I thought it would be kind of cool to share my story with you all.
The story begins in the summer of 2007. I was beta testing a game at the time; Pirates of the Caribbean Online. While playing the game, I received an invite to a guild, as well as a whisper saying hello and then after a while "ok see you later then!" At the time, I just came back to the pc after eating dinner. I quickly whispered back to the person, saying, "Hey!! Sorry didn't mean to ignore you or anything. I was away eating dinner. I will be happy to join your guild!"
With that, I became part of this player's guild. Funnily enough, there was no one else in the guild. The player explained how he just started it up, would see me from time to time in game, and decided that since I was in close enough level to him, I would be an excellent starter recruit! Over the next few days, we would often play together. When we were together, we exchanged friendly banter with each other while playing this game. One day, we exchanged MSN usernames, and took from talking in the game to talking on MSN messenger.
I liked how witty he was, and how we got on with each other. We shared many common interests with each other. I shared my interest in horses, and funnily enough, he told me that his stepfather was a farrier and he has been around horses. We shared a common interest in fantasy, gaming, and all around geeky/nerdy stuff! Conversation came naturally to us.
It was October when he confessed his feelings for me. I was overjoyed when I received the letter (typed on notepad of course lol.) I typed up my own letter and sent it to him. It was then he formally asked me to be his girlfriend and I accepted. From then on, we would continue with our chats on MSN while moving on from Pirates to various other MMOS. We also moved on from MSN to Skype. It was the first time we heard each other's voices and saw each other on webcam. I fell even more in love with him when I heard his voice and saw his face via webcam for the first time. Again, normality ensured although instead of MSN, we now used Skype. Some days, it seemed like we would be on there for hours. I would come home from school (I was a Junior in High school at the time), get on Skype and do my homework while talking to my boyfriend... not only was he my boyfriend, but he was my very first boyfriend! It was exciting and thrilling for me.
We have talked about meeting, but I was nervous about it and so was he. I haven't told my parents yet about him at the time and only a few of my close friends knew about him. Eventually, I did tell my parents about him. My father occasionally would chat to him. My mother however was not keen on him. We would continue at it until February of 2010 came in which he flew over to the States for our first meeting. We hugged, and held on to each other to what seemed like forever. The feelings and the chemistry was still there, and it was as if we always knew each other. During his visit, we find little things to do, like hang out at the mall or go see a movie. I worked at a Panera there; and he would come get me after work since the hotel was close to the mall. During his visit, he also got a chance to see my family. It was two blissful weeks together.
2011 came and went, with no visit planned. We were both busy; I was busy with working and saving money, while he was busy with College. We made due by talking with each other via Skype and spending time together either playing games or watching tv shows together. One day, he popped the question about getting married. We have discussed marriage before, but I could tell he was being serious. I remember feeling joy, and saying yes to becoming his fiancé. However there was still one problem about it. You see, although my family did warm up to him, my mom still had her doubts. You see, she didn't like the fact that he was from a different country, and also didn't like the fact that he was not a Christian. Of course, him not being Christian didn't bother me (I considered myself agnostic) but it bothered my mother.
2012 came the next visit from him. With this visit, also came with a rash decision from my part. I said screw it, let us get married now. I took charge in finding a JOP, choosing a date, and having a location for the elopement. With the date set, marriage license filled and paid before, and location set, we decided to elope. It was a nice, quiet ceremony that took place on a bridge overlooking the duck pond. It was a day in which I felt the happiest in my life, and he did as well. At the time, I didn't care what anyone else thought about us. Everything just felt so right! After the small ceremony, we had a small celebration with a few close friends. Everything else went as normal. He went back to the UK, and I carried on. My mother and father eventually did find out about the elopement. They were not to happy about my decision, but when I explained everything, they slowly came to an understanding; my mother in particular. It seemed like something changed once I got married to my husband. She started to act different; kinder to him! He was getting treated better by her.
In December of 2012 I went over to the UK for the first time to spend Christmas with him and his family (my now in laws.) They were overjoyed that we got married, and welcomed me happily into the family. My mother in law was a peach, and treated me as if I was her own daughter (and still does to this day!) I stayed in the UK from December to January of 2012. When I went back to the States, I found that my father had to relocate to another job in New Jersey. So, we relocated to Pennsylvania. I was due for another visit to the UK as well; this time my visit was from August to October of 2013.
During this time, things would be pretty difficult between my husband and I. We were in talks of closing the distance eventually. The plan was always for me to come to the UK, but he was having trouble finding a stable job after finishing a few courses in college. We went back and forth on closing the distance, sometimes talking about even a plan B. I never gave up on my husband however; and he never gave up on me so during the time between visits, we would be hard at work. Me, focusing on my job back in the States (I still worked for Panera, switching from the store in CT to the one in PA) and him trying to find a good enough job that is both stable and that will meet the financial requirement.
The years came and went. 2014 was the next visit- he came for three months in the States and I in return went back to England with him for three months. From 2014 to 2020, I also found a barn in PA, and started to take riding lessons once again and get into horses, since my husband told me that I should get back into it again, and saw how much I missed it.
