I met Craig in December 2000 when he came into the chatroom that I was a regular in. It was late at night and I was bored. I seen this person called “Tasidevil” type that he was a 19/M/Australia. Being silly I messaged him and asked “Are you really from Australia?”. He replied with “Are you really from America?” (Touch’e…LOL). We started talking, and shortly after we exchanged pictures. We talked for hours that night, but he had to get up for work the next morning. He told me he wouldn’t be online much but he would like to have my e-mail address. I gave it to him, and we added each other to MSN messenger. We said goodnight and I didn’t think nothing else of it. At the time I was in another relationship with someone online only it wasn’t going anywhere…but there was feelings there. Because of this relationship I didn’t let myself grow closer to Craig. We didn’t talk much the next few weeks, Craig would always try but I would always brush him off.

He started messaging me and calling me a “Snob!”, he was joking of course. finally he knew I didn’t want to be bothered, so he left me alone. Craig would sign on but never message me anymore, and I started missing him…so the next time he signed on I messaged him and called him a snob we had a laugh about it and we started talking everyday after that. I was growing feelings for Craig and he was growing feelings for me as well. The other person I was with was never around for me like Craig was and we were together awhile and still never met in person. I decided I wanted to be with Craig, so I wrote the other person an e-mail telling him I met someone else and I didn’t feel the same, he understood and wished me the best. Craig and I became an “online” couple around February-March 2001. He started talking about coming to see me in May. I didn’t believe him at first because if someone from the other side of the country couldn’t find a way to come see me, how was someone from the other side of the world going to?!?

Craig did though, May 31st 2001 he came down to my town and met me, my sister, and my sister’s boyfriend. I remember seeing him for the first time. We we’re driving into the parking lot of where he was staying and he was standing outside waiting for us. The butterflies in my stomach started doing flips just knowing he was really there. I’ll never forget how he was standing…he had one arm up and against the wall and the other was at his side with his hand in his pocket…he looked like such a punk! We parked and got out of the car and Craig introduced himself to my sister and her boyfriend and shook their hands. When he turned to me I held out my hand and he got this grin on his face and totally ignored my hand and said “C’mere!” and pulled me in for a hug instead. That took me by surprise, I was so shy and embarrassed, I can’t remember now but I know I must have been blushing! I hugged him back as best I could for being so shy. We walked around for awhile but I didn’t talk much…I hated being so shy, but it all happened so fast. Craig stayed in my town for the next two days, but then he was going up to Florida and Alabama to visit old friends of his. I wish I had been more open to him when he came to see me the first time but I had to learn to get over being shy. Craig stayed in Florida and Alabama for two weeks (a week in each place). He came back to me in the middle of June and stayed with me for a week, but I was still shy and not opening up to him.

I know it must have hurt him, but he understood. We didn’t say goodbye properly but I remember him kissing my cheek and saying he’d talk to me soon. I just cried after that…I knew I wanted to be with him, but he was leaving to go back home. He called from the airport, and finally when he got home he called. I was so relieved he got home safe. We talked everyday and continued our relationship online, through e-mails, phone calls, and letters. After meeting in person we knew that our feelings were true and grew stronger after meeting. Eventually Craig talked about bringing me to Australia but things weren’t so good on my end and I couldn’t leave at that moment and Craig had commitments to work that he couldn’t get away from. We were apart for a whole year before seeing each other again. It got stressing being apart for a whole year and we did have bumps along the way but we still stayed commited and never lost contact, and it gave us a chance to really get to know each other better (and that helped me lose some of that shyness I had on the first meeting).

Finally everything was going well…I had settled my problems and he was able to get time off work. We were going to see each other again, and our feelings were stronger than before. The trip out to see me this time was more planned, and a bit more organized (although not perfectly! LOL). January 2003, Craig came back to see me, and bring me back to Australia with him. Craig arrived in Boston at 9:00 PM on January 17th 2003, my sister and I went to pick him up from the airport. That didn’t go exactly as planned…LOL…my sister ended up getting lost and we got to the airport about an hour or so late. We had given Craig my sister’s cell number so he could call it and see where we was and how close. It was so cold that night, especially for Craig…he definately wasn’t used to Massachusetts weather! He was going to be staying a week and then we would be flying back to Australia together. The week went by so quickly and was spent packing up my things, showing Craig around, and introducing him to my family. I hardly slept that last night I was in the USA, I was thinking of being on a plane for the first time, saying goodbye to my family, and going to this new country with all it’s different cultures, and also meeting Craig’s family for the first time. I had spoke to his family a few times online and on the phone but I still had butterflies in my stomache.

Morning came, and it was time to go. I was crying, my mom was crying but she knew I had to go and do this for myself. We hugged, said our goodbyes, then Craig and I were on our way to the airport, but first we made a few stops to say goodbye to the rest of my family. We arrived at the airport and I said goodbye to my sister, she was crying pretty bad and I was trying to be the strong one, but I knew how much I’d miss her and the rest of my family. We went inside the airport and checked our bags in, we waited 20 minutes and then it was time to board the flight. I was so nervous, anxious, and glad that at least I wasn’t alone, Craig was with me. It felt so good being with him again, and I wasn’t so shy this time because we had spent a year getting to know everything about each other! I honestly enjoyed the flights, being so high away from everything, looking down and seeing all the city lights. It was a different experience for me, one I’ll never forget…although I wish the airplane seats weren’t so close together!

When we finally landed in Australia, Craig’s family was at the airport to greet us. We came along way, and I couldn’t believe I was there! Craig and his family showed me around Australia, it’s such a beautiful country. I was only supposed to stay for three months, so they showed me as much as they could, and I met some of his family. As the time flew by we knew we didn’t want to say goodbye again, especially not now when things were going so good. We got engaged in March when Craig proposed to me during dinner at a cozy Italian resturant, I was so excited and of course I said yes (actually he proposed twice, but I’ll tell you about that another time…LOL)! We immediately started making plans. First was notifying Immigration of our intentions, and getting information about extending my Visa. After we had all the information we needed, it was now time to plan our wedding! Our engagement was short and was spent planning everything. We decided we would have our wedding at “Births, Deaths, & Marriages” in Sydney. We were married on April 22, 2003. It was a small ceremony with close friends and family. The next day we had an appointment with Immigration, they granted me a “Temporary Partner Visa” and in two years my case gets reviewed for permanent residency. After the two years when I get my permanent residency, Craig and I are going to renew our vows and have the wedding we didn’t get to have the first time as a celebration over my residency and that we’ve finally made it!

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