A Wondrous Journey (Ch. 5): "Take Me Away, Jonathan!" - Love At the Beach

 "If there's Heaven for me, I'm sure it has a beach attached to it." (Jimmy Buffett)

How do you know when you've found your soulmate? Well, I think one answer is when you discover that the two of you share a love for something beautiful and bigger than either of you; a love that you perhaps can't even describe. Such is the case for Deborah and I. 

We both share a love of being at the beach, though our experiences of it prior to meeting couldn't have been more different! Deborah was raised in southern California so she grew up with the warm beaches of Malibu and Zuma right in her backyard. Because of this, she loves to splash in the surf and has spent countless hours basking in the sunny sands there. I, on the other hand, grew up in northern Oregon. Trips to the beach were a once year highlight in the summer; partly because of the daunting challenge my parents faced of packing up 8 kids in a VW van to drive two hours for a "day at the beach", and partly because the beaches of the Oregon coast are beautiful, but the waters are chilly. Yet, despite this, I grew to love the beach and would frequently choose to go to the coast whenever I wanted to treat myself to a holiday.

So, it isn't a surprise that some of my best memories of my courtship of Deborah come from the 1st trips to the Oregon coast we made together 15 years ago. Here are some of my memories from our "coastal courtship" that first summer together. They are some of the most precious ones we still talk about today. 

February 2005: "Welcome to Bandon"

I boldly invited Deborah to come away with me on a 3 day weekend for an overnight stay in Bandon, Oregon. I had visited here many times as a bachelor, but now was determined to "wow" Deborah (if she'd agree to come - which she eagerly did!). Excitedly, I booked us into a very classy place, "The Lighthouse B & B" (usually I stayed by myself in "cheaper accomodations"). Located directly at the entrance into Bandon harbor, across from the Coquille River lighthouse - our getaway was gorgeous. And we had the entire house to ourselves! What a treat! 

• We sat each night by the glow of a wood fire and talked and talked. In the morning, we woke and drank our coffee gazing out at the quiet waters as the sun rose.
• I took Deborah to see Face Rock for the 1st time and will never forget the tears of joy and gratitude that streamed down her face as she looked at this local landmark. "Thank you for bringing me here. I've loved it!", she said. 
• We took our 1st pictures together here. "The Lump on the Log", "Deby Loves Jon".

April 2005:  "Birthday in Brookings"

We went to Brookings to celebrate my birthday and stayed at the Whaleshead Cove Resort. It was an eventful weekend. It was here that we agreed that I would move in with her and leave my bachelor apartment in Medford where I had been for 13 years. And there were other special memories:

• Having the world's oldest lounge singer (80+) serenade me (something I had told Deborah NOT to ask him to do - naturally she "disobeyed"), and lead all 8 of the other diners in singing "Happy Birthday" to me.
• How hard Deborah cried one night because being in Brookings brought back painful memories of past trips here with her ex-husband Jack and their failed marriage. All I could do was hold her and comfort her as she sobbed. 
• My role of "Dependable Sherpa" was born! We walked on the beach one day. My hands were filled with bags and baskets and I was also gingerly holding Deborah's hand, leading her through dry spots on the beach - while wading through ankle deep water myself. I would do anything for my Princess that day. And still do. 

Summer 2005:    "Lighthouses, Gardens, and other Treasures Discovered"

We took several more trips to the coast that summer: to Yachats; Bandon again; back to Brookings. So many memories...it's hard to recount them all

• We stayed at new places that have since become favorites of ours: the Windermere cottages in Bandon; the Overleaf Lodge in Yachats; the "By the Sea" B & B in Brookings (alas now gone)
• We saw 7 of Oregon's 8 lighthouses (a feat more "impressive" to me than Deborah(
• I took Deborah to Shore Acres Gardens and to Simpson Reef there for the 1st time, and she was awed by its rugged beauty! "Jonathan! Why didn't you tell me this place was so gorgeous!"
• Deborah worrying about me catching cold on a beach walk (and sensing rightly that I was trying to "hide" the fact that I wasn't feeling well!) and telling me to "Get behind me! I'll be your windbreak and protect you!" (all 5 feet of her!)

Deborah gave me a ring when we returned to Brookings at the end of the summer: a beautiful silver Celtic knot design. I wore it until it was replaced by the wedding band I treasure today.  But what I treasure even more is what she wrote on a hand-made card with it:

"I love you...I believe in you...I trust in you...I'm proud of you...I care deeply for you...I am inspired by you...I am grounded in you...I am steadied by you...I have fun with you...You make me smile again!...You are in my soul...You are in my heart...I love you!!!"

As you can see, our shared love for the sea has only deepened the love that we had for each other. And this is still true to this day. Going to the Oregon coast will always be a "magical escape" for the two of us: one that never fails to fill our hearts and touch our souls...and bring us closer together.

"Jonathan, take me away!"..."Yes, my dear. Away to the beach, my love." 

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay