Reinventing Keri

Eighteen Months ago, Middletown mom, Keri Ebner, could have never imagined the heartbreak and devastation she was about to endure. As she runs her fingers across the makeshift gold lettering on the Keyport building she now leases, she laments, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be.’

As the world was getting ready to fight a global pandemic, Keri Ebner, was in for a fight of her own. And like Covid, it would be wrought with pain, loss and isolation.
Keri and her husband of 22 years, George met and fell in love when they were only 16 at Middletown High School North. They were married and Keri went on to become a Special Education Teacher. Seven years later, they would welcome their most precious gift, twin boys, Brian and Thomas. And while George and Keri were over the moon in love with their new family, it wasn’t a fairy tale. The boys were premature and required life-threatening surgeries, and one was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Although there were tough times, Keri and George dove into parenting full of love and hope for the future. Today, the boys are as tall as their mom and thriving as Freshman at the high school where their parents fell in love.

In February of 2020, Keri was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. There would be endless doctor’s appointments, a double mastectomy, multiple surgeries, a year of Chemotherapy, hair loss and all the degradation and devastation that accompanies having cancer and going through Chemotherapy.

‘Every day was a struggle. You are fighting to survive for your family, for yourself and at the same time there is this tremendous guilt that I wasn’t being the mom my boys deserved, the wife my husband needed, the teacher my students relied on.’

The night before her second cancer-related surgery, Keri was thrown another curve ball, or more accurately, a fast ball, aimed directly at her heart. Keri’s husband of 22 years, George Ebner, her first love, her boys’ father, passed away suddenly.

It’s now March of 2020, and Keri and her boys are completely isolated because of Covid. Friends can’t drop by to talk, take the boys when she is sick, or just give her a hug. Even family is used sparingly, as the fear of contracting Covid during Chemo could be fatal and now she is all her boys have.

And so she fights. She fights the cancer. She fights her broken heart. She fights to get dinner on the table for her boys when she doesn’t even have the strength to lift a glass. And she fights to smile, to set an example for her boys and show them what it means to be strong in the face of adversity.

As the months passed, she found that with this isolation and medical leave from her job, she had time to think about what was next. The cancer battle and loss of her husband had given her a keen awareness of the fragility of life. She knew that what she did next would shape how her teenage sons dealt with hardships. And despite all she had been through, she wanted them to embrace the wonder and joy of life. She wanted more than anything to bring the laughter and light back into her home and her family.

When Keri was younger she had dreamed about owning her own business. She even registered a business name and did some research. But as with so many dreams we have in youth, they have a tendency to get tossed aside in favor of the demands of everyday life. Keri made a decision that this was the time to resurrect her dreams and so begins her next chapter.

Keri is now the sole owner/proprietor of Vows Everlasting, The Little Chapel by the Bay, located in downtown Keyport, NJ. Vows Everlasting is one of only 2 wedding chapels in New Jersey and specializes in elopement, vow renewals and micro-weddings (25pp) and is LBGQIA+ friendly.

The Little Chapel by the Bay boasts of Keyport’s picturesque water views, ideal for wedding memories. The first Vows Everlasting wedding will be a vow renewal and is set to take place June 30th.

‘After all we have been through, I couldn’t think of a better way to show my boys about resilience and hope than spending our time connecting hearts.’

Keri is an ordained, non-denominational minister and has been officiating weddings since 2012. She has reclaimed her maiden name and is known as Reverend Keri Devine. Reverend Devine’s vision is to create intimate and elegant weddings with diverse price points to accommodate every need. She is looking forward to incorporating themes and holidays into the venue as well.

To generate excitement and spread the word about her new venture, Reverend Keri Devine will be offering a free wedding for her grand opening celebration to one lucky couple, complete with ceremony (up to 20 guests), flowers, pictures, cake, and a few surprises… Just email VowsEverlastingChapel@gmail.com with your brief story as a couple and a picture and you could have a free summer wedding or vow renewal to remember.

Please like/share/follow Vows Everlasting on your favorite Social Media Platform to support a Middletown Mom following her dream.
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