KBD: Darrell's Special Birthday Dose

Here,is a very,very long but quite special dose for you all. This is all
About Darrell, the story of his life. At first, thought I could not do
this, but I continued to work on it for the last few days. , writing away
and somehow, someway, I managed to complete this. It is amazing that I
could write 17 pages. I think the finished product is pretty good as well
as you all will likely get to know both of us better by reading this. Check
it out and tell me what you think. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did
composing it. Tomorrow, I will compose a KDD and tell you about my last two
days. Take Care and stay well.

On August 11, in 1973, in Champaign-Urbana Illinois

Was born a baby Boy,

It was you Darrell, at least two months premature,

Your Prognosis, the Doctor's were not sure,

You had Congenital Glaucoma and Rubella

Only weighed a few pounds,just a tiny fella,,

Not only were you Deaf-Blind, but had a problem with your heart,

You began life, with a rough start.

You're Biological Mother Cheryl, who gave birth to you,

Was very young, only about 17, did not know what to do,

So, her Mom, your Grandmother, Betty Lou,

Adopted you

As her own, her and her Husband Don, They are all you did know,

They took care of you

And helped you to grow.

Cheryl and her Sister Michelle,

A year or two earlier, were not doing very well,

Their Brother Darrell, passed away,

In 71 or 72, he did die,

Was shot, involved in a gang that is why.

The Entire Family, had a hard time, missed him so,

Cheryl, more then anyone did know,

Her heart did break,

And she became pregnant with you,

You were then, named after Darrell, that is true.

Since you could not see or hear,

They kept you close, near,

And for the first 6 years, you were isolated, from the outside world,

Could not at all communicate,

No one, knew your fate,

What you would be capable of, and how much potential you had,

And you probably felt very sad,

Since you were not able to express and verbalize,

Due to your disabilities and small size.

Despite Everything,

Your Mom was very glad, into this world, Cheryl, you, she did bring,

Your Parents loved you like their own, Delighted you were on this

Earth,

Unlike some medical experts, they knew you had much worth,

And knew most obstacles, you would overcome,

Recognized, how bright you were, that you were not at all dumb.

Your Mom took care of you,

And Michelle, your sister too.

They were there for you, night and day,

Understood, what your needs were, though you could not say,

You had numerous of surgeries, when just a little thing,

When, at age 6, to the West, you, your folks, did bring.

Out to Tucson Arizona, in 1980, to the Southwest,

Where, there was warm climate, your Dad had health problems, so, they

Thought it was best.

And two years earlier,in 78, 3 ear operations, you had, first two, did not

Take,

But, the last and the third, a difference, it did make,

And for the first time, you were able to hear, had a speech

Pathologist,

Work with you, to catch up on all that you had missed,

Since, for years, you were behind,

You said, she was kind

And taught you well,

And after several months, a couple years, sounds you can tell,

After awhile, all sounds, you can differentiate

And began to speak and despite talking late,

You could speak well, your comprehension of language, was excellent,

No real speech impediment, as if, no time passed, well it all went

Yet, took a few years until about age 8 or 9,

Before you were fine,

And were on track, on your way,

And these experiences, has an impact on who you are today.

Your Speech Therapist, taught you much, various sounds, running

Water,

Phone ring, slam of a door,

Voices, music, laughter and so much more.

Not only did you have 3 operations for your ears, but dozens for

Your eyes, starting about age 3,

Maybe, much earlier then this?

I know, due to all your surgeries, about 80, much school you did

Miss.

Your folks decided to home school you instead

You had a very good instructor from what you had said,

In about second grade you went to ASBD, you call it the Braille

Jail, there, you did not like to go,

Yet, you met a friend, who was older, who played on the radio,

Who were a ham, and 7 years older then you?

His name is Jeff Bishop; he has become our very close friend

Too.

While at ASBD, you spent much time reading in the library, not taking

Gym,

And Jeff, you got to know, spent time with him,

He showed you his rig and he and some others helped you get your

FCC license, you learned how, they did tic,

You got on the shtick ,

And by age 11, you were an expert, way ahead of others, much older

Then you,

This was your favorite thing to do.

