Barbara Summering:  

In Barlow, I felt very insecure and insignificant amongst so many "confident" peers!! Little did I know that many of them were also going through the same identity crisis!! This I found out by going to class reunions!! LOL Once I got out of Barlow, I just determined to break out of the old mold... so I cut my naturally curly hair into the 70's newly popular "afro" It was my brand new beginning in the next phase of my future life. I did a stint at Mt. Hood Community College and got those proverbial "textbooks" as my reward! Then I got a job at JBL&K, downtown P-town and loved the freedom of making it on my own! A year after meeting a "Cali-Boy", I moved right into the heart of Hollywood California where I began a new and exciting life in the cosmetic industry! However, at the same time I discovered that my Cali-Boyfriend had a mom that didn't accept any girl unless she was BOTH Ukranian and Catholic!! Being neither, she actually told my Cali-Boy that she would disown him if he married me!!! She was openly hateful and rude to me every time she saw me! This was certainly not the way I was brought up to behave, SO, I did what any farm-raised, self respecting, spunky, Oregon girl would do.... I left him... then I cried a lot!! In hindsight, it was my destiny, because I ended up meeting my honey/hubby, Jack, whom I've been with for the last 32 years! I feel the need to give you just a smidgen of insight about our crazy first meetings. He was born and raised in Quincy, Mass, a small suburb of Boston, (like Gresham is to Portland. ) I noticed his beautiful, dreamy, large eyes first.. then his full beard, which I thought was rugged. But then I was hit dead on by his absolutely outrageous "Boston Accent"!! I remember asking him so many times."huh?", "what did you say?", "come again?", are you speaking English??!!...Expand for more