First Post....

Hi folks...

This is my first post from my new blog, which I am hoping will keep me sane during what is a very turbulent but exciting point in my life.


I can't imagine anyone would possibly be reading this who didn't already know what I am doing in a town just outside Orlando with no job and my entire life in 4 suitcases, but just in case, I will give you the short version. On October 21st I got on a plane to the United States, one way, ending two and a half years of long-distance relationship with my fiance Jason. I have a visa that took 8 months and a four-figure sum to obtain, and next month we will be getting married. After that we will start the long and painful journey to getting my green card and starting our lives together.


I should mention at this point that I have prior experience working and living in Florida - that is how me and the Boy met - but it turns out leaving for six months and leaving, for all intents and purposes, for good, are very different. Leaving my family - and my best friends - at the airport was probably one of the hardest things I will ever do. I handled it quite well until approximately 20 hours later when I finally arrived in Orlando and proceeded to cry uncontrollably for another 2! The poor Boy didn't really know what to make of that, but I think I was just totally overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of what I was doing.


Fortunately there haven't been many more tears since then - although I am sure there will be along the way - and I have been trying to get into a position where I feel that I am living here and part of life here and less like I'm just on holiday. For me, that meant getting my driving license sorted as soon as possible. Fortunately, I only needed to renew it, so no test for me!! But I did have to talk my way out of a note on my record that said I had been driving my car in 2008 without insurance. Actually, I'd sold the car and let the insurance lapse, but the person who bought it never transferred the documents. Could have been big trouble, as I had no way of proving that was what happened. But fortunately I can, apparently, pull off 'bemused foreigner' quite well, and my license was renewed - until my visa expires at least. So now I can drive Jason's car, which gives me a bit of freedom coupled with a rather interesting convertible driver's sunburn. Sexy.


Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll get into the nitty-gritty later on, but for now I'm doing good. Got my first Halloween party tomorrow night - well, technically second, but the one I'm doing fancy dress for at least!! We'll see how it goes.....