We had been married for seven years when my wife, Yvonne, and I became serious about wanting to own the American Dream - a house. We were new to the process so we took the most logical step, we read the real estate section of the Valley News and Green Sheet (now the Daily News) and found some listings by
Sandra Bloom. After a brief phone conversation, we made arrangements to meet Sandy, discuss our desired home, and tour some properties.
After several weeks we found a home with two bedrooms,a large backyard, and swimming pool. This Arleta home was perfect for us so an offer of $88,000 was made and two months later I carried my bride over the threshold of our first home. One year later we blamed Sandy, who had become a friend, for the birth of our first daughter. We figured getting pregnant was somehow related to buying the house; it just wasn't listed in the escrow instructions (trust me, I looked at least three times).
Several years later (now with two daughters), we looked to our friend Sandy for assistance in selling the Arleta home in order to purchase a much larger home in North Hollywood. This was part of our master plan to make our way back into the city of Burbank so our girls could attend school in the Burbank district, like Mom and Dad did. While living in North Hollywood, Sandy met and fell in love with
Richard Chase.
Our daughters were the flower girls at their wedding. The relationship we had with the Chase family did not end, instead, Richard became like a father to me. We played golf together and all of us traveled several times together.
When retirement came for Richard and Sandy they decided to hit the road and travel across the United States full time in a 30-foot trailer. From time to time they have returned to California and it's like having your parents come visit. We miss them and relish the time they spend with us. Well....
It's been 23 years since our first daughter was born (we have three girls) and she is getting married next month. Guess who is coming to the wedding: Ma and Pa Chase. I am excited to see them again and look forward to a round of golf with the old man (said with a lot of respect as he is a much better golfer than I am). I am forever grateful for the love and friendship that came with that first home.