Dear Friends,
Almost a year has gone by since I left my home, so I feel the time has come to give a report on the last year's happenings.
In March, 1999 I stepped onto an aeroplane in Brisbane, Australia for the longest trip of my life. It brought me to a new country, a new home ~ Ohio, USA. At first it seemed a little overwhelming, everything seemed foreign to what I was used to ~ different surroundings, different people, different landscapes. But after a couple of weeks in my new surroundings, I adjusted to it without too many problems. I began to see that things in America weren't as different as I first imagined.
The thing I had to get used to the most was living in a small town. The neighbours are a lot further away, the yards are much bigger, and there's no McDonalds on every second corner. Being in a small town has its good and bad points. It's been great to get away from the big city lifestyle, but the things I've been so used to having just minutes away, is now at least an hour away.
Although it was still a little chilly when I first arrived, the weather soon changed...We had extremely hot days, even the nights were really hot. The hot summer days reminded me alot of Brisbane summers...although we weren't getting any of the summer rains like Brisbane does. Things were getting unbearably hot, and also very dry...there were a couple of occassions we thought we'd run out of water....but finally we got some well needed rain.
The days were turning into weeks, and the weeks into months. Even though I'd been here a couple of months, it still felt like I'd arrived only yesterday.
John and I had set our wedding date as July 31st. That day was getting closer and closer and I began to wonder if we'd ever be ready on time. There seemed so much to do and so little time to do it in.
Amazingly enough, everything came together on time. The day was just as hot as every other day the summer had given us, but we also had a gusty wind to deal with..which made us wonder if the tent we'd set up in the backyard for the ceremony would stay up for the entire ceremony...luckily it did.
We only had a relatively small wedding, with friends and family in attendance. We had our reception at the local Lions Club. John and I spent the weekend away as our honeymoon, and also visited Kings Island ~ an amusement park in Cincinnati.
Soon after the wedding John's mum, Lola began to get sick. She was having problems with her kidneys, and at first it was believed she had an infection. As time went by, and visits to the doctors became more regular, a tumor of some kind was found. It turned out to be cancerous, and so Lola has had to undertake several chemo treatments. Unfortunately, Lola has had a few other health problems to deal with as well, which has made the past few months rather difficult for her, in moving around, sleeping, and eating. But now as the chemo treatments are drawing to a close, Lola is doing better, and we hope she continues getting better.
At this point in time, John and I have lodged our paperwork with the INS (Immigration and Naturalisation Service), for me to obtain US residency. We've also got my paperwork being processed so I can start working here.
We're still living with John's parents at this stage, but once I start working, we'll be looking to find a place of our own as soon as possible.
This past year has proved difficult at times, with me suffering from homesickness...but regular contact with family and friends has certainly helped. Not to mention the numerous hours spent in the chat rooms - it keeps my spirits high.
For those of you who don't know John terribly well, here is his brief rundown. He is 24yrs old...the youngest of 5 children (2 older brothers and 2 older sisters). John works for a company called Airborne Express, sorting mail and packages that is flown across the country. John is a big fan of the guitar, and enjoys playing whenever he gets the chance. After a recent purchase of a keyboard, John's been dabbling quite a bit with both the keyboard and guitar ~ so that hopefully one day soon he might be able to start writing his own music again.
A few tidbits about me ~ I absolutely love Winnie the Pooh ~ ....I think he's the most adorable thing in the world. I also love TickleMeElmo....he just cracks me up. I have a love for dolphins, teddy bears of any kind, and numerous types of ornaments. I enjoy listening to music ~ anything in the Top 40, but not a fan of techno or heavy metal. I also enjoy going to the movies, watching TV, creating web pages, chatting with my friends, reading, and cooking. I have a great love for needlework ~ especially cross stitches.
Well, I guess that's about all from this little town.
Lots of love,
