The process to plan our wedding may not have been as complicated or lengthy as for other couples but it was still riddled with difficulties and set backs. After getting engaged, it was time to set the date for our special day. Easier said than done.
Initially the date was to be in October but due to visa constraints we've had to move the date up a bit. We also had initially planned to get married in Portsmouth but again, the fact that I am an American put a kabosh on this plan as well. So in the end, we chose Cyprus. Kyrenia to be exact. I have never been there but Jason has on several occassions and loves it there.
Meanwhile, I've come back to Germany to visit my Mom and have had to plan the wedding details from here. After several emails to the travel agency to book the trip and the agency that would arrange the ceremony, we finally have a date and a place. Yay!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Our engagement
2009 has proven to be one of the best years so far.
I moved back to Germany and my boyfriend Jason came to meet me here once again for Valentine's Day and my birthday. The weekend became one of the most memorable for me.
It's hard to believe that a few short months ago, Jason and I met on facebook. He in England and me in the US. All it took was one click on my picture and it was the start of what some may call a fairytale. We started to chat online (I believe our first chat on facebook was 4 hours) and then it escalated to phone calls once a week. Between that and the emails and text messages, we got to know each other quite well. But we still hadn't met. Jason wanted to come to Colorado but I had told him that it would be the middle of winter and really cold. So instead we planned on meeting this summer around June or July. Then as luck would have it, I was able to go to Germany for Christmas to see my mother. I would be there for three weeks. Once I told Jason, the first thing he said was "I'll meet you in Paris!".
Instead of Paris we agreed that we would meet in Germany. And yes, it was cold then too! He booked a flight for a couple of days after Christmas and the plan was to spend New Years together. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the day to arrive that we would finally meet face to face.
December 28th, 2008 was probably the most nerve wracking day of my life. I was pretty much useless for the better part of the day until it was time for me to leave to go to the airport. Upon arrival at the Zürich Airport, I found out that Jason's plane was delayed. First it was 20 minutes and then it turned into 1 1/2 hours!! Torture! Finally the moment came. The plane had landed and the luggage was being sent out to baggage claim. I stood in front of the window waiting for him. It seemed like it took forever for him to come to the baggage claim area but when he finally did and I set eyes on him, I knew. I knew from that very moment that he was the one for me.
When we finally got to see each other face to face it was like a scene out of a movie. We hugged and kissed and kissed and hugged as if we hadn't seen each other in a long time rather than meeting for the very first time. It was amazing!
From that moment on, Jason and I knew that we would be together. New Years Eve was amazing. Sadly, his time in Germany was limited and he had to leave 4 days later.
At this point a plan had hatched. I was going to move back to Germany and reclaim my citizenship. And then I would be closer to Jason. We had talked about getting married already and that was hopefully on the horizon.
February 8th 2009, I moved back to Germany and 3 days later Jason was here too. We spent Valentine's Day together which was a first for both of us (amazingly I have never had a date on Valentine's Day until this year) and really enjoyed the meal. My birthday was two days later so I was looking forward to that as well. The day in between was supposed to be a nice simple day with my mom so we went downtown to walk around and look at some of the sights. Jason looked up at the skyline and saw the Cathedral tower and asked "Is that a church?" Of course it was! upon which he then asked if we thought it would be open? My mom said she was sure it would be and why don't we go to check it out? The Münster Cathedral is actually quite beautiful and old. We then marched off to the church to take a look at its splendor...or so I thought.
Inside the cathedral, my mother immediately runs off to show us something in the crypt. There are these gold disks that were used hundreds of years ago to signal ships and advise them of where the harbor was. As Jason works on the docks in Portsmouth, my mom thought this would be of interest to him. She then wandered off under the pretense of looking at something in the other room and was gone. Suddenly Jason turns to me and says "I have a question to ask you." At this point I am completely clueless about what is going on and very confused. It wasn't until I saw a tiny box in his hand and he got down on one knee that I realized what was happening. He was proposing!!! On one knee!!!
Needless to say, I was the happiest girl in the world and still am.
