I met Armand when I was studying abroad in Florence Italy in 2004. We caught eachothers eye at Full Up a discoteca in Firneze. After running into eachother a couple times he asked me for my phone number and we met for a real date. Armand still does not speak english, and my Italian improved very quickly since we spent as much time together as we could. Leaving to come back to finish school four months later was the hardest thing I had to do. When I left we made no real plans for a furture. The second I was back home in California, and I heard his voice from so far away, we new right then that we were going to finad a way to be together forever. We continued to talk every day without fail. I went back 7 months later to visit for 10 days. Returned to CA to finish college. Another 7 months later I moved to Florence again to be with him. In Nov. 2005 we went to Paris together, our first vacation together. At a small deserted cafe in downtown Paris he proposed. For the holiday's we went to visit his family in Albania and we got married January 5th. Just a small civil ceramony since we will have a larger one here with my family. I had to return to CA again at the end of the month to start work. Our first try at the visa was unsuccessfull. We applied for the I-130 directly at the Consulate in Tirana, which was not the right way to go. After a horrible interview process, and feeling humiliated, not to mention an extra trip all the way to Albania, we were extremely heartbroken. After waiting to haer for some sort of response for 3 months, I decided to hire and attorney. We filed the I-130, and soon after the I-129F correctly in June, and things have gone smoothley for the most part since then. We have been apart for 8 months now. We are hoping that Armand will be here by the end of the month! I will be so happy the day that he receives his visa, words can not explain. I miss my husband more than anything.
