Must Have: Backstory (Part 1)

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived an Engineer...

Okay, so it doesn't sound that nice. "Engineer" isn't really a romantic title at all. But hey, it's my title and actually, the story is pretty romantic.

One day, in September 2008, I got a super opportunity handed to me at work. My manager came into my office and asked if I was interested in going to Germany on assignment for 6 months. I said yes! No thought required. My manager was surprised by my response and made it clear that I had time to consider, details were still being worked out. I was completely sure. "Just let me know when to pack my bag." 

You see, I was bored. I guess I should not say that out loud, but the project I had been spending all my time on at work had recently been defunded. My team was being reassigned and we were bummed out. But I wasn't only bored at work. I was also in a relationship that wasn't going anywhere. He was a great guy, but our paths were not going the same direction, the same as several of my previous relationships. It was really time for a change.

After many long months of (feigned) patience, I was on my way to Greifswald, Germany. Where exactly is that? It's a small town (~60,000 inhabitants) in Northwestern Germany near the Baltic Sea. A perfect, out-of-the-way haven for folks like me looking for a way to decompress. It was lovely and right on time. 

A late afternoon view of the Greifswald Dom and Rathaus from the Marktplatz

I was newly single and on an adventure. I had six months to clear my palate, center myself, and find a new direction. I got to work. 

Have you ever gotten an opportunity for a fresh start?

I Must Have An Introduction

Welcome! I'm glad you're here because I am a very lucky girl, which makes you a very lucky reader to have found me! In a few very short months I will get to marry a very amazing man... again. I decided (because I am very decisive) that I must have a blog to document my excitement and the torture steps that I have and will self inflict take toward making my second wedding day a wonderful experience for my closest friends and loved ones.

So you may be wondering why I say "second" wedding or why we're even having a second wedding. Are we a couple of divorcees getting back on the roller coaster? Nope. It's more exotic than that: we were already married in a Civil Union ceremony in France. So legally we are husband and wife (or in France, mari et femme). My mom was there, his mom was there, so was my best friend and all the rest of his family. I wore a white dress and held a bouquet of lovely (fake) white roses made by my mother. He wore a suit with a boutonniere (also made by my mom). We all had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant, complete with champagne cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The evening ended with yummy cakes with bride and groom cake toppers and opening gifts. There were many photos of us kissing. People went home with cute glass jars filled with dragées (Jordan almonds). Sounds like a real wedding right?

Well, yes, it was. But, no, it wasn't. It was a necessity. Mr. Fox and I had been living in different countries, across the Atlantic Ocean from each other for the majority of our relationship. We were ready to be together. After all the difficult decisions about who goes where were settled, we hit that proverbial wall: French Bureaucracy. I needed a visa in order to live in Europe and prepare our wedding. France needed impossible documents to make that okay. A lawyer suggested we get married. So we did.

Thus, on paper, in France, we are Monsieur et Madame Fox. But in my world, the circle is not yet complete. So this coming October, we plan to finish the job off proper and have our religious ceremony, complete with all the fixins.

It has been one hell of a ride so far! Be brave, follow me, and let me know, have you had any ridiculous hurdles between you and your love? How did you overcome them?