2016 was a hard year... that was the year my father passed away. It was unexpected, and disheartening for us both. My father was a big supported in my relationship with my husband, and my husband loved my father. It was a loss for us both. Life goes on, however and we continued with our visits.
2017 was a turning point in our lives. My husband finally found a stable job. In the meantime, my mother had gotten me a pony as a birthday/Christmas gift. My husband was happy for me, and we talked about closing the distance yet again since it seemed to be in the near future. We also talked about my newfound pony, and eventually moving him over to England as well.
Now on to 2020. I went over to England to visit for only a week in March, before they started to shut everything down. My husband and I agreed to finally get started on the Spouse Visa, once I returned back to the States. Well, what happened? That week ended up turning into ten months. My ticket to the States kept getting cancelled. I rebooked my ticket for April? Cancelled. Then again in June, cancelled. Every time I would rebook my ticket, it kept getting cancelled.
During this time, my husband and I were on the UK Government website. To our surprise, we found out that there was a certain concession in place in which I could apply for the Spouse Visa from the UK. We decided to take the plunge, and applied for the Visa on July 23rd, 2020.
Some tough decisions were made, regarding my pony back in the States. Because of COVID, I was having a bit of trouble supporting my pony financially. My husband would help out where he can, but I also realised that the dream of bringing him over in this current state and time was not possible for us. So, I made the decision to give my pony back to his previous owner, to which she gladly accepted him since she missed him. I contacted her, explaining the situation, and through many tears and understanding he was back with her. I was sad to give him up, but happy that he had somewhere safe to land. Luckily, her and I are Facebook friends, so I do get to see some pictures and updates regarding him.
It was a waiting game from July to January. I felt like I was in limbo, while waiting for a decision from the Home Office. In the meantime, we found our own flat, and started to have a routine. He would go to work, and I would keep up with the cooking and cleaning in the house, while reading various posts on the UKVisa Reddit, and other UK Visa sites, sometimes working myself into a worry. I was worried that I wouldn't get accepted, and that it was a risk that we were taking. There were some days I wondered whether we made the right decision.
Well... January 13th 2021 came. I was going over my emails, and noticed one from the Home Office. Nervously, I opened it. To my joy, there was an attachment in the email, granting me the UK Spouse Visa. I cried tears of joy, and immediately went to tell everyone of the news. Everyone from family, friends, old work colleagues to even my mother was overjoyed at the news. Finally, after thirteen years of being in an LDR, we finally closed the distance.
The story begins in the summer of 2007. I was beta testing a game at the time; Pirates of the Caribbean Online. While playing the game, I received an invite to a guild, as well as a whisper saying hello and then after a while "ok see you later then!" At the time, I just came back to the pc after eating dinner. I quickly whispered back to the person, saying, "Hey!! Sorry didn't mean to ignore you or anything. I was away eating dinner. I will be happy to join your guild!"
With that, I became part of this player's guild. Funnily enough, there was no one else in the guild. The player explained how he just started it up, would see me from time to time in game, and decided that since I was in close enough level to him, I would be an excellent starter recruit! Over the next few days, we would often play together. When we were together, we exchanged friendly banter with each other while playing this game. One day, we exchanged MSN usernames, and took from talking in the game to talking on MSN messenger.
I liked how witty he was, and how we got on with each other. We shared many common interests with each other. I shared my interest in horses, and funnily enough, he told me that his stepfather was a farrier and he has been around horses. We shared a common interest in fantasy, gaming, and all around geeky/nerdy stuff! Conversation came naturally to us.
It was October when he confessed his feelings for me. I was overjoyed when I received the letter (typed on notepad of course lol.) I typed up my own letter and sent it to him. It was then he formally asked me to be his girlfriend and I accepted. From then on, we would continue with our chats on MSN while moving on from Pirates to various other MMOS. We also moved on from MSN to Skype. It was the first time we heard each other's voices and saw each other on webcam. I fell even more in love with him when I heard his voice and saw his face via webcam for the first time. Again, normality ensured although instead of MSN, we now used Skype. Some days, it seemed like we would be on there for hours. I would come home from school (I was a Junior in High school at the time), get on Skype and do my homework while talking to my boyfriend... not only was he my boyfriend, but he was my very first boyfriend! It was exciting and thrilling for me.
We have talked about meeting, but I was nervous about it and so was he. I haven't told my parents yet about him at the time and only a few of my close friends knew about him. Eventually, I did tell my parents about him. My father occasionally would chat to him. My mother however was not keen on him. We would continue at it until February of 2010 came in which he flew over to the States for our first meeting. We hugged, and held on to each other to what seemed like forever. The feelings and the chemistry was still there, and it was as if we always knew each other. During his visit, we find little things to do, like hang out at the mall or go see a movie. I worked at a Panera there; and he would come get me after work since the hotel was close to the mall. During his visit, he also got a chance to see my family. It was two blissful weeks together.