Mount Lemon, you did like to go,

And few times Tucson, got snow,

You like to play; you thought it was great,

And often, every night, you be up reading, falling asleep, staying up

Late,

Or work, calls, call ICQ,

Do research on their demographics, anyone you chat with too,

You participated in many contests, and, manually , all, you would log,

And from what you said, growing up, you had two dogs,

Their names, were Sparky and Spoc,

And you grew up in the 80's enjoyed music,

R & B, hip hop.

In school, you were often bored, and grades ahead, except for

Mathematics,

You had some friends, like the girls best, the chicks,

When much younger, you had a best friend named Rusty, not Steve,

And at the end of eighth grade, ASBD, you did leave.

However, changing schools, was not easy for you to do,

Much you and your parents had to go through.

The Educators, felt, in public school, you did not belong,

That, you couldn't care for yourself, but, we all know, they were

Wrong.

Unfortunately, the NFB had to file a lawsuit with the school

District, which you won,

That outcome, had a significant impact on you, a ton,

So, across town you did live and attended Polo Verde High, your

First year, you thought it was great,

Met Cyndi and Sheri, were close, until she did graduate,

It was her senior year, but Sheri had two more years to go,

And you missed Cyndi, more then anyone did know.

In your sophmore year, Cyndi had a major accident that altered her

Life for ever,

Some walked away from her, yet, you did never,

You stood by her, along with some others,

Some friends, her family, Sister and Mother.

You sent her get well cards every day,

During the first month, the hospital, she did stay,

You all did care,

And time, together, you did share,

After, she was out of the Hospital, yet, not much time spent,

Back to College she went,

To the U of A,

While you were attending High School each day.

About that time, you met Jennifer Feingold she was your first

Girlfriend, you met her backing 84,

Yet, it was then, you, she did adore,

And after her, you had a few more.

During those days, you met someone named Kim and another

Jennifer too,

You did not know what to do,

So dated them both, Kim and Jen,

Typical Guys, and like some Men

You were playing the field, took you a long time to find Ms. Right, you
could not choose,

And you loved to watch History and News,

And when you were younger then 13, you loved, Night Rider, it was one of

Your favorite shows, along with Dukes of Hazard, when you were

Small,

And you ran through the halls

And had an assistant, named Gloria, to take notes in class,

And you were on the Debate Team, and Driver's Ed you did pass.

Kathy, a Resource Teacher influenced you, but especially Gloria was
instrumental in your Education too.

She taught much and got you up to speed

And ever since you have been young, you love to read.

In 89, you went to the Prom with Kim, you have Memories you

Recall,

You did not like to go to the mall,

As much as playing on the radio, or your computer, had an Apple 2 E,

You used the technology,

To do your school work and used Bulletin Boards like Jeannie,

Messages, you would compose,

These skills, gave you the foundation, to be in the career you

Chose.

You loved to have a modem and played on the net,

And you were involved with the NFB, many you met,

through the Arizona Affiliate, Chapter in

Tucson,

Though leadership positions, you never did run.

Many people knew who you were, both in the state and in the

Nation,

Just as many know you today, from your blog and the ACB interactive

Station.

In 1991, you graduated from Polo Verde,

And attended the U of A.

You majored in Information systems, and your first semester well, did not go

, not great,

And in college, you did not like most of your roommates.

After that year, you transferred to ASU,

And were there until 92

In that summer, you met Tina, at a NFB National Convention, in

Charlotte N. C, via the ham Radio,

While you two were exploring the hotel, and the amusement park,

You did go,

In the fall of 92, you began at ASU in Tempe, our house, is about a

Mile,

You and Tina, would talk for a while,

On the phone, for hours at night

As well as E-mail, you would write.

I think you used Elm and Pine

In those days, you were often online.

In 1994, Tina headed off to go to The Colorado Center for the Blind in Denver Colorado,

The college program, she did go.

