One more to finish out the last post

In November of 1999 I was working a new job with a company that had just merged with a big French Telco. I worked on the Help Desk. A different pace of life. My days were spent helping others with the computer and network issues. For the first time in years it was great to go to work. Theresa was going into the last month of her pregnancy. She was so beautiful. Her eyes would sparkle when I came home. My son and daughter were healing from what had happened earlier that year.

Our daughter was due Christmas day. I was looking forward to trying this new roll. Men think about this for a moment. The challenge in front of me was to raise a child that was conceived in an affair that had torn my heart out then pissed on it On December 22nd Dakota Rose made her appearance in this world. The quickest labor Theresa had ever had. I was awe struck when Dakota was born. Her I am looking at this little gift wondering if it even mattered how she got here. She was here. Another “Daddy’s Girl” Again Mrs. Malesh was our nurse. Theresa and I explained our story to her so she kept our safety in mind. Not having a birth notice printed in the papers. Mrs. Malesh is a great woman. That’s all I can say. Besides thank you.

Let’s take a walk down California law for a moment. In the state of California if a woman becomes pregnant while still married either by her Husband or otherwise. The child is the financial responsibility of her spouse. Not the “donor.” I didn’t write this law. I signed my name on Dakota’s birth certificate not because of this law. I signed because I knew I was the better Father. Plain and simple. I could be “Daddy” with all that comes with it. This isn’t arrogance on my part. It goes to show how God is always greater than our own motives. He provided me with the strength to love my family once. He had given yet another chance to me.

This whole time Theresa and I lived with a fear that her “ex” would show up to claim what was his, even though he had no legal ground to stand on. I continued to move up in the company. Then in April of 2000 my boss called me up and asked. “Have you ever heard of Spokane?” I replied that I had in fact heard of it and been there in my youth. I thought it was a great town. For those of you geographically challenged. Spokane is in Eastern Washington. Right on the Border of Idaho. If you like old movies from the 80’s. I suggest you watch Vision Quest with Matthew Modine. The whole movie was filmed in Spokane and the outlining areas.

Two weeks later I am on an airplane with one of the Technical Directors in our company. The flights were from hell. We flew Oxnard to LAX, LAX to John Wayne Airport, John Wayne to PHX, PHX to Las Vegas, Vegas to Spokane. We arrived at about 2:30 in the morning my interviews were scheduled to begin at 8:00 that morning.

The interviews weren’t that great. The thing about mergers is there are always two competing companies that come together and are told to play nice. (In the case of Alcatel making it’s presence known in the U.S. from being a purely French and European company. They purchased something like 16 companies that all competed against one another) That memo wasn’t read by the whole team in Spokane. They hated the Cali guys. However, I was there to install and maintain one of the first Corporate Voice over Internet Protocol systems in the United States. I was one of 15 people in the United States able to do the job. The only one to actually asked to do it in Spokane. The Sales division for North America was in Spokane. Either way the VP of Marketing was going to get me there. I didn’t know this at the time. I flew home without a problem.

The month of May came and went and we hadn’t heard anything about the transfer. Finally in June I got the call. The job was mine. The company was paying for us to relocate. They were even sending my wife and I up for a few days to find a house. We were given another shot to start over. Another adventure to be held.

Theresa didn’t want to fly with a newborn and two little ones. She thought it would be too much for us. She suggested we take a train. It would be fun for us all. So we booked a train ride from Oxnard to Spokane. Folks, I love my wife. You all know that. If you are a young couple with three kids reading this. DON’T TAKE A TRAIN!. Fly. What was supposed to be a two day trip was going on 72 hours by the time we hit Portland, OR. I called our corporate travel team and booked a plane ticket for us all. We were in the air about half an hour when we touched down in Spokane. That was nine years ago this past July. This is where the road to Lazarus was laid out. In the beauty of the Northwest where by all standards of evangelical ministries they say people are the least churched.

There are many people that have come through my life in these past nine years. As well as others from my youth who stand out. You have read about what I was. Now, you can read about those that have made me the man I am today. Each one of the people you will read about could write their own book on their life alone. Fortunately for me, they are allowing me to tell part of their story.