Quotes from Terri Irwin

I flew back to the States in December of 1992 with conflicting emotions. I was excited to see my family and friends. But I was sad to be away from Steve. Part of the problem was that the process didn't seem to make any sense. First I had to show up in the States and prove I was actually present, or I would never be allowed to immigrate back to Australia. And, oh yeah, the person to whom I had to prove my presence was not, at the moment, present herself.

One crowded hour of glorious life is worth more than an age without a name. I had no regrets for Steve's glorious life, and I know he couldn't have lived any other way.

Home didn't mean Oregon to me anymore. It meant, simply, by Steve's side.

I watched Bindi as she stared intently at her daddy with dark, piercing eyes. He gazed back at her and smiled, tears rolling down his cheeks, with such great love for his new daughter. The world had a brand-new wildlife warrior.

Entreat me not to leave you Or to return from following you; For where you go I will go, And where you lodge I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God my God; Where you die I will die, And there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me And more also If even death parts me from you. --Ruth 1:16

He came up and, with a broad Australian accent, said, "G'day, mate." Uh-oh, I thought. I'm in trouble.

On his sixth birthday, Steve received a scrub python as a gift from his parents. "Fred the scrubby was my best friend growing up," Steve said. "The problem was, he was so big, and I was still little. He could have eaten me without a worry.

God bless you, Stevo. I love you, mate.

He was more than just my husband that night. He was my hero.

Steve was a warrior in every sense of the word.

possums are among the least likely of any mammal to contract rabies. In fact, they are one of the most disease-free animals

It felt as though I had died and was starting over with a new life. I mentally reviewed my years as a child growing up in Oregon, as an adult running my own business, then meeting Steve, becoming his wife and the mother of our children. Now, at age forty-two, I was starting again.

He skied Mount Bachelor. I wasn't much of a skier, so I went off to track down wildlife while he had a great time on the slopes. Meeting him at the lodge afterward, I had to head off a leggy blonde who was intent on teaching Steve how to use an American pay phone. Not the kind of wildlife I was interested in him experiencing.

The bureaucrat's favorite strategy: Pass a problem on down the line.

From the very first, I was welcomed into the Irwin family. The greatest thing was that I felt Lyn and Bob loved me not just because I was married to Steve, but for myself, for who I was. That gave me confidence to feel at home as a new arrival to Australia.

My resolution was all well and good, but what really sustained me during those dark, lonely hours of the night was another deeper, more persistent thought. With every tick of the clock, I was one moment closer to being with Steve again.

As strong as Steve was in this life, I knew without a doubt he would be a force to be reckoned with in the next.

Using the satellite phone connection, I finally reached Croc One. The captain, Kris, was in tears. I finally tracked down John Stainton, and he assured me that he hadn't left Steve's side. "I've got a charter plane coming," John said. "I'll get him home, Terri.

When Steve came home from Sumatra, it was obvious how much he had missed his little girl. I had to smile when Steve sat down on the couch with Bindi, telling her of his adventures moment by moment, while she stared intently at him, trying desperately to puzzle out his words. "She really did miss you," I said. "No, she didn't," Steve scoffed. Then he added, his face brightening hopefully, "How could you tell?

I needed to build a four-hundred-square-foot enclosure, with a curbed concrete-slab floor six inches thick. The fence needed to be five-gauge cyclone fencing. I contacted several building companies and discovered that no manufacturer had made five-gauge cyclone fencing since World War II.

I want this boat's primary function to be crocodile research and rescue work," Steve said. "So I'm going to name her Croc One. " "Why don't we call it For Sale instead?" I suggested. I'm not sure Steve saw the humor in that. Croc One was his baby.

The name of the zoo was the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. As I crossed the parking area, I prepared myself for disappointment. I am going to see a collection of snakes, lizards, and miserable creatures in jars, feel terribly sorry for them, and leave.

Crocodiles are easy,' Steve said, 'they try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first.

I soon learned that it is always easier for a bureaucrat to say no. They can't get in trouble saying no.