2011 came and went, with no visit planned. We were both busy; I was busy with working and saving money, while he was busy with College. We made due by talking with each other via Skype and spending time together either playing games or watching tv shows together. One day, he popped the question about getting married. We have discussed marriage before, but I could tell he was being serious. I remember feeling joy, and saying yes to becoming his fiancé. However there was still one problem about it. You see, although my family did warm up to him, my mom still had her doubts. You see, she didn't like the fact that he was from a different country, and also didn't like the fact that he was not a Christian. Of course, him not being Christian didn't bother me (I considered myself agnostic) but it bothered my mother.
2012 came the next visit from him. With this visit, also came with a rash decision from my part. I said screw it, let us get married now. I took charge in finding a JOP, choosing a date, and having a location for the elopement. With the date set, marriage license filled and paid before, and location set, we decided to elope. It was a nice, quiet ceremony that took place on a bridge overlooking the duck pond. It was a day in which I felt the happiest in my life, and he did as well. At the time, I didn't care what anyone else thought about us. Everything just felt so right! After the small ceremony, we had a small celebration with a few close friends. Everything else went as normal. He went back to the UK, and I carried on. My mother and father eventually did find out about the elopement. They were not to happy about my decision, but when I explained everything, they slowly came to an understanding; my mother in particular. It seemed like something changed once I got married to my husband. She started to act different; kinder to him! He was getting treated better by her.
In December of 2012 I went over to the UK for the first time to spend Christmas with him and his family (my now in laws.) They were overjoyed that we got married, and welcomed me happily into the family. My mother in law was a peach, and treated me as if I was her own daughter (and still does to this day!) I stayed in the UK from December to January of 2012. When I went back to the States, I found that my father had to relocate to another job in New Jersey. So, we relocated to Pennsylvania. I was due for another visit to the UK as well; this time my visit was from August to October of 2013.
During this time, things would be pretty difficult between my husband and I. We were in talks of closing the distance eventually. The plan was always for me to come to the UK, but he was having trouble finding a stable job after finishing a few courses in college. We went back and forth on closing the distance, sometimes talking about even a plan B. I never gave up on my husband however; and he never gave up on me so during the time between visits, we would be hard at work. Me, focusing on my job back in the States (I still worked for Panera, switching from the store in CT to the one in PA) and him trying to find a good enough job that is both stable and that will meet the financial requirement.
The years came and went. 2014 was the next visit- he came for three months in the States and I in return went back to England with him for three months. From 2014 to 2020, I also found a barn in PA, and started to take riding lessons once again and get into horses, since my husband told me that I should get back into it again, and saw how much I missed it.
2016 was a hard year... that was the year my father passed away. It was unexpected, and disheartening for us both. My father was a big supported in my relationship with my husband, and my husband loved my father. It was a loss for us both. Life goes on, however and we continued with our visits.
2017 was a turning point in our lives. My husband finally found a stable job. In the meantime, my mother had gotten me a pony as a birthday/Christmas gift. My husband was happy for me, and we talked about closing the distance yet again since it seemed to be in the near future. We also talked about my newfound pony, and eventually moving him over to England as well.
Now on to 2020. I went over to England to visit for only a week in March, before they started to shut everything down. My husband and I agreed to finally get started on the Spouse Visa, once I returned back to the States. Well, what happened? That week ended up turning into ten months. My ticket to the States kept getting cancelled. I rebooked my ticket for April? Cancelled. Then again in June, cancelled. Every time I would rebook my ticket, it kept getting cancelled.
During this time, my husband and I were on the UK Government website. To our surprise, we found out that there was a certain concession in place in which I could apply for the Spouse Visa from the UK. We decided to take the plunge, and applied for the Visa on July 23rd, 2020.
Some tough decisions were made, regarding my pony back in the States. Because of COVID, I was having a bit of trouble supporting my pony financially. My husband would help out where he can, but I also realised that the dream of bringing him over in this current state and time was not possible for us. So, I made the decision to give my pony back to his previous owner, to which she gladly accepted him since she missed him. I contacted her, explaining the situation, and through many tears and understanding he was back with her. I was sad to give him up, but happy that he had somewhere safe to land. Luckily, her and I are Facebook friends, so I do get to see some pictures and updates regarding him.
It was a waiting game from July to January. I felt like I was in limbo, while waiting for a decision from the Home Office. In the meantime, we found our own flat, and started to have a routine. He would go to work, and I would keep up with the cooking and cleaning in the house, while reading various posts on the UKVisa Reddit, and other UK Visa sites, sometimes working myself into a worry. I was worried that I wouldn't get accepted, and that it was a risk that we were taking. There were some days I wondered whether we made the right decision.
Well... January 13th 2021 came. I was going over my emails, and noticed one from the Home Office. Nervously, I opened it. To my joy, there was an attachment in the email, granting me the UK Spouse Visa. I cried tears of joy, and immediately went to tell everyone of the news. Everyone from family, friends, old work colleagues to even my mother was overjoyed at the news. Finally, after thirteen years of being in an LDR, we finally closed the distance.
so happy for you kids
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