Memories: by popular request...

Well, not really. OK... only one request! But I live to please! So, by popular demand (just one, here you go Christine!) my letter to Oprah. hehe. They have a 2000 charachter max including spaces, so it is practially in point form... Thanks to my editor, Toph. As he says, when I write it just flows and when he writes he agonizes over every word. He can finesse what I write so well, I abhor editing and he does it so much better than me.

"My amazing love story has had some amazing highs and some very rough
patches -- but through it all we are still so happy.

I was 23 and recently separated from my verbally abusive husband when I met Chris, who was 34, in a ‘Friends & Family’ webcam chat site. On April 14, 2001 (two weeks after we first spoke), he flew from Chicago, IL to Kelowna, BC (Canada). He spent 10 days in Kelowna and from then on we were hooked.

Over the next year we took turns flying out to see each other until we knew that it was silly to be apart.

I moved to Chicago in May of 2001. Then, in June of 2001, Chris got laid off from his job when the company he worked for downsized. Around the same time, the lease was up on his apartment and we decided to move to Wisconsin in September 2001 for a fresh start. Chris found a job at the beginning of November and did really well there becoming a supervisor in just under a year. I wasn’t able to work because I was a Canadian citizen and didn’t have any sort of permit to allow me to work. We struggled to cover all of our bills but we were together, so not having the “extras” really didn’t matter.

In February of 2003 Chris proposed to me and after some talk we decided that we would get married on the two year anniversary of our first in-person meeting -- April 14th. In February of 2004 we bought our little old house. After more than a year, tons of forms, and so much money, my immigration claim went through. I was finally able to work and got a job at our local public library. This past July, we added to our family with our daughter Iris. Things were going so well!

Then at the end of October, Chris went to work and was sent home for good. He was blindsided. He was fired with no notice at all. So here we are again with him on unemployment, but now there is a lot more at stake with the house and the baby.

Through so much that could make our relationship rocky, we are still so
good together, so happy and looking forward to our future."

It was so hard to write this with out all the feelings... I had it like a quarter done when I realized that I would have to get rid of nearly everythign that I had written. it's so much more than this. Nothing about how I han't help smiling when I think of him or say his name to someone I'm talking to. He's like home, where I'm always safe and I know everything will be ok even if it isn't right now. We are balance, always taking turns to be the one who freaks out while the other is the strong one. I appreciate everything about what he is and does for me. Little things like making dinner or cleaning the bath room, he never does it and makes me feel like I owe him.. like it's my turn next. He doesn't keep score and he doesn't blame, even when I have a moment of passive agressive bitch. I like to say that I have him as payback for how awful Steve was. He is everything that Steve wasn't and so much more, but I think if things hadn't been so bad before I wouldn't know how great things are now.

Here's a link to his old Livejournal right after he met me at webcamnow. You see how he was talking about me... and despite the "but" or "and" he took a chance and here we are now.


Yay.


This is us in April 2001. I think it was Easter Sunday and we drove to Edgewood because it is my favorite place in the world and I wanted to share it with him. I think we were both giddy. It was a gorgeous day and I'm glad we have this picture to remember it by.

I think it was last year... I got Chris a card for something... birthday, valatines day.. I forget. It said "I wish I had met you sooner, so I could love you longer" It was perfect then and now.

Ok then, that was my mushy post for the year. Hope it didn't make you want to vomit too badly. :D

-S