Rob got to know Adrian while doing work for a business in the UK. We met for the first time in 2007 while Rob was interviewing for the job, and we continued to stay in touch via Skype, SightSpeed, Jajah, TalkBox, Magic Jack, What's App, email, and occasionally letters with real paper and ink. Over the next six years, we learned how much two people from different parts of the world can have in common with each other - and how obtrusive the Atlantic ocean can be. While there was no single definitive moment when our relationship changed, it became clear over time that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
We visited each other as often as we could; Adrian made twenty trips to the U.S. during this time, and Rob about half that to the UK. As wonderful as these visits were, it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye at the airport after each visit. When we began investigating US Immigration law, it became clear that there was no readily available path for Adrian to become a permanent resident in the U.S; in particular, the immigration path that allowed a husband and wife to be together was not an option for us. Fortunately, a fairly seismic shift in perspective was occurring in this country, leading to a US Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2013 that made it possible for Adrian to immigrate here on the basis of marriage.The words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" have never meant more to us than they did on that day.
Two days later, June 28, 2013, we submitted our paperwork to US Customs and Immigration, petitioning for the right for Adrian to move to the U.S. on a K1 fiance visa. Eight months later, after background checks, medical exams, interviews and lots of paperwork, Adrian received his golden ticket to the United States. Adrian arrived on April 29, 2014, just in time for Rob's birthday, and we married in Chatham, NJ on May 27, 2014. We feel incredibly grateful and blessed that we are now able to share our lives together, and that in some small way, we have been a part of a little piece of history. Living 5,000 miles away from the person you love for over five years is very challenging, but it has given us the strength and courage to take on life's roller coaster with smiles on our faces and our hands to the sky.
