Our Story
Russel Takao Imamura
The Groom
Russel was born at Long Beach Memorial in Long Beach, California on March 9, 1979. He is the eldest son of Phillip Imamura & Linda Taguchi. He has one brother, Craig. The Imamura family has lived in Cerritos throughout Russ' life. He's only known one home. He went to school at Leal Elementary, Tetzlaff Jr. High & Cerritos High School.
As a child, Russ played baseball and swam. For a good portion of his youth, he played basketball for the Norwalk Showtime (SEYO Basketball: South East Youth Organization). He was able to travel with the team and met many friends, such as Todd & Brandon. In Jr. High, Russ found his passion for golf. In high school, he played for the JV and Varsity golf team.
Currently, Russ works as a store manager for Roger Dunn in Anaheim. He has been employed with Worldwide Golf Shops Enterprises for 12 years. He attended CSU Long Beach with a major in Graphic Design/Commercial Advertising. Most of his spare time goes to trying to find a tee time with Uncle Bernie "Jun-Jun". He is currently looking forward to his tee time with Tiger.
Bermellyn Jane Nefalar
The Bride
Bermellyn was born at Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 29, 1982. She is the only daughter & third child of Bernardo Nefalar & Melchora Encarnacion. She has 3 brothers: Mark, Bernie and Mikey. The Nefalar family moved to San Diego in 1988 once Bernie Sr. retired from the Navy. Bermellyn has practically been raised in Southern California. She went to school at Sandburg Elementary, Challenger Jr. High & Mira Mesa Sr. High School.
Bermellyn started dancing at the young age of 7 (starting in tap & jazz). Her dance resume includes: Royal Blues, MMHS Drill Team, Mesa Dance, San Diego Gulls Girls, 220 Second to None (hip hop), Legoland and Disneyland performer. In college, she picked up another hobby. She played for the American Poolplayers Association from September 2004 - December 2006. She played her last match 9 months pregnant... luckily she went out with a bang and won (her opponent surely was not a happy camper).
The birth of her one and only daughter, Jaelynn Cecilia Nefalar, was on January 12, 2007 (just in time to watch the Chargers play their final game in the playoffs that season). Currently, Jaelynn is 2 1/2 and going to school at KinderCare in Cerritos. She already loves to sing and dance... maybe she'll be just like her mommy.
Presently, Bermellyn works as a meeting planner for Pacific Communications (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allergan, Inc.) She is a graduate of CSU Long Beach with a major in Interpersonal & Organizational Communications and a minor in Marketing.
1st official time we met
The first time Russ & I met was at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach, where I used to work. At the time his old friend was the new general manager of the course. He was there to visit and play a round of golf. He took the liberty of walking through my office to get to the pro shop. And the rest is history...
Just friends
It was right around the time that I was 6 months pregnant when Russ & I started to consider each other friends. There were a couple of times that I could remember having my little emotional fits and Russ was there to chat with me over the phone. We didn't get to talk all that much, but I could say maybe once a month. It was fun talking, I think we talked about everything and anything. He was such a great friend and helped me through a really tough time in my life. This went on for about 6 months of just talking as friends.
The one night that our interest in each other came out was on a night out with friends in downtown San Diego. We danced a little and walked the streets of Gaslamp. On our ride home, I got to sit with Russ and one other friend in the back seat. Russ held my hand. I froze a little but it felt nice, so I held on.
I think we're dating now...
Not too long after that night in downtown SD, Russ came back to take me out to dinner. We ate out in La Jolla and then took a walk around the cove. That night Russ shared his feelings. I was still on the fence on how I felt, just getting out of a crazy relationship. Now when I think back on that day, I really liked him... just didn't know if I could ever love again.
We went through a rough time, questioning whether or not we should pursue this relationship or keep it just as friends. Our ties to each other were weird. But we still talked on the phone just the same. We had a heart to heart talk about where we should go from here. It felt like we were breaking up but we weren't even together. At that point, I think we both knew that life was not complete without each other. We had some friends that didn't want us together, but I could honestly say that we followed our hearts and stuck together through it all.
Our relationship
Since we had a weird start, we just agreed that March 10th would be our official anniversary (our first night on the town).
I moved back to Orange County in April 2007 since I found a job. This allowed me to see Russ more. Since I just had Jaelynn, we didn't get to go out much... just chilled at home, cooked and watch a ton of movies. I fell in love with Russ so much more when I saw how great he was with Jaelynn. I know he wasn't ready to be a father, but he transitioned in really well. As a new couple and now new parents (by default) we were put to a lot of tests. This just goes to show that we were destined for each other. It's tough starting again as a newly single mom. I don't know too many people that luck out with such a great person (with or without my situation).
It was on August 18th, 2008 when we made the engagement official. We had been shopping for a ring for quite some time. Through the process we've learned even more about each other. I'm impressed on how well verse Russ was on making this major purchase. He's stuck with me now. :)
There are many times when we disagree, but the weird thing is that we really don't fight much. In comparison to what I've been through in the past, with me & Russ we always manage to talk things out and fix issues then and there. It's so cliché to say, but communication is really the basis of a good relationship.
I look forward to continuing our life together as husband and wife. Through all the obstacles that life will throw at us, I know that we could make it through together. Russ is my love, my soulmate and my best friend all wrapped into one! Thank God we found each other.
