Our Love Story: Part 3

Sorry to keep you in suspense, dear readers!

I received the news about the au pair visa not working out while we were together one night. It was so discouraging! I buried my face in Isaiah's pillow and cried. When I finally calmed down enough to talk, we discussed what seemed like our only option. The thought of being an illegal immigrant was pretty frightening. It would mean that I would not be free to leave and re-enter the country. We would not get to go home and visit family in the U.S. together. If anything were to happen, it would mean being separated for a long time. 

Isaiah suggested that he turn down the job, but I insisted that it was too amazing of an opportunity to just give up. There had to be another way! At that very moment I realized the one thing we could do but I had to muster up the courage to even utter the words.

Quietly, I said, "Well, there is one more thing we could do... We could get married."

Isaiah, thankfully, wasn't shocked by my idea, but he was cautious. He said he would email his contacts and see if they would be able to arrange for me to join him on some type of fiance visa. That was the end of the discussion, and we moved on.

A couple of days later, we were shopping at the supermarket. I was so distracted. I couldn't focus on the task at hand because all I kept thinking was, It's been DAYS. You should have heard from them by now. Why haven't you said anything!!!???

Finally, in the checkout line, I blurted out, "Babe, so have you heard from the company?"

He answered, "Yes. It looks like we're going to get married!"

Remember that part in The Sound of Music where Rolf kisses Liesl after dancing in the gazebo and she shouts "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"? Well, that was basically me on line at the supermarket. I was jumping up and down with pure glee, pausing every now and again to hug and kiss Isaiah. We were going to get married!!!!!

There was actually no time to waste. We needed to get married sooner rather than later to give everyone enough time to process all the visa paperwork. We were both going to be on spring break the following week, so that seemed like as good a time as any. On a Wednesday I called my parents and asked, "Are you busy next Tuesday?"

We shared the exciting news with our loved ones and quickly started planning our wedding. My mom and sister took me shopping for a dress and shoes that weekend. Isaiah and I shopped for a new shirt and tie for him. Since we were both pretty broke, we were planning on just doing a ceremony at the county administration center in downtown San Diego, but my parents also offered to host a dinner for us. Then we called around to a couple of restaurants to see if they could accommodate our group of 40. We scored a lovely menu at the now defunct Vagabond, one of our favorite restaurants in South Park. 

On our wedding day, I got my hair done, and picked up a few calla lilies from a local florist to hold during the ceremony. Surrounded by some family and friends, we exchanged vows, and had a lovely dinner later that day. It was perfect.

That summer, Isaiah moved to Switzerland, and I joined him, as his wife, a few months later. We spent our first two years of marriage on what we like to think of as an extended honeymoon. Nearly nine years after our wedding day, we have made it through career changes, the death of my beloved father, fertility concerns, 6 moves, and 2 amazing children. Viva el amor!

P.S. That last link is to a music video from circa 2000. It's a song that was popular when I was studying in Florence. You've got to love the fashions from the early 2000s. Ha!