She persuaded you, you went in June, you did not think, it

Was a waste,

This was the same time as, the O J Simpson, car chase.

Soon after, Denver you did go, you met a girl named Mary,

Not Kerry.

You and Mary were attracted to each other,

It took Tina and Melissa, not your mother,

To get you to see the light, before you began to date.

You dated for a few months and then, it was Christmas Break, home, I think,
you did go,

And then, I arrived on January 7, 1995, don't recall, if they had snow,

I think not, it was a beautiful day,

And I flew a long way,

Flew from Connecticut to Colorado,

I was excited but also nervous you know?

I did not think I would make friends really with anyone,

For me, that is much easier said then done.

Tina was my roommate, Mentor,

And Darrell, you lived in the same building, but not next door,

Tina wanted to take me to lunch, and in the parking lot, you did wait,
you did stand,

With your ham radio, but, I did not understand,

I thought you were a guard and I asked if you were, I usually, don't talk to
people at first, you know?

Then, we all walked over to Wendy's on a street called Monaco,

Jennifer and her boyfriend Kevin,joined us there too,

You brought your Braille and Speak, with you out to eat,

And Maybe, I swept you, off your feet?,

Because, it, you did forget, left it thereon the table,

And we did search for it, and you did not get it back, you were not able

To find, it, you did replace,

And you were known as QFI, down the street, you would race

Running everywhere,

You were on the go, you did not care,

You would walk fast, almost at a jog not afraid of anything or anyone,

Would tap your cane in rhythm almost run.

Soon after you met me, you and Mary Broke up, in 3 weeks, we began to date,

Then, in March of 95, I retired my first dog Guide Topper, and from me, you
needed space again,

And it was then,

I was introduced to the internet and E-mail with a modem, I learned to send,

As well as I began to make a few friends.

I became addicted to e-mail then, messages; I would read and write,

And after Rock Climbing all day with the Center, we would watch Movies and
order Pizza at night.

In April Mary and Melissa completed their program, and Mary and Melissa went
to Missouri, to Mary's hometown Branson, about an hour from Springfield

And, Darrell, your heart still did not heel,

It still ached, and mine for you,

This makes me think of, J Gilles, Love Stinks, do you remember that song?

And it took long,

Mary, you still did love,

And you probably prayed to God, wanting answers from above

However, you did not know how much you were in love with her,

You were not sure,

And in July, Everyone from CCB, went to the NFB National Convention in
Chicago, it was alright,

Like the exhibits best, and on the way home, we sat together on the flight,

It began as small talk and then, we sorted things out,

And decided to get back together, despite everyone's doubts.

A month later, from the Center you did graduate,

August 16, was the date,

Tina had graduated on March twenty-three

So, all that was left of our little group was me

You and tina had an apartment together, over on Ash,
and you wanted some work experience, and needed cash,
and the bills you had to pay.
In the fall, you landed your first job, working for Stonehinge an ISP doing
Tech support,

Your commute to DTC Denver Tech Center, was not short,

It was a long one indeed,

Still you took the bus and did reed.

You did not mind, you were getting a paycheck, and working 9 to 5,

And at the end of the year, found out, that Mary and Melissa would arrive

After the Christmas Holidays,

Again, your spirits were raised,

Though, we were still together,

But not as close, freezing cold was the weather.

In January of 96,

The two were back, Frick and Frack,

Mary and Melissa were back,

The dynamic Duo,

And me, you let go,

And we went our separate ways, for me, that was so hard to take,

You, I could not shake,

However, I went on and so did you,

You and Mary became serious, engaged and in a year said I do,

And I assumed, we, were through,

And so, did everyone,

And in the spring, I was done,

I completed two programs, the adjustment to blindness,

And SRT Training, Customer Service, the staff, thought it was best

To do both, for myself,

And then, was not good my mental health

I was stressed out, balanced I was attempting to find,

And I could not get you, off my mind.

Though, I was happy Independence I did again gain, and office skills I did
learn,

All ready to get a job again, that paycheck, I too, would earn.

