LIFE AS AN ADULT

REALITY CHECK…LIFE AS AN ADULT

With the Navy behind me I guess it was time to get on with my LIFE!

I bought a red ’58 Chevy Impala, with black “tuck and roll” vinyl upholstery and a floor shifter…man I thought I was stylin’….this oughta impress the ladies!! I took a job at the San Jose Mercury News working in the press room as a “Fly boy”….. moving the jumbo rolls of paper around to be printed.

The Saturday before Mothers day in ’64 I was talking with a buddy and he said that there was a purdy lil’ girl working at Mel’s Drive-In and that I oughta go and check her out…I said I would but had no intention of really doing it. I had a date that night with a girl that I had met a few days earlier….went out on the date and found that I couldn’t wait to get rid of her…dropped her off at her house around 10pm and was going to go back to my house in Redwood Estates. (In the Santa Cruz mountains I lived with 2 other guys, Bill Meukel and Rich Crawford...Later Bill was my "Best Man" in my wedding.... in a really cool 3 bedroom house with a rustic knotty pine interior.)

I thought of my conversation with my friend about the “Purdy lil’ girl at Mel’s so I decided to go see for myself….I noticed her right away when I pulled in and parked in the area that she seemed to be working. When she came over and asked what I’d like I told her that I would like a cup of coffee with 7 sugars but “Don’t stir it because I don’t like it sweet. She laughed and we kinda hit it off…I sat there nursing my drink and she would come over, when she wasn’t busy, and we’d talk. I think that she got off of work at midnite, her brother showed up to take her home and I told her that if she wanted I could take her home. She sent Sam away. (Bet she wonders why today!)

I sure can’t tell why we hit it off so quickly but I know that if it hadn’t have been that way we’d have never seen each other again as I very seldom went to that area of town.
We left the Drive-In and started driving…I was enjoying our conversation and didn’t want to take her straight home so we just kept drivin’ and talkin’. The next thing I knew we were in San Francisco…I remembered the Mel’s Drive-In on my old street so I took her there…we left San Francisco and took the coast road down to Santa Cruz then went by my house. I had been absolutely “Smitten” with this sweet little girl.

I told her that before I could take her home I needed to go to my Mom’s house and wish her a “Happy Mothers day” so we did. I then took her to her brothers. I spent the day there with her brother Sam and his family. When I wasn’t working that week, I was with Irene The next Saturday I did something that I sure wasn’t looking to do…I asked her to marry me….I guess that we don’t know when that can happen but when it does, and it seems “Right” you kinda have to act on it. She called her folks and told them and I’m sure that they were probably as shocked as my Mom was.

My mother took an instant liking to Irene, as her son had, so she supported the decision that we had made….Irene asked if I minded us being married by a Mormon Bishop… I didn’t care…especially since they don’t charge for their “Services”. Close by my Mothers house there was a Bishop that we called….he was a Dentist by trade which surprised me…I thought being a “Minister” was a trade. We went to his house to meet with him…after asking about our story he started trying to convince us to reconsider our decision…he was really abrasive, I thought, so I got up and we left. We found another Bishop that was a lot nicer guy and him being a Lawyer, didn’t seem to care that we were of different faiths (Me having none) and hardly knowing each other.
We were married on August 8th 1964, the day before Irene’s 20th birthday, in my brother Bob and Darlene’s backyard and then we all went to Ina Lee and Pete’s house for a reception ….Irene’s Mother and Father and Sam’s family also were there with us and the Grigg family along with some friends of mine. We took a weekend honeymoon trip to Ben Lomond (In the mountain’s out of Santa Cruz) in a cool little cabin. I remember waking up in the middle of the night going out on the patio…sitting there with the moonlight coming through all of the huge trees, I looked into the heavens at all the stars and thought…What in the hell have you done?? The reality of marriage and the desire to grow up and to start a family was a bit over whelming.

We moved to Gilroy where Irene went to work with my Uncle Jack as his receptionist in the upholstery shop. I worked in Morgan Hill making highway flares and clay pigeons.
Irene had the desire to have a baby and I agreed…1….and that’s all.

Irene had some “Mormon” books around the house and I would occasionally open and read a little in them….we went to church one Sunday and I was observing a group of young men in front of us reading Hot Rod magazines and visiting with each other and I thought to myself that I’ve never see that kind of disrespect in a church before and these people believe that “We are the only true church in the world” ????