And now my boyfriend has become my fiance. What could be better than that?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
True Colors
It's funny really...you have friends that tell you they love you no matter what. They give you advice and help you through the hard times. They spend time with you and become your confidantes. Then one day you decide to make a change in your life for the better and suddenly those people disappear. Why?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
See ya later Colorado...
I've lived in Colorado for 4 years now and will admit that my time here was not ill spent. I enjoyed making the friends that I have and some of the adventures that I have experienced. Now it is time to say goodbye to all of that. More like "See ya!". It's not like I won't return to this beautiful and cold state. Of course I will. After all, I have friends here.
However it is time for me to begin a new chapter in life and that means moving out of this country that I have called home for the last 25 years. Time will tell where my journey will lead me but one thing is for certain. It will be an adventure. My time here in the States has been filled with many ups and downs and many wonderful people to help me through it all. For that I will be eternally grateful. I hope that distance will not deter those people from continuing to be a part of my life as they are partly responsible for helping me be who I am today.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
My trip to Germany (a bit delayed but then...)
Dec. 15th – it’s the wee hours of the morning…
Sarah has just dropped me off at the Denver airport and I have checked in, gotten my boarding pass, dropped off my luggage and am waiting to board my plane. The first leg of my journey is underway. So far so good.
I arrive at Dallas/Fort Worth airport and need to get on the next plane to JFK. We are told that the flight is delayed. Something about weather conditions at JFK. Air Traffic Control is not allowing anyone to fly in to New York. So I wait. The second leg of my journey is off to a rocky start.
Unfortunately, the flight to JFK was delayed for so long that many of us missed our connecting flights to our next destinations. So now leg #3 has come to a standstill. As I exit the plane at JFK, a little bit of panic has set in. No one is being clear on what’s to happen next. I ask one of the attendants at the gate about my flight and am told that I have been re-routed. Re-routed? To where? She just simply tells me that I have to go to Gate 2. Well, ok then…off I go. I arrive at Gate 2 and see two gentlemen standing behind the counter. I ask them about my flight. The first man simply stares at me for a moment and then condescendingly says “We’re pilots. We don’t know anything about that. Ask the people over there.” Thanks a lot jerk face. Once I get to the next counter, again I am greeted with a blank stare and am off-handedly told that I need to go to ticketing, that the flight leaving from THIS gate is going to Hawaii. Wow, customer service is key…it really is. Not.
After a little pep talk to myself to quell my anger, I march off to ticketing only to find an insanely long line of other travelers that either need to still check in or have also been “re-routed”. Now real panic starts to set in. I have NO idea when my next flight is supposed to be or where it’s going. I just know that I have an anxious mother waiting for me in Zurich. I have the feeling that I am running short on time. I watch as people one by one seem to be having issues with the check-in process and I’m growing more impatient by the minute. Finally it is my turn and as luck would have it, the only agent who seemed to know what she was doing was the one to help me. Finally a silver lining in this dreadful experience. She assures me that everything will be fine. She confirmed my flight info and shakes her head. I ask why and she states that the flight was delayed to weather issues however, there were NO weather issues. WTF?? What the hell was Air Traffic Control doing in their little ivory tower? Playing Canasta?? How could they screw that up? Regardless, the wonderful lady at the ticket counter re-issued my boarding passes and re-checked my bags for me. She advised that I would be flying to London Heathrow first and then to Zurich, my final destination. This delay has now added an additional stop on my already very long journey. She confirmed that my luggage would be in Zurich when I get there. I am finally able to go to my gate (after having to go through the security check point) and relax for a little while as my plane was not due to leave until 9:30 PM. At some point I was near tears with frustration. I sent a text to Jason asking him to just tell me that everything would work out. He did and I felt a little better.
At last the time comes to board the plane and fly to London. Hurray! I would be in Jason’s time zone soon! And now I can also finally get some sleep. I did watch a movie once I was settled in and almost tussled with an irritable British woman whose seat came flying back and nearly jammed the TV screen into my face. When I asked her kindly if she could just move the seat up a bit since I was watching a movie, she informed me that that is why the screens tilt. Oh really? You don’t say. Silly me, how could I not know that. Grrr. Let’s just ignore the fact that I am nearly 6’ tall and already have no leg room! Now I have even less but please, don’t mind me…go ahead and get your beauty rest. You need it.