Yet, I could not find one and regretted our relationship,

And all I could find, was a paid internship,

With CCB,

Thought , that was not the right fit for me

But, took it anyway,

As the Center's Receptionist, and enjoyed it each day.

Two months after I was there, I had my accident, the day before, August 10,
we went to the Amusement Park, Elitches, in Denver, and it was pretty far,

We all had fun, but not everyone wanted to sit with me, in the same car

, I had a pierceless scream that is why,

I also would hysterically laugh, not cry,

But, Darrell you and Tina sat with me, you thought it was alright,

And, it was the first time, I loved Roller Coasters, think, they are a
blast without sight.

Anyway,

WE were there all day

Don't know what we ate, certainly, not cotton Candy, disgusting and sticky,

And by midnight, I lost my voice, sounded like mini mouse, not Mickey.

The next day was your Birthday, and it, we all did celebrate, remember, it
was sunny, and not too hot,

Julie M and I were walking through the parking lot,

To get to your Party,

Yet, I did not make it, not me,

Instead ,I fell off the ledge, from the top lot, to the one below,

Six feet to the ground, and the hospital, I had to go,

Tina, came with me in the ambulance, because, I was not close with you,

Or Mary and Melissa too.

However, you visited me twice in the Hospital, at, Swedish before surgery
I had,

You felt bad,

Another visit you made there,

And I knew then , for me, you still did care,

Yet, it was difficult to stay friends,

And, I knew, it would be a long recovery, before I would mend.

Your Wedding with Mary, you two, continued to plan, ,

across the streets, you ran.

At CCB, you continued to work,

As one of their Computer instructors , and though, you were not a jerk,

I couldn't couldn#39;t be around you,

I felt sad and rehab I had to do

And get back on my feet once more, took very long for me to stand,

Now and then, you tried to give me a hand

Yet, it I wouldn't really allow,

Things were certainly, not like they are now

Four months after home care, work, I did return,

Everyone, showed concern,

Asked me if I was alright? fine?

And, at first, I'd could only work two hours at a time

I would place a pillow under my arm, the pain was excruciating

And wonder if, I would ever will be wanted to be dating.

On February 27, of 97 you were hit by a truck on Broadway and Evans Avenue

You were on your way to the Office, you had work to do,

This driver, did not see you at all,

He was on his cell phone, taking a call,

Not sure, how fast He did go,

Yet, recall, there was snow,

A few inches at least on the ground,

And on the street, you were found

You broke your leg, the femur bone, you did break,

And the Paramedics, to Denver General, DG, you, they did take.

Soon, after, you were hit,

I heard about it,

I was very worried, and I wanted to call, and find out how you were, you
know?

For months, I pretended I did not care, yet, I realized on this day,

I still did, the feelings never went away.

The next day, I visited you in your hospital room,

And of course, it took, almost 3 more years, before; again, our love would
bloom

You had surgery, and were in the hospital for a week,

And justice, you did seek.

The driver, you did sue,

And still today, this accident, has had a tremendous impact on you

In fact,

Independence, you do lack,

At least, for travel, you're limited where you go,

And though, you do try and go with the flow,

And from time to time cross streets, you are quite anxious, can't do this
with ease,

So, many people, say, it's a breeze,

Just get out there, and does it, travel, stay in the race,

Yet, you have not found that, to be the case

You do your best, to stay in the game,

To cross streets, but, life has not been the same,

Not since that day,

And hope some day,

I do pray.

You have PTSD,

So, I know, it will be difficult, you see.

By this time, 6 months passed since my accident, I was beginning to gain
use of my arm, but not much,

And I found it difficult to keep in touch

Yet, I was just beginning to use a computer since, August of 96, but not
many words at all I could type a minute,,

Took a couple hours to type a page or two,

And others things I was just beginning to be able to do,

Things, that we all take for granted every day of our life,

Get dressed, read Braiile , write and cut my food with a knife,

Even holding a paper plate, or a pen,

Did not know when,

I would be myself again.