We asked to have the missionaries come to the little house that we lived in… 2 old men showed up in a big new Cadillac to teach me the lessons. They were retired from owning a construction company in the L.A. area…they owned property at the end of the dam east of Morgan hill…they built a small golf course there with a tennis club and a marina for boats and sub divided the rest of the property for expensive homes. After a few lessons I asked them to not come back...they apologized if they had done anything to hurt my feelings and I assured them that it wasn’t the case….the thought of giving up my beer and smokes was hard to think about.

I took a job in Santa Clara at Memorex cutting computer tape sometime in February 1967. This is where I met the now “Infamous” Gary Fire. One day Gary told me that he’d been reading about a guy named, Edgar Cayce, who talked about many things relative to our relationship with Father in Heaven. He taught that mythological stories were more than just “Stories”….that tales of creatures that were half man and half beast were probably true because, as the “Gods” were attempting to create man they were making mistakes trying to get it “Right”.

Remembering the comments that I had been reading of the “Creation” by the prophets, I told Gary that this guy’s beliefs didn’t hold up. God wouldn’t make any mistakes creating us because we were “Created in His image”. Thinking more and more of the things that I’d read I suggested that Gary and I might find the missionary lessons of interest. Irene talked with her Bishop and said that she thought that older missionaries might be best….he sent over the Stake Mission President, Don Atherton, who lived in our ward. It was a GREAT choice.

Irene and I were joined in the lessons with Gary and his wife, Sandy. This time I was ready. The lessons were started by Don and his companion but then turned over to Elders Pack and Ash. They did a good job and it was wonderful learning of the “Plan of Salvation” by these well prepared missionaries. After much study and prayer I knew that the teachings and beliefs of the "Mormon" church were true and correct, we had our baptism in February of 1968 we then attended the San Jose 9th ward. They were a great ward and they opened their hearts to us. The ward had a well thought out plan that really got us acclimated to our new church and it’s culture. It was also really good for Irene to hear of these principles again and to strengthen her testimony.

In the old days, church was divided into 3 separate meetings. The first meeting was in the morning, then the Seventies had a program set-up for us that really helped us understand the Priesthood and it’s functions. Sunday School was taught by our Stake Patriarch, Brother Ward, who did a fantastic job of teaching us the basics of the gospel…both of these classes lasted for a year, along with that, there were many firesides for us with pretty good teachers from the ward and stake. I believe that the Lord knew Gary and I well enough to know that we were boneheads and would benefit by having a well done, thorough, foundation laid for our testimonies to be nurtured.

It was good for Irene and I and our little baby Vicky to be together each week at church…along with Gary, Sandy and their little one, Holly, who was a month younger than Vicky. Around this time on December 31st someone fired a rifle into the air and the bullet came through our roof and landed by the crib that Vicky and Holly were laying in…the noise startled us as we were playing cards with Gary and Sandy, celebrating the New Year.

Learning of Father in Heaven’s plan for His children here on earth….Irene and I started something that was to get out of hand…having kids. Jack Alan was born a few months after Irene, I and Vicky were sealed together in the Oakland Temple for Time and Eternity. Our little family was growing. (I was in the Oakland Temple one day and noticed 2 old men walking towards me…the gentlemen that taught me the lessons in Gilroy…they said “What are you doing here? And I assured them that they hadn’t done anything to keep me from the Gospel. They were delighted.)

Jack Alan came down with an ear infection so Irene took him to the Doctor. She was told that it was so bad that we had given him antibiotics and we should bring him back on Monday. If he didn’t respond to the treatment we’d have to put him into the hospital. He also said that he was very concerned about his hearing being damaged. All Jack did was cry over the weekend. On Sunday we thought it a good idea to use this new found “Priesthood Power” to work for our son. I called a guy in our ward to come help me administer the blessing. He came over and we tried but he was as new to this “Priesthood Blessing” thing as I was…it was actually an insult to Father, we were that bad. I sent my friend away and I called someone else with more experience and we did it right….I’m sure the Lord helped us and while we were blessing Jack, who was still writhing in pain and letting us all know about it, relaxed in our arms, stopped crying and fell asleep. The next morning Irene took him to the Doctor, who was astonished to find him completely healed. Another lesson learned.