Given the fact that I was a bit wound up and didn’t actually sleep until a few hours into the flight, I thought I’d do a little people watching. There was one man who looked suspiciously like a vampire. But more of an Anne Rice vampire and not Stephenie Meyer. He was menacing looking and his hair didn’t match his skin tone at all. It looked unnatural. Then I noticed a group of Hassidic Jews, a family I believe. And the men all wore glasses. Is that normal? One of them (perhaps the Rabbi) was constantly out of his seat much to the frustration of one of the flight attendants. I think he was praying but I couldn’t be sure. I just know that flight attendant nearly popped a vein when he had to tell the man for the umpteenth time to please sit down.
And then I saw something I haven’t seen since I left the south. A black man dressed in a VERY shiny royal blue satin shirt and a VERY shiny black patent leather baseball cap. Is it possible to wear that much shiny clothing at once? I couldn’t see his pants but I suspect that they were shiny too…
At last…we arrive in London. I have some time to kill so I wander. Wouldn’t you know, Terminal 5 has put a Prada store and a Tiffany’s store right next each other! I have found my Mecca. I had to walk away; I didn’t want to run the risk of getting drool on the merchandise since I can’t afford to pay for it. Sigh…
I try to use my phone to text Jason and call my Mom but soon discover that no network would support my phone. Of course. Because everything else on this trip has run so smoothly, why not? So I have no contact with my loved ones. I look out the window and notice how foggy it is. My brain is feeling about the same at this point. Naturally there was yet another delay because you can’t fly a plane in the fog. Safety first.
The time has come. I finally get to board my LAST plane! I am finally on my way to Zurich where my poor mother has probably been ripping her hair out with worry. The flight is smooth, I get some sleep and the next thing I know I’m in Zurich. Yay!!! I go to baggage claim to get my suitcase only to discover, surprise, surprise, it’s not there. Why would it be? After 15 minutes of waiting for luggage that’s not coming, I go to file a claim that my luggage has been lost and make my way through customs to at last greet my Mom. This trip was nearly over and boy was I glad to see her. The hour long train ride we still had ahead of us was nothing compared to what I had been through. Mind you, it is now Tuesday, December 16th at 3 PM.
I got my luggage at 9 PM the following night. I think my suitcase had an even worse trip than I did…
Sarah has just dropped me off at the Denver airport and I have checked in, gotten my boarding pass, dropped off my luggage and am waiting to board my plane. The first leg of my journey is underway. So far so good.
I arrive at Dallas/Fort Worth airport and need to get on the next plane to JFK. We are told that the flight is delayed. Something about weather conditions at JFK. Air Traffic Control is not allowing anyone to fly in to New York. So I wait. The second leg of my journey is off to a rocky start.
Unfortunately, the flight to JFK was delayed for so long that many of us missed our connecting flights to our next destinations. So now leg #3 has come to a standstill. As I exit the plane at JFK, a little bit of panic has set in. No one is being clear on what’s to happen next. I ask one of the attendants at the gate about my flight and am told that I have been re-routed. Re-routed? To where? She just simply tells me that I have to go to Gate 2. Well, ok then…off I go. I arrive at Gate 2 and see two gentlemen standing behind the counter. I ask them about my flight. The first man simply stares at me for a moment and then condescendingly says “We’re pilots. We don’t know anything about that. Ask the people over there.” Thanks a lot jerk face. Once I get to the next counter, again I am greeted with a blank stare and am off-handedly told that I need to go to ticketing, that the flight leaving from THIS gate is going to Hawaii. Wow, customer service is key…it really is. Not.
