About Us
Donnie and Krista met in 1990 while cast in a melodrama (community theater) called “Great Walls of Fire” at The Opry House in New Almaden (just outside San Jose), California. Their first date (on which the identity of Krista’s ‘secret admirer’ was at last revealed to her) was on December 5, 1990 (an anniversary they still celebrate). From the beginning, their lives together were filled with music, dancing, passion, and adventure.
While living in their first home together (an apartment consisting of the entire first floor of a small, dilapidated “painted lady” Victorian house in downtown San Jose), Donnie and Krista began collecting the eclectic household decor for which they would became known. It started with an old 1954 Philco refrigerator from The St. Vincent DePaul Society Thrift Store. (Being perennially broke, they offered to trade a blender for the fridge but the thrift store declined and simply gave it to them.) They had the old fridge painted Cadillac pink and gutted it, replacing the insides with a plywood structure (painted seafoam green) to house their TV/home entertainment system. The crisper drawers and (intact/original) storage trays in the door held their relatively meager media library. The focal point of the room, it was quite the conversation piece! Seating was a large collection of brightly colored pillows and cushions piled in one corner of the living room – until a friend told them about a pair of old theater seats that someone was throwing away. (They later added a second, bright green set from the ‘70s!) An old newspaper machine, found abandoned by the side of the road, was stripped to bare metal and became a bar, holding a collection of liquor bottles, with Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii” album gracing the front slot where today’s newspaper would have been. A large Timex watch display was later added to house their growing CD collection, and an old stainless steel drinking fountain (another thrift store find) was mounted beside the front door, serving as a sunglasses and keys holder.
Also while at their first home, Donnie surprised Krista with a motorcycle of her own – a 1969 Yamaha 60cc enduro-style motorcycle. He purchased it for $40 from a friend of a friend who needed money for a bag of pot! The couple scoured various motorcycle salvage yards throughout the Bay Area for parts but it was Krista alone who lovingly restored the bike, completely disassembling and rebuilding the engine and carburetor all on her own. (She was adamant about no help from Donnie!) When it was all done and road-ready, they took it to the DMV where Krista proudly passed her driving test and got her motorcycle license.
When their lease was up, the young couple stored their possessions at Krista’s parents house, bought a 1979 Yamaha XS Eleven (an 1100 cc cruiser with a full fairing, combination back rest/luggage rack, and a makeshift tank bag for additional storage) and set out on a cross-country motorcycle trip encompassing Yosemite, Denver, Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, San Antonio, the Grand Canyon, and Disneyland. 5 weeks, 13 states, 8000 miles! It would be the last time they would ever “travel light”! The photo album documenting this and much of the above is currently in one of two large wooden crates in Minden, NV, waiting to be shipped to them once they find their next home in Panama.
Returning to the Bay Area, Donnie and Krista lived briefly with her parents while planning a move to Southern California.
Fountain Valley (in Orange County), California.
They were married (for the first time – purely for the sake of healthcare and tax benefits) on December 17, 1993 in Norwalk, CA but they celebrate their anniversary on the date of their second/public wedding on August 5, 2000. Celebrating with friends and family, they were married on a yacht in the San Francisco Bay. Midway through a lovely 4-hour cruise of the bay, the yacht anchored off Angel Island and Donnie and Krista were married by the Captain (Ron!)
In late 1996, one of their favorite bands, The Presidents of the Unites States of America, released their second album containing the (very fun) song, Tiki God. At about the same time, Donnie and Krista attended a Jimmy Buffett concert and were introduced to “parrothead” culture. The combination caused them to abandon their eclectic decor in favor of a tropical/Polynesian motif and their home (and every home thereafter) became “The TikiShack”.
To be continued…