I was working “Graveyard shift” at Memorex and one day while trying to sleep I experienced the “Scariest” thing that I’d ever had happen to me. I was falling asleep when I felt a huge weight upon me crushing me into the bed…I was unable to say anything or even breathe…remembering the Priesthood that I hold and the power of the Adversary, I could only try and say “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the Melchesidec Priesthood that I hold, I command you to leave.” I felt the weight come off of me and the room brighten….composing myself I slid off of the bed to my knees where I prayed and thanked my Father in Heaven for my Priesthood and His help.

I didn’t mention this to Irene but a few weeks later the experience was still vivid in my mind (as it is now that I’m re-visiting it) so I made an appointment with Bishop Mann.
After listening to my story, he assured me that this was real and that I was going to do something that Satan didn’t want me to do. I felt better and kinda put it oughta my mind, it was helpful to know that we have the ability to keep the adversary at bay.

Moving to Santa Clara we were in the Sunnyvale 4th Ward….we enjoyed our time there…I was called on a stake mission and 3 little ones joined us during that time..Cathy, Sheri and then Diane. It was while we were attending this ward that I met Dale Mouritson….Dale was working for the church as an institute instructor at Stanford, San Jose State and I believe at De Anza College. I worked with Dale when he was our Ward Mission Leader and our Seventies Group Leader and attended many of the classes that he taught….we learned much from him….(some of it probably true!!) He and his lovely bride Marta, became good friends of ours.

While on my mission I got to work with many good people. We got a referral card from the Oakland Temple from a girl named Karen Perry. My companion and I went to the address on the card and were met at the door by a young guy that looked like a hippie, with his long hair….he asked if he could help us. He was puzzled that we would want to talk with his sister, (he thought we were cops) When she came to the door we explained that we were from the Mormon church and were responding to her inquiry. She invited us in and said that she’d like to hear more of what we believed. I told her that we had 6 lessons to present to her that would teach our beliefs and that it would be our pleasure to come back the next week and start. After she indicated that she’d like to set up a time I turned to the young lady visiting her and asked if she’d like to join us and was assured that she had no intention of being there with us…I then turned to her brother Dennis and he said that he’d like to hear our presentation.

Teaching Karen and Dennis was exciting, they were anxious to learn and took their reading assignments very serious. They attended church with us after our first lesson and, even though Dale taught the “Investigator Class”,as he would have if he were teaching a class for the Council Of Twelve”, they devoured the information and studied on their own. They both joined the church and jumped right into the Ward.

Dennis went to work printing for us in our T-Shirt business…most days, when he was through working, he’d come over to the house and sit watching Super Chicken on TV with Jack. Jack thought himself to be Super Chicken and that Dennis was his “Side Kick” Fred. Dennis would go out with me as a missionary companion but he wasn’t an Elder yet so he wasn’t allowed to teach….but…on the way home he would rail on me about the way that I was teaching…so I had to remind him that I was the one with the “Spirit” and the mandate to teach!!! (So there Dennis!!”) Of course he was right, I didn’t NEED to answer the question that they asked, since we’d be covering it in the next lesson. But I’d answer it anyway!! It was fun to watch what happens when a person completely throws them selves into learning and living the Gospel. Dennis accepted his mission call and was sent to Palmyra, NY and served his mission there. Upon his return I had a sign business and I hired Dennis to help ….he was artistic and picked things up rather easily. He then went to BYU and worked at a sign shop in Provo. (Oh I didn’t mention that Dennis is also a fine guitar player.)
His parents also joined the Church…real nice folks!!

Years later, I wanted to find Dennis to let him know that Super Chicken was about to graduate from ASU and become a high school English Teacher…he thought that was pretty neat because he was teaching English at the University of Missouri at Rolla.
He had been a Bishop and was just called to be a counselor in his stake presidency…I do believe that I may have found out why the Adversary wanted me off of the path I was on.

Dennis has since gone on to be an Associate English Professor at BYU and a Bishop of a "Student Ward"...he also has a jazz band made up of his fellow faculty members there at BYU. I have been able to spend a little time with him, his wife and meet some of his grown children...what a GREAT family he has been blessed with. Dennis and I now keep in contact with each other a few times a year...what an honor it has been to be a friend of his.