I was back to work, witch was a very good thing, 28 to 32 hours a week

About 10 hours of therapy a week and I continued to utilize the Braille
and Speak,

In one-handed mode,

While you and Mary and Melissa lived a few blocks down the road.

Your recovery did not take as long,

You continued to work, plan the Wedding, choose a song,

Last minute details and all,

Wedding Guests to call.

In the spring of 97, you and Mary got married first in Colorado,

And in April back to Missouri, you did go.

I did go to the Wedding in March, I did attend

Even though, we couldn't really be friends,

I went, to end that , chapter of my life,

And, it would be several years, before you and I became husband and wife

We both continued to work for CCB, for a few months longer,

And my arm got stronger,

I was still in therapy, working as the receptionist, and we, did not talk,

While you, did contract work for CCB and for the most part could walk,

By then, you were not using a wheel chair or crutches, you still limped
around,

And by the fall , a new job you found

You began working for beyond Sight,

And again, I was ,could do most daily living tasks, began reading Braille
and E-mail and documents I could write.

So, you began working for Beyond Sight, or as you called it, Beyond Profit
only a few months you worked there,

And I think on some level, you did still care,

About me, you and Mary did not spend time with friends much, were just
together

And by now, cold, was the weather.

By Christmas, you and she decided to move back to Missouri, you said
goodbye,

And by then, two months, I had my second Dog guide ,Chanel ,from Seeing Eye.

After you two moved away,

I did not hear from you for months, not until one autumn day,

In October of 98,

And you did not enjoy, living in the state.

You and Mary were not doing well and you were depressed, communication
not good at all,

Up, was the wall,

And many misunderstandings you had,

You could not find work, felt isolated and were sad.

You two tried to hang in there,

But then, you began not too care,

As much, and felt you needed to separate,

From Mary, you're Wife, your mate.

For just a little while,

So, in May of 98, you traveled several miles,

On the greyhound, to Phoenix, the valley of the sun,

Not realizing, that your relationship with her is done.

You two, thought, you would reconcile,

But, it was too late, so, divorce papers, she began to file.

You were extremely depressed and guilt you felt, yet you attempted to get
back on your feet,

And tolerated the heat.

You found a job with Extreme Zone internet in Scottsdale,

Did more tech support, fixed customer's mail,

And so much more, 6 months in length,

You began to get your strength,

And move on, still not yourself , not feeling great at all,

And then in October, me, you did call.

We began to talk, did not know what to say,

Hurt feelings on both sides, but still chatted every day,

Just about, at least every other,

And my family and friends did not like you, especially, Linda and my
Mother.,

We would talk late at night, on the phone for hours at atime, quietly in
my room

We began to have feelings again, our love began to bloom.

However, you were still married and you were not divorced yet

So, I did not want to come there, but , we still talked on the phone and on
the net.

During this year, I tried to date,

Thought, it did not go great.

There names were Rick, Steve and Mark,

Yet, each relationship, only lasted a few months long, did not feel a
spark,

And we did not have much in common, especially with Steve

He drove me crazy, was needy and trying to get close to fast, so, asks
him to leave,,

Of course, in a nice way,

And though, Darrell,we talked just about every day,

Not sure which way,

Our relationship would head,

Proceeded with caution, felt badly about things, that were done and said.,

Needless-to-say , we still did communicate,

Our love did grow,

And a trip to Phoenix, I did go.

in the end of May,

A week before Memorial Day.

During those months; from the fall of 98 to 99,

You were just a friend of mine,

So, you to began to date, through, Match.com,not E-harmony,

Yet, you were still thinking of me.

Around the Holidays of 98, you were working for ASU,

Assisting students in the computer center, is what you did do.

Helping those students, who used jaws equipment,

About 20 hours a week, there you spent,

While taking Classes too, Women Studies in 98 and in 99,management.

You did not take a full load,

And you were a batcherlor,livedon terrace road.

