasure has been worth the pain! In the words of Jimmy Buffett, "wrinkles only go where the smiles have been" so I've also smiled a lot. While my body has grown older, my heart has grown younger and lighter as I've faced a fear a year.