Elsie and I met in a park near downtown San Jose. She was there that afternoon with her son, Anthony. I was in Costa Rica...visiting for 6 months and recuperating from a broken heart. I watched them play together for awhile and then began a conversation with her in Spanish. (I needed practice!) She seemed very nice but nothing occurred until we parted ways that afternoon. I didn't think I'd ever see her again but about an hour later, I decided to get an ice cream at McDonald's. And....there they were again!! We ate ice cream together and talked some more. So, I asked her for her phone number and IF I could call her for a date. She gave it to me...and I called her a few days later for the following Saturday evening. We went out and had a nice time...though she was very shy and a little timid. Over the next months, we went out more often and she opened up about herself and her life. We included Anthony in many of our dates because I could see that he is very important to her. He is a very nice little boy and I love him too! Over the next six months, we became better acquainted. But, I had to come back to the USA because my dad was dying of cancer so we parted in December, 2008. Dad died in April, 2009 so I returned for several weeks in June for another visit and to meet her family. Its been 6 months since we've seen each other in person but we keep in touch with weekly phone calls and correspondence. Unfortunately, we cannot visit by Internet/Skype because they do not have Internet Service on the island where she lives. So...we are doing it the "old fashioned way"... letters and phone calls.
NOTE: I've done this VisaJourney thing one other time...in 2007 with my wife from Colombia. Unfortunately (for her) I found out that she had a boyfriend while we were married. So, I pulled the plug on her VISA...only 3 weeks prior to her interview. WHEW....I dodged that bullet!!! Hahaha