When, I came for a visit in May of 99, thought it would be only for a long
weekend, yet I did stay, though ,it, I did not intend,

See, Linda, my roommate and friend,

We had a falling out, and I was evicted, what a mess, you know?,

I had nowhere to go,

So, I made my home here, thought it was best,

Though, we wanted to be together , yet, I was extremely stressed,

Dealing with my lawsuit, from my personal injury case, 3 years spent,

My time and energy,

Trying to become employed you see,

Did not want to work for Pizza Hut again or for a Plasma center, like I
had,

And had no paycheck, just income from the Social Security Administration,

We managed, yet, it was much easier said, then done.

My SSI checks were retroactive,

And with that and Darrell's small Checks from ASU, , we did live,

On that, and we were okay,

Yet, things are so much better today.

In the summer of 99, Darrell, became employed, worked for a company, called
get net , The Owners, were Brothers, employees few,

And in August, I got a job too,

For Alaska Airlines as a Reservationists herein Tempe, not Scottsdale,

Yet, never started there, the tech person from the Foundation for the blind
, thought I would fail,

Thought My Braille Skills were not good, that I was too slow,

So, told Alaska Airlines, it was not a go,

That I could not do the job, so, they gave me the run-around,

So, another person, they found.

Christmas of 99, back east we did go,

Don't recall, if they had snow,

Went to jersey, and Darrell met all my Family, for the first time,

For the most part, everything went fine.

Right before the Holiday, I was hired at Sears, it did not go well,

And not long, we had DSL.

I began my job as a Customer Service Rep, only two months, that did last I
hated it and had Nightmares at night,

And Darrell your job, went alright.

By now, it's spring of 2000,

And we both are on the mend,

From our accidents and are working full-time,

And I began to learn to shop online,

And surf the net, connect, it was fast,

And we knew our relationship would last.

I also began to search for a job, wanted to be working in Hospitality,

I got my job at Hyatt in May, yet, a few months, it would be,

Before I would work there, in late August

And it, I am glad,it,I chose,

And finally in 2000, my Lawsuit, came to a close,

We did get a settlement, did not go to trial,

It took a long while,

For years, they know how to stretch it out, court dates, they would extend,

Almost had to testify, and I finally I was on the mend,

I had about 75 % range of motion, most directions, my arm, I could bend

During this year, I got to know Darrell's Family,

Time we spent,

Since, they knew our relationship, was permanent.

Its now 2001, and for the first year, I worked at Hyatt, only part-time,

And Darrell worked for the same company, changed ownership, and I became
more comfortable ordering stuff online.

The new name for the company was Clear Data, or Cloudy, as Darrell, would
say,

And I then became full time at Hyatt, doing the same position, I do today.

The Weekend of August Eleventh, his Birthday,

We moved to another Apartment, a larger and nicer one, just a couple blocks
away.

As we all know, a month later, it was 9-11, the Terrorists, our country,
they did attack, effected us all, you'd agree,

And even my job, you see,

We were down to low occupancy,

about 6 % And they couldn't justify, having me there,

I did not have many hours, not much work to do,

Again, somehow, we made it through.

Two weeks later, I said goodbye,

I went to the Seeing Eye,

To get my Third Dog, Douglas, I was anxious,

And scared to fly , but went, a week, Darrell, joined us,

Back East, My Sister got Married, Mary Beth and Todd, she is a year older

And then the weather, here, began to get colder.

Darrell continued to do tech support and travel into Phoenix each day,

And more often, on the computer, I would play.

Then, again the company had changed Ownership, now, called Amerion,

After, you were there awhile,
you assisted your Boss in the Hiring process, You all hired a competent woman with a smile,
with technical knowledge, with a great attitude,about the job and People, she did care,
for you, she was a breath of fresh air,
She was open minded about blindness,
and thought Jaws was cool, helped you to gain access,
You both got along well: You two liked Star Trek,
and she was one of the company's best tecks.

, You did not have a clue,

Around Thanksgiving of 2002,

You got laid off, just before the Holiday you were let go,

you were now, unemployed, difficult time for us, you know?