After a little pep talk to myself to quell my anger, I march off to ticketing only to find an insanely long line of other travelers that either need to still check in or have also been “re-routed”. Now real panic starts to set in. I have NO idea when my next flight is supposed to be or where it’s going. I just know that I have an anxious mother waiting for me in Zurich. I have the feeling that I am running short on time. I watch as people one by one seem to be having issues with the check-in process and I’m growing more impatient by the minute. Finally it is my turn and as luck would have it, the only agent who seemed to know what she was doing was the one to help me. Finally a silver lining in this dreadful experience. She assures me that everything will be fine. She confirmed my flight info and shakes her head. I ask why and she states that the flight was delayed to weather issues however, there were NO weather issues. WTF?? What the hell was Air Traffic Control doing in their little ivory tower? Playing Canasta?? How could they screw that up? Regardless, the wonderful lady at the ticket counter re-issued my boarding passes and re-checked my bags for me. She advised that I would be flying to London Heathrow first and then to Zurich, my final destination. This delay has now added an additional stop on my already very long journey. She confirmed that my luggage would be in Zurich when I get there. I am finally able to go to my gate (after having to go through the security check point) and relax for a little while as my plane was not due to leave until 9:30 PM. At some point I was near tears with frustration. I sent a text to Jason asking him to just tell me that everything would work out. He did and I felt a little better.
At last the time comes to board the plane and fly to London. Hurray! I would be in Jason’s time zone soon! And now I can also finally get some sleep. I did watch a movie once I was settled in and almost tussled with an irritable British woman whose seat came flying back and nearly jammed the TV screen into my face. When I asked her kindly if she could just move the seat up a bit since I was watching a movie, she informed me that that is why the screens tilt. Oh really? You don’t say. Silly me, how could I not know that. Grrr. Let’s just ignore the fact that I am nearly 6’ tall and already have no leg room! Now I have even less but please, don’t mind me…go ahead and get your beauty rest. You need it.
Given the fact that I was a bit wound up and didn’t actually sleep until a few hours into the flight, I thought I’d do a little people watching. There was one man who looked suspiciously like a vampire. But more of an Anne Rice vampire and not Stephenie Meyer. He was menacing looking and his hair didn’t match his skin tone at all. It looked unnatural. Then I noticed a group of Hassidic Jews, a family I believe. And the men all wore glasses. Is that normal? One of them (perhaps the Rabbi) was constantly out of his seat much to the frustration of one of the flight attendants. I think he was praying but I couldn’t be sure. I just know that flight attendant nearly popped a vein when he had to tell the man for the umpteenth time to please sit down.
And then I saw something I haven’t seen since I left the south. A black man dressed in a VERY shiny royal blue satin shirt and a VERY shiny black patent leather baseball cap. Is it possible to wear that much shiny clothing at once? I couldn’t see his pants but I suspect that they were shiny too…
At last…we arrive in London. I have some time to kill so I wander. Wouldn’t you know, Terminal 5 has put a Prada store and a Tiffany’s store right next each other! I have found my Mecca. I had to walk away; I didn’t want to run the risk of getting drool on the merchandise since I can’t afford to pay for it. Sigh…
I try to use my phone to text Jason and call my Mom but soon discover that no network would support my phone. Of course. Because everything else on this trip has run so smoothly, why not? So I have no contact with my loved ones. I look out the window and notice how foggy it is. My brain is feeling about the same at this point. Naturally there was yet another delay because you can’t fly a plane in the fog. Safety first.
The time has come. I finally get to board my LAST plane! I am finally on my way to Zurich where my poor mother has probably been ripping her hair out with worry. The flight is smooth, I get some sleep and the next thing I know I’m in Zurich. Yay!!! I go to baggage claim to get my suitcase only to discover, surprise, surprise, it’s not there. Why would it be? After 15 minutes of waiting for luggage that’s not coming, I go to file a claim that my luggage has been lost and make my way through customs to at last greet my Mom. This trip was nearly over and boy was I glad to see her. The hour long train ride we still had ahead of us was nothing compared to what I had been through. Mind you, it is now Tuesday, December 16th at 3 PM.
I got my luggage at 9 PM the following night. I think my suitcase had an even worse trip than I did…
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