Darrell gave his Boss, a wonderful recommendation,now, that he was gone, have Gina, Be the Teck lead,
and you gave her titles of some books to read,
and you keptin touch for awhile, yet it has been two years or so,
she, her husband and kids, Florida,they did go.

and for us,We struggled, yet, we made it,

My job, I did not quit,

Darrell was depressed and Sad,

And we got a little assistance from Mom and Dad,

And Darrell went back to school, at MCC,

To gain more knowledge, some more skills, and classes towards your degree.

You took all Computer cources at night and sometimes on Saturdays,

In hopes, to land another job, get a promotion, someday again a raise,

You increased your knowledge of system administration,

And received more Certifications

In 2003,you were employed again, and working for the same employer today,

Working for E4E, an Internet Security Company

Last year or so, you were able to telecommute, wish, that could be me.

At the end of that year, you began your blog, your web site,

Blind Access Journal, you do accessibility advocacy, day and night.

You want to empower others, shed some light,

Help others to see,

That a better life for the blind, it could be,

If we had more access to information,

And all the blind across the nation,

Would work together, unite,

Become involved in their community letters they would write,

To web masters of various sites,

And for them to place alt tags,

And if others arise, if you see a red flag,

To do something, about it,

Since then, you get many hits,

To your site,

You continue to fight,

Forus all,

We all know the order is tall,

And only a few people get involved, not much help you get,

Yet comments, you do get,, every week,

Full accessibility and participating for all you seek.

IN 2005, you attended a Technology Conference in L A, Called CSUN

And you roomed with Jeff, you who had fun

Your friend from so long ago,

You chatted now and then, through the years, but, had a lot to catch upon
you know?

He asked about me, the woman in your life,

And said, if you love her, why doesn't she become your Wife ?

Six years you have been together?

Can you storm the weather?

And you said, yes, you wanted me to Marry you,

So, then, you planned to propose, knowing, I would say, I do!.

A week later , you planned a special night,on Jeff's show, the Desert Skies,

You both organized a wonderful surprise,

For me, on April Fool's day,

Recorded your proposal to me and my favorite songs you did play.

It has special meaning to me,

It will forever, and then, Jeff, friends, we started to be,

A new friendship began,

With Jeff and Keri, and Darrell, our Wedding we began to plan.

In November of that year, you went to the Podcasting Expo

In California, city, of Ontario,

You met your friend Allison,

And we went back for Christmas, we all had fun,

We got to playing the snow, yet, long it did not last,

And while, there , did podcasts,

Of some of our time together,

And enjoyed the beautiful, blistering snowy weather.

IN 2006, we continued to plan our Wedding, June was the date,

Organizing and finalizing the details, was not great,

Not much fun at all,

Finding a location, choosing our guests, and menu, and people to call,

To find a d j or a band,

Whether, to get Married in church on a beach , bare feet in the sand.

We almost eloped instead,

Yet , made it through, for our family and friends to witness, us get wed.

We were Married on a boat in Boston,

All had fun,

It was the Odyssey , we had a Wedding Cruise,

An untraditional Wedding, we did choose,

Yet, we were traditional and old fashioned in our vows that we did recite,

And the next day we took a flight ,

Back home, and the next day, we did go,

On our Honeymoon, to San Diego.

Also, that year, you were instrumental with making Google CAPTCHA's
accessible, you began a petition,

And Today, you continue the mission ,

Like with Yahoo
You and Jeff, are the Hosts of Main Menu,
as well as, Your a disability Comissionor Here in tempe, Volunteer work for the city, you do,,

And Today, in 2007, we are involved with ACB, web site work for them, you and
Jeff do,

As well as we both Broadcast on ACB R I,

For a year now, have been doing our show, the Desert café,

The same and only one, that we will do later today.

And last week, to Utah, we flew

Cyndi and Sheri are now, new friends of mine,

And hope you all think this KDd is more then fine,

And catch us online,

In an hour,

I still need to get dressed and take a shower,

I am wearing my favorite slippers and P J's,not clothes,

And this special dose for you Darrell, I compose

Hope you enjoyed reading this, Darrell and you, all my friends,

And this KBD